WHERE DO YOU HIRE PEOPLE ??

[SageGlad]

Ever taken on a guy/gal that has never seen a micrometer or even calipers?
Has no idea what .001 means let alone a tenth or micron.
Did it work?

They worked as a button pushers, and deburring and handling, packaging etc.

 

[SageGlad]

we have this thing called "Running Start" in Washington State, where high school kids can take college classes and get double credit.
In Texas, they call it Dual Credit, same idea.
If I were you, I would call or visit the guys who run this program (they are probably too busy to answer random emails) Unfortunately it looks like they are cutting back on the classes this year. Budget cuts maybe.
https://www.hccs.edu/programs/areas...industry--manufacturing/machining-technology/

I called them a few times today, no one picked up. Will try again tomorrow, and try to talk to someone and figure it out.
Thank you for the direction! Every little step and advice means a lot to me! Figuring it out little by little.
I like how this forum works, it's so cool when people can help each other out! Thank you again!!

 

[Milling man]

Насколько плохим может быть Окленд?

If I'm not mistaken, until recently it was the murder capital of America - the city with the highest number of murders per thousand inhabitants. So this is not where I would like to work.....

 

[TeachMePlease]

Ever taken on a guy/gal that has never seen a micrometer or even calipers?
Has no idea what .001 means let alone a tenth or micron.
Did it work?

That's how I got where I am today.

 

[CAMasochism]

That's how I got where I am today.

Hell, if you managed to get this far not knowing what .001/tenth/micron means then certainly no reason to stop now!

 

[pgmrmike]

Hahaha you're delusional if you think taxes will close the gap between what you're offering and what we get paid in Cali. My taxes are about 20% of my gross wages.

By the way, I checked job listings in the Houston area. Lots of places offering 30-35. Some offering even more for experienced machinists. At $20, the best you can hope is to hire some jabroni who will cost you more in wasted time and broken tools.

Time and time again, the guys who come to this site to complain that nobody wants to work for them are offering wages from a decade ago, and are scratching their heads why nobody will show up to the interview.

When I run ads its $30 and up ( about 40mi NW of Houston ) and get few responses. What I do get rarely meet the qualifications. I have hired a few that were weak in years or skill and tried to bring them up to speed with no success. There are a lot of losers that dont know much just because they are losers. I have been here my entire life and skilled guys are getting harder to find every day.

 

[pgmrmike]

To answer the original question, I have used craigslist and Indeed. I get more responses on Indeed but is not cheap. Just wasnt cost effective for me. I spent over $4000 last year on Indeed and got no actual viable, interested, employable candidates that could come in and set up and run basic parts. We arent talking close tolerance complex stuff. I hired one guy to train up and he lasted almost 2 weeks before I gave up trying to teach him anything. He knew nothing because he couldnt learn anything ( found out later he was a burned out pill head )

 

[triumph406]

I doubt I would qualify for a mortgage in the bay area, plus I don't want to rent, ever.

Here's a job in Belmont that advertises 60-100 per hour for a lead machinist with 10+ years experience.

https://www.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=ca8d7a7af08d35ed&from=serp&prevUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indeed.com%2Fm%2Fjobs%3Fq%3Dmachinist%26l%3DOakland%252C%2520CA%26salaryType%3D%2524130%252C000%26radius%3D100%26from%3Dso

This was the actual job I was thinking about. It's actually in Freemont, not in Oakland as I thought

https://www.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=007e1428b5ce8103&from=serp&prevUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indeed.com%2Fm%2Fjobs%3Fq%3Dmachinist%26l%3DOakland%252C%2520CA%26salaryType%3D%2524130%252C000%252B%26radius%3D100%26from%3Dso

That first job I guarantee is abnormal for the area. The same thing happens around here (Orange County, mainly Irvine) These venture capital funded companies offer abnormal pay, unlimited PTO (you read that right) No cost PPO health insurance (Not Kaiser, the good stuff) and cheap Dental, 401K's which match at least 6%, free lunch, possible a small gym in the building, mileage if travel is any distance. The downside is, will the job be there in 1-2-3 years time.

It's Venture Capital funded. I make parts for a couple of companies in Irvine that are Venture capital funded, and the pay and benefits are abnormal to the area. Which is good until the funding runs out. Then there's layoffs. They get more funding, re-hire a few, funding runs out, layoffs again. Happened to one of my customers. Which at one point left me high and dry with some large invoices unpaid. Came down to "we're doing a big demo for the Navy, if it works out we'll get funded. So if you make these parts we need, then you'll be the first to get paid. If you don't I understand" I did the parts taking a risk I wouldn't get paid. They had a successful demo, and got more funding. I got paid. This was year ago. They just laid off some guys last week. Ran out of money Luckily I have no outstanding invoices.

 

[triumph406]

https://www.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=ca8d7a7af08d35ed&from=serp&prevUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indeed.com%2Fm%2Fjobs%3Fq%3Dmachinist%26l%3DOakland%252C%2520CA%26salaryType%3D%2524130%252C000%26radius%3D100%26from%3Dso

Actually reading the ad again, the job description is very extensive, it's not just a machinist job with 10years+ experience. The ad says $60-100. Somebody who could do that job is worth minimum $60/hour maybe more

 

[hanermo]

That first job I guarantee is abnormal for the area. The same thing happens around here (Orange County, mainly Irvine) These venture capital funded companies offer abnormal pay, unlimited PTO (you read that right) No cost PPO health insurance (Not Kaiser, the good stuff) and cheap Dental, 401K's which match at least 6%, free lunch, possible a small gym in the building, mileage if travel is any distance. The downside is, will the job be there in 1-2-3 years time.

It's Venture Capital funded. I make parts for a couple of companies in Irvine that are Venture capital funded, and the pay and benefits are abnormal to the area. Which is good until the funding runs out. Then there's layoffs. They get more funding, re-hire a few, funding runs out, layoffs again. Happened to one of my customers. Which at one point left me high and dry with some large invoices unpaid. Came down to "we're doing a big demo for the Navy, if it works out we'll get funded. So if you make these parts we need, then you'll be the first to get paid. If you don't I understand" I did the parts taking a risk I wouldn't get paid. They had a successful demo, and got more funding. I got paid. This was year ago. They just laid some guys last week. Ran out of money Luckily I have no outstanding invoices.

I used to rent for 25+ years.. great decision.
VC funded is also fine .. but they then need to pay VC prices.

AKA they are probably unlikely to exist in 24 months.
Endless possibly heavy legal hassles may ensue.

You as the sub making parts is not part of the VC chain and not expecting 100x equity gains, no ??
Therefore, the VC funded company pays the freight for now, at 4x, just like they pay workers at 100$++.

Why should the machining company be funding a VC funded company, with widgets at low rates ??

If You get a 10-20M$ binding future contract, at decent rates, this might be a reason.
With stock as collateral, and debtor in possession financing explicitly included.

If they don´t agree to this, as they probably wont, this generally means that they think your work is near worthless to them and their likelyhood of ultimate success is quite low in their opinion.
SO, if they don´t think they can pledge their word, aka stock, do You wish to finance them ? Why ?

 

[Dan from Oakland]

Regarding that $60-$100/ hr job in the SF Bay Area. Gas is $4.50-$5.00/gallon, an ok 1 bedroom apartment will run you $2k/month and good luck finding a house to buy for less than $500k within 50 miles of where you work.

 

[alek95]

Regarding that $60-$100/ hr job in the SF Bay Area. Gas is $4.50-$5.00/gallon, an ok 1 bedroom apartment will run you $2k/month and good luck finding a house to buy for less than $500k within 50 miles of where you work.

Honestly I want to do it for a few years.

The high prices aren't what scare me (honestly Sacramento prices are basically 75% of that anyway).

What makes me want to reconsider is the depressing level of crime, homelessness, narcotics, etc.

Although downtown Sacramento is now just as bad, if not worse. I was absolutely left speechless after going to a Kings game a few months ago.

 

[triumph406]

Honestly I want to do it for a few years.

The high prices aren't what scare me (honestly Sacramento prices are basically 75% of that anyway).

What makes me want to reconsider is the depressing level of crime, homelessness, narcotics, etc.

Although downtown Sacramento is now just as bad, if not worse. I was absolutely left speechless after going to a Kings game a few months ago.

I used to go the Coliseum in LA for the Supercross in the 80.90's we would park on the street and walk in. Some areas were very sketchy, 10x worse now.

 

[triumph406]

I was absolutely left speechless after going to a Kings game a few months ago.

Like that in LA around and east of the Garment district. it's almost dystopian what's going on there now.

 

[CarbideBob]

Hell, if you managed to get this far not knowing what .001/tenth/micron means then certainly no reason to stop now!

I think he knows now.
Maybe he meant that he came in this crazy business not knowing any of this and totally confused

 

[evansmachine]

plasma bank

 

[john.k]

best advice I can give is what my first boss told me "Dont hire anyone with flour in their hair".........reason being in those days (60s) unemployment benefit was collected from a "Labour Exchange ",the unemployed had to be there at 8am ,and sit there till 3pm ,then collect their days dole .......anyhoo ,the Exchange was just over from the Sea Foam flour mill.......they would work night shift at the flour mill ,then go down the exchange and collect their Dole........if you hired someone with flour in their hair ,they would sleep all day.

 

[EmGo]

Like that in LA around and east of the Garment district. it's almost dystopian what's going on there now.

I can send you a copy of Boyz n the Hood, if you need an LA Reality Check. Been that way quite a while, depending on the area.

 

[triumph406]

I can send you a copy of Boyz n the Hood, if you need an LA Reality Check. Been that way quite a while, depending on the area.

Driving around downtown at night 10 years ago it was bad, now it's even worse then you remember

 

[SageGlad]

That's how I got where I am today.

Not all people going the ideal road (education, practice, career). I Also learned a lot on the way of life. So cool to know you managed to educate yourself and get where you are.