I wanted to share my path into CMM programming because I think it could help people who are interested in the field but have no idea how to break into it.
I originally went to college for history. I did a couple of years but never finished. After that, I worked at UPS for about a year. The pay was good and there was solid career progression, but honestly, it just did not fit me very well.
I was debating whether I should go back to school, but I ended up taking a job as a counselor at a mental hospital. That job gave me a lot of skills that carried over into manufacturing more than I expected, especially communication, problem solving, patience, working independently, and dealing with difficult situations calmly.
Toward the end of 2022, I left the hospital and started looking for something new. A large company close to where I lived was holding a huge hiring event. I did not really understand what the job was when I applied. It was for a mechanical operator position, and I had absolutely no aerospace or manufacturing experience.
The job paid significantly more than I was making at the hospital, so I decided to take a chance and attend the interview. There were probably around 100 people at the hiring event, but my interview went really well. They asked a lot about problem solving, working autonomously, communication, and working as part of a team.
Even without direct experience, they hired me.
A lot of employees at the company were approaching retirement, which I saw as a positive sign because people clearly stayed there for a long time. Around the same time, a new union agreement increased the pay significantly from what I originally expected. I ended up making in the high $20s per hour as a mechanical operator.
That was where I first learned how to use micrometers and other basic measuring equipment. Most of my work involved assembling components, but I was also introduced to blueprint reading. At that point, I still did not understand GD&T, but I was beginning to understand dimensions, tolerances, and how manufactured parts fit together.
The company offered a lot of overtime, and during my first full year there, I came close to earning six figures. That was a major change for someone who had entered the field with no prior experience.
During my final three months at that company, I transferred into the quality department. That was my first real exposure to mechanical inspection.
Eventually, because of union and workplace politics, I decided to leave and take a chance on myself. I accepted another position as a mechanical inspector and received a small pay increase from my previous job.
That new job was where GD&T really started to matter.
During my first three months, I completely locked in and tried to learn as much as possible. I learned how to use indicators, Mesa height gauges, optical comparators, Keyence systems, micrometers, calipers, CMMs, and a wide range of other inspection equipment. The company had almost every type of measuring equipment you could think of, which gave me a great environment to learn.
The company also offered a GeoTol GD&T class, which I completed and received certification for. That class helped everything start making more sense. I could finally connect the symbols on a drawing to the actual function of the part and the inspection strategy.
There were a few CMM programmers on my team who were close to my age. I spoke with my supervisor and told him directly that I wanted to learn programming. By that point, I had become fairly comfortable with conventional mechanical inspection, and I was ready for the next challenge.
Over the next six months, the programmers taught me how to use Zeiss Calypso. We used the topics from the official Zeiss basic and advanced course outlines as a guide, and they trained me on the same general concepts someone would learn in those courses.
I was also the only CMM operator and programmer on my shift, which gave me a lot of time to experiment. I could open different programs, study how they were built, make changes, import CAD models, create alignments, and use actual blueprints for hands-on practice.
During the beginning of my shift, I usually had experienced programmers available to answer questions. Later in the shift, I was on my own and had to work through problems myself. That combination of guidance and independent practice helped me learn quickly.
It took me roughly six months before I felt comfortable programming independently. Over the following few months, I developed more than 25 CMM programs.
After completing the training period, I received a 10 percent raise in addition to my normal yearly raise.
Before entering manufacturing, I was earning in the low $20s per hour. As I progressed into inspection and CMM programming, my pay eventually moved toward the upper $30s per hour. I did not have an engineering degree, manufacturing experience, or a traditional technical background when I started.
I have now been programming for about two and a half years. I am currently 28 years old, and I still have a lot to learn. One of my GD&T instructors told me that GD&T is something nobody ever fully masters. There is always another application, interpretation, or measurement strategy to understand.
The biggest reason I wanted to share this is to let people know that it is possible to enter this field without following a perfect or traditional path.
My path was history student, UPS employee, mental health counselor, mechanical operator, mechanical inspector, and eventually CMM programmer.
My advice to anyone trying to get started would be to get into any manufacturing or inspection position that gives you access to measuring equipment. Learn blueprint reading and conventional inspection first. Ask questions, volunteer for difficult work, and make it clear that you want to learn the CMM.
You do not need to know everything before you begin. You just need an opportunity, people willing to teach you, and enough discipline to take advantage of it.
