I am 20 years old and plan on moving to Reno Nevada this summer. I would like to start a machinist apprenticeship (preferably CNC machinist ) in the Reno area. I was wondering if anybody knows of any machinist accepting applications for apprentiships. I would also appreciate any other information about the machinist profession.

Thank you.

Hi Capone (got a real name?)

I have a friend that is a CNC machinest and from talking to him I don't think you just walk into an apprentice position without having some prerequisits met. You'll need some cad/cam skills and a good bit of math background too. Have you taken any college courses that relate to cad and machining? You may even want to see about a vocational school. I'm not a machinist and have only talked a little about this with a friend a few months back when he was unemployed. Maybe someone else actually in the profession will speak up...

Sorry, my name is Nic Carone. Thanks for the reply it is very helpful. I do have a little experience using CAD and a strong mathematical background. I think that it might be best to learn about basic machining and then move into CAD designing.

Thanks Again
Nic Carone

Nic,
I own a cnc machine shop so I'll chime in.
I would try to get some schooling in conventional
machining.Knowing how to program the machine control is useless if you don't understand how to
hold and process a workpiece.You could take a position as a machine operator to get familiar
with some machine controls and go to a tech or
community college course in machining to gain
general machining knowledge.A good machinist can
generally be trained in cnc, but I can't tell
you how many engineers I've met in shops who have no clue how to actually make anything.Good luck
in your new location.