You couldn't ask for a nicer job. Pace is not frantic, the work is always different and interesting. There is a mix of make it to print and stuff we are very much into design wise. Remember most of the customers don't know much about making drawings, so we HAVE to get involved! One of my tasks tomorrow will be to take a slice off a 4.5 billion year old meteorite! We have an older Mori Seiki in great condition, 3 prototrak mills, one prototrak lathe, 2 HLVH's Clausing 15" that is near new, big old sliding gap Leblond, and more...oh and we are getting a Omax waterjet soon. It's a pretty even mix of CNC and manual.
I really thought me mentioning it here would bring out some people(just one that is actually interested) Maybe like someone said its NJ. Believe me I would rather be somewhere else myself, but my wife is a professor here and that is not going to change. And honestly it is not so bad where I live anyway, but then I have a 40 minute drive to get to work. As for pay its pretty darn good when you figure in the benefits. I feel pretty lucky to have the job. Oh and I just heard that the Princeton physics shop is going to be looking for a person too. I worked there briefly and it is a nice shop too.
Where is the guy like me but 20 years younger? I should say that a couple of the applicants seem like cnc only guys who I personally doubt have the skills to do some of the work we do, which can be very small, very close tolerance and more "exotic" materials, macor, Ti, pure copper and alum, etc...