Originally Posted by Garden Toad
Originally Posted by stereoman
Originally Posted by Reality Bytes
I did find this , which indicates that with performance bonuses and 10% overtime, the assembler in the example makes $72,500 per year; and the tool&die maker would make over $83,000 per year.

Hmm.

In contrast, the average professional engineer starting salary is well under 60k, for the same (or more) hours. Even the medians range from 66k (health and safety engineers) to 98k (petroleum - heh); the median of the medians is $73,900.
Isn't that kind of comparing apples to oranges? I mean, how many starting positions are there for tool and die makers at that salary level compared to starting positions for engineers at their corresponding salary level? And what is the comparative commitment in terms of training? Can a person get into the union as a tool and die maker right out of high school and make that kind of money?

No you cannot become a journeyman tool and die maker in high school It is an 8000 hour apprenticeship with extra hours of schooling. It takes most apprentices 4 years to complete the training.

The GM plant that I worked at did not hire in skilled trades. They trained people through their own apprentice program offered to assembly and machinists.
To get into the training you needed to take a preliminary test and have higher seniority than anyone else wanting the position so a new hire could possibly get the training, if no older employees wanted it.

I don't think anyone suggested you can be a tool&diemaker out of high school.... you can't be an engineer out of high school either.

Is the seniority issue usually a problem?

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