Looking in the Lansing, MI area.

Hello, I'm Forrest 24 of age, and I'm looking for a manual machining job in the area if possible. I do have most of my experience from school. The rest is from a job at a sensor manufacturer that had a few parts that needed to have some components cut and drilled on a lathe.

I would have finished my schooling if I didn't run out of money to live and go to school. As of right now, I am going back to school to finish up my degree in machining to have CNC skills as well. With that, I want to start in a job with manual machines to get into the field and not let my degree go to waste.

I'm in the Lansing area. I run manual machines once in a while, but I do not know anyone who does that for a living. I personally know two gentlemen that have years of manuals under their belt but absolutely cannot find a good job due to lack of CNC experience. You have to be proficient in CNC. I used to work at a place a couple towns over that I believe may be expanding. It was a good place to learn for sure. PM me for details if you wish.

I'm also wondering how would I go to shops in the area to talk to some of the owners and their workers. Would that look like I'm just trying to squeeze myself into their shop and insult them? Or would that show I'm eager to find someone to work for?

It never hurts to go knocking on doors.

You'll want a short letter saying what you are looking for, outlining your experience, and some ways to contact you easily.
Kind of a cover letter, not a detailed resume.
Just something you can drop off that the owner/manager can scan through in 15 seconds or so.
(most that I know have very, very short attention spans and any interruption is annoying,....... we have fires to piss on)

Small shop owners need people who understand getting it done fast and not wasting time.
A long detailed resume is great for an interview, not so good to introduce yourself.

A short piece of paper will keep you in the owners mind longer than a walk in "Hi" but will not waste the guy's time reading though three pages of crap.
Bob

Well, I went into a shop called Langenberg Machine Products today. I talked to the owner, and figured I would need an entry level job. I am still looking around, but I will need to find someone that can afford to help me train up to the level that most shops expect for today's machinists.

Per your PM, the place you are going on Monday was a great place to work. The 401k was one of the better ones I had heard of. I only left because the pay wasn't as good as the place I went to. Otherwise I would have stuck around. That's been quite a few years and things change, so who knows.

Good luck.