CNC Machinist
De Anza College, Occupational Training Institute · Cupertino, CA
- Cost
- $5,269
- Length
- 36 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
Program names and program descriptions appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Occupation titles are translated where O*NET publishes a Spanish name. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 3,056
- Finished the program
- 82%Based on 1,965 people
- Working 6 months later
- 12%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
The jobs this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Shrinking -11.5%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
Where California publishes a separate figure for San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators
Job ads may call this: Machine Operator · Machine Set Up Operator · CNC Operator (Computer Numerical Control Operator) · CNC Machinist (Computer Numerical Control Machinist)
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Measure dimensions of finished workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments, templates, and fixtures.
- Set up and operate computer-controlled machines or robots to perform one or more machine functions on metal or plastic workpieces.
- Mount, install, align, and secure tools, attachments, fixtures, and workpieces on machines, using hand tools and precision measuring instruments.
- Review program specifications or blueprints to determine and set machine operations and sequencing, finished workpiece dimensions, or numerical control sequences.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Stop machines to remove finished workpieces or to change tooling, setup, or workpiece placement, according to required machining sequences.
- Listen to machines during operation to detect sounds such as those made by dull cutting tools or excessive vibration, and adjust machines to compensate for problems.
- Implement changes to machine programs, and enter new specifications, using computers.
- Calculate machine speed and feed ratios and the size and position of cuts.
What this pays in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $47,510 | $60,980 | $81,242 |
| Across California | $40,575 | $57,799 | $78,593 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $57,799per yearSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: $60,563
- Projected openings
- 16,320San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 1,470
- Projected change
- -11.5%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Programmer · Numerical Control Programmer (NC Programmer) · CNC Tech (Computer Numerical Control Technician) · CAD Programmer (Computer-Aided Design Programmer)
- Determine the sequence of machine operations, and select the proper cutting tools needed to machine workpieces into the desired shapes.
- Analyze job orders, drawings, blueprints, specifications, printed circuit board pattern films, and design data to calculate dimensions, tool selection, machine speeds, and feed rates.
- Observe machines on trial runs or conduct computer simulations to ensure that programs and machinery will function properly and produce items that meet specifications.
- Write programs in the language of a machine's controller and store programs on media, such as punch tapes, magnetic tapes, or disks.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Determine reference points, machine cutting paths, or hole locations, and compute angular and linear dimensions, radii, and curvatures.
- Enter computer commands to store or retrieve parts patterns, graphic displays, or programs that transfer data to other media.
- Revise programs or tapes to eliminate errors, and retest programs to check that problems have been solved.
- Modify existing programs to enhance efficiency.
What this pays in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $68,856 | $105,330 | $136,117 |
| Across California | $57,176 | $83,963 | $128,885 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $83,963per yearSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: $100,474
- Projected openings
- 3,190San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 420
- Projected change
- +10%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary non-degree award
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
Program details
This is a hybrid or blended program providing both in-person and online instruction.
De Anza has one of the most diversified collections of machine tools of any college program in the West. The curriculum includes many lecture/lab classes that will provide you with hands-on experience using computers and machine tools to perform many manufacturing processes. Classes are smallabout 20-24 students, so individual help is readily available.A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine tools, such as lathes, mills, precision measuring tools, and related attachments and accessories, to perform machining functions, such as cutting, drilling, shaping, and finishing products and component parts. Includes instruction in CNC terminology, setup, programming, operations, and troubleshooting; blueprint reading; machining; lathe and mill operations; technical mathematics; computer literacy; CAD/CAM systems; shop and safety practices; equipment capabilities; regulations and laws.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-09-18). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
Ask before you enroll, not after
The order the rules set out starts at the center rather than at the school. Before a center can find somebody eligible for training services it has to gather enough to decide, at a minimum through an interview, evaluation or assessment and career planning. Referring a person to the provider they have chosen and setting up the account both come after that, and both are the center's to do — the account is a payment agreement with the training provider, and it is the provider that is paid through it. So the call belongs before enrolling and before paying. Anyone who has already done either should still ask, and ask what it means for them.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
NOVAworksComprehensive center
Phone: 408-730-7232
456 W. Olive AvenueSunnyvale City HallSunnyvale, CA 94086about 5.7 miles away
Hours: Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
North San Jose America`s Job Center of CaliforniaAffiliate site
Phone: 408-216-6200
1901 Zanker RoadSan Jose, CA 95112about 11.1 miles away
Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-5pm
Has a veterans' representative
San Jose Job CenterComprehensive center
Phone: 408-794-1101
1608 Las Plumas AvenueWork2Future-Silicon Workforce Development BoardSan Jose, CA 95133about 12.9 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8a-5p
At a comprehensive center all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →