Okay so I work as an entry level machinist. My job is to basically backfill the inventory for assembly.
I order materials, schedule the workflow, program CNC machines, pull existing blueprints, scan them for gd&t callouts critical dimensions or whatever else… Make a fixture and Setup a CNC machine…Make a first part, once it gets approved make a bunch and while I'm running one machine I setup or program another part. Basically I'm left alone to use any number of Haas VMCs I want, with multiple bridgeports and lathes
It's not difficult work, just very detail oriented because the products need to be precise and perfect, six figure product sometimes dips into the seven figures…and unstructured so you really gotta stay focused on your work….if you're the type of dude to do donuts in the forklift all day nobody will come tell you to stop but at the end of the month top brass is going to ask where the fuck all the parts went…and CAM program posting isn't all that reliable so I have to go in and clean up the Gcode everytime…. typical $17/hr machine shop job. Only drawback is the pay and no air-conditioning..
However there is a ton of drama everytime I want a day off, I have to email like 4 people, in case one of them needs me for something….they never do…I literally just keep the shelves stocked. I have a ton of hours racked up but if I were to take a week off it would be wayyy tou much effort to request and schedule so I just don't bother…
I don't understand this process because I mean looking at my day-to-day I'm a very low skilled and low ranking employee. I think technically the janitors can come in and start telling me what to do….they don't but they definitely can.
Feels like it would be easier to grab a monkey and teach him to put an endmill in a cat50 holder and mdi tool release button then if it stays he gets the banana so I can use my vacation days sometime…
I'm not sure if my company pays out unused vacation time but it always irked me since I have a gf working in govt and she has no trouble getting days off and gets like three times the holidays I get?