◆ Skilled Trades & Crafts

What a cnc programmer
really does.

20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.

20evidenced tasks
28,500in the US (2025)
$68,120median pay / year
11systems it runs on
See the 20 tasks ↓Open in the atlasThe full career map →
This is what one task looks like here
Perform trial runs
Run the trial cut for the batch on cell F6 this afternoon, watch the s…3 sources agree

The shape of the day

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The work, task by task

20 tasks
Hands on the work17
Perform trial runs+
Run the trial cut for the batch on cell F6 this afternoon, watch the spindle and coolant for the first two pieces, note any chatter or tool deflection, stop and log offsets if dimensions drift beyond tolerance, then sign off the run sheet.
escojdonet3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Order tooling for jobs.+
Place an order for three end mills, two boring bars, and new collets for job 4821, confirm stock levels with stores, attach the job drawing and expected run quantity, request next-day delivery and approval from purchasing by noon today.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Analyse blueprints and job orders+
Review the blueprint and the job ticket for order 3907, mark critical dimensions, note surface finish and tolerance calls, flag any missing notes or ambiguous fits and email the production lead and design engineer for clarification before first-piece setup tomorrow.
escojd2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Revise programs or tapes to fix errors+
Modify the offending tape for the lathe that caused the overrun: correct the Z retracts, reduce rapid feed into tight radii, run a dry step-through to validate motions, then record the revision number and reason in the program change log.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Analyze blueprints, drawings, and specifications+
Compare the engineering drawing for assembly C-12 against the material spec and current program, list any conflicts in dimensions, tolerances or surface finish, and send a concise discrepancy report to design and production planning by 3pm.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Microsoft Visual C+++
Generate a compiled C++ toolpath validator that reads the latest mill specs, checks cutter offsets and spindle speeds against machine limits, flagging any operation that would cause spindle overload or travel beyond the fixture by Friday noon so I can schedule the cutter change.
esco
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
ASP.NET+
Produce a web-based shop floor dashboard that shows live job queue, current machine status, and next setup with links to the latest NC programs so the floor supervisor can reroute work when a mill goes down during the morning shift.
esco
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Write instruction sheets and cutter lists+
Draft step-by-step cutter instruction sheets and a numbered cutter list for the new PCB run, include tool diameters, spindle speeds, feeds, and expected cycle times, then save the master sheet in the job folder and notify the shop foreman.
jd
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Keep it safe2
Watch and assess1

What the work runs on

named inside the evidenced tasks
6 tasks3D Systems GibbsCAMcreates and simulates NC toolpaths for trial verification
4 tasksDassault Systemes SolidWorksinspects CAD geometry and derives dimensions to compare with machining programs
3 tasks1CadCam Unigraphicsedits NC tape output and regenerates corrected toolpaths for validation
3 tasksMicrosoft Excelcan host and publish live linked job and machine-status tables useful for quick shop-floor dashboards and routing decisionsOpen its task library →
2 tasksMicrosoft Officeused to log copies and produce the media tracking sheet
1 taskSAPcreates purchase requisitions, checks inventory and routes approvals
1 taskAutodesk AutoCADviews and measures drawing geometry and annotations to extract machining requirements
1 taskMicrosoft Wordcreates formatted instruction sheets and numbered cutter lists suitable for shop distributionOpen its task library →
Browse every evidenced software task →

The same task, four heights

this page is height one
ExecuteDo today's task, with fewer mistakesyou are here → ImproveMake it easy for the next person to acceptin the atlas → DecideWork out the right move when it is unclearin the atlas → BecomeLearn the pattern so it stops coming backin the atlas →

Can AI actually do this job?

the honest answer

It can

where it genuinely helps
  • Explain the theory behind the work
  • Draft, tidy and structure your writing
  • Rehearse a hard conversation before you have it
  • Build a study plan that fits your gaps

It cannot

where it stops, completely
  • Be in the room where a cnc programmer actually works
  • Carry the responsibility when the call is wrong — that weight stays yours
  • Notice what no one wrote down: the hesitation, the thing left unsaid
  • Live with the outcome

What the work pays

two countries, two different measures

United States

this exact occupation · BLS 2025
  • $68,120 a year — the middle: half earn more, half earn less
  • The lowest tenth earn near $47,530; the top tenth near $100,320
  • 28,500 people employed in this occupation

India

the occupation GROUP, not this job · PLFS via ILOSTAT 2025
  • ₹38,298 a month — the median for Professionals, the group this work sits in
  • India publishes pay by broad occupation group, so this covers many jobs besides this one. It is a shape, not a salary.
read this carefullyThese two numbers are not comparable and must not be converted into each other. One is a yearly figure for this job alone; the other is a monthly figure for a whole family of jobs. What travels between them is the pattern, not the amount: experience lifts pay almost everywhere.

Where the evidence lives

open any of it yourself
O*NETThe US Department of Labor's own record of this job6 of these tasks ESCOThe European skills and occupations register11 of these tasks Job descriptionsReal postings, in the wild10 of these tasks US Bureau of Labor StatisticsPay and employment, by occupation2025 figures UK NOS SEMPEO214LPreparing and proving CNC machine tool programsnational standard UK NOS SEMET318Carrying out CNC machine tool programmingnational standard

Close to this work

12 nearby
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Questions people actually ask

You usually start by reading job orders and blueprints for the day’s parts, then load or write the CNC program in your CAM software like GibbsCAM or SolidWorks CAM.

After that you set up the machine: order or pick tooling, align fixtures, run a trial cut, retest programs to fix errors, and store final programs on media or in SAP so production can run.

AI can speed up tasks like generating initial toolpaths, checking code for syntax errors, or organizing revision notes, but don’t trust it for final G-code. Always run computer simulations and a physical trial run to catch collisions or wrong feeds.

Keep control: verify AI suggestions against blueprints, test in a simulator, and only commit to the machine after you’ve retested programs and inspected tooling and fixtures.