💡 Why it matters: Cars, aircraft, medical tools and machines all contain parts cut to tiny tolerances. Skilled machinists who can read drawings and program machines are needed in factories worldwide.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs for machinists and tool and die makers are projected to decline 1% from 2025 to 2035 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦700k – ₦1.8M
- Mid-career
- ₦2M – ₦5M
- Senior
- ₦5M – ₦12M
≈ ₦167k – ₦417k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: Machinists. Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Read technical drawings and plan how to make a part
- Set up and program CNC (computer numerical control) machines
- Measure parts with precision tools to check they are right
- Change cutting tools and fix small machine problems
- Keep the workshop clean and safe
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Attention to detail
- Reading technical drawings
- Mathematics
- Hands-on skill
- Problem solving
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Technical college machine shop or fitting course, then work in a manufacturing or engineering workshop
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Apprenticeship with a manufacturing or engineering company
- College course in engineering manufacturing, then trainee machinist
🇺🇸 United States
- Community college machining programme
- Start as a machine operator and learn on the job
🇨🇦 Canada
- Registered apprenticeship through your province, ending in the Red Seal exam
- Start as a machine operator and learn on the job
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Do well in Mathematics and Design and Technology
- 2Take a machining course or start an apprenticeship
- 3Learn to operate CNC machines under supervision
- 4Earn certifications and learn to program machines yourself
- 5Move up to lead machinist, programmer or workshop supervisor
⏰ A day in the life
You read the drawing for a new part and load a block of aluminium into the machine. After you start the program, you measure the first piece with a micrometer, which can read thousandths of a millimetre. Then you adjust a setting so every part after it matches exactly.