Making things has always fascinated those who wonder how things work and want to be part of the creation process. Yet there are many misconceptions around manufacturing and machining work.

Gone are the dark days of unsafe factory work during the Industrial Revolution, when little respect was given to workers or safety processes. These days, modern manufacturing is advanced, high-tech, and more sustainable than ever.

Below, we’ll unpack what manufacturing work environments look like today and how you might explore joining these places as a professional.

Modern manufacturing environment and professional potential

Modern manufacturing is a cleaner, leaner, and greener industry than you might suspect. Gone are the days of dangerous, heavy-duty machinery and hazardous processes. Today, modern manufacturing environments are filled with advanced technologies, computer-aided machines, and progressive software programs, which have taken much of the laborious work out of production and allowed manufacturing professionals to focus on what matters: innovation, precision, and quality.

In modern manufacturing work environments, employees collaborate as teams to solve problems and produce high-quality goods, generating ideas together and later bringing them to life with technology such as digital blueprints and design software. Today’s manufacturing professionals work with their hands, their minds, and state-of-the-art equipment to create top-quality goods.

Because of this, knowledge-based imagination, combined with critical thinking and technical skills, is becoming one of the most sought-after skills among the next generation of workers. Despite popular belief, it is not necessarily “easy” or “simple” to get a manufacturing job in the 21st century. Today, you must come equipped with the knowledge, the skills, and the drive to succeed.

Learn modern manufacturing at Goodwin University

A day on the manufacturing floor

Of course, there’s much to learn before you’re scheduled for a shift in a manufacturing facility, but many are curious about what manufacturing work will actually look like before settling on a schooling program.

Let’s unpack what a manufacturing or machinist work environment might look like after you’ve completed training.

Since manufacturing is a pretty nonstop process these days, much of manufacturing work is done in 12-hour shifts that start early and keep you moving all day long.

You’re likely to begin the day with a handover from the night team and a diagnostics meeting. The day and night teams huddle together for a shift handover and various safety and alignment check-ins.

The majority of your shift happens midday, when teams oversee automation across the manufacturing floor and address any issues that arise. You’ll work with a high-tech hub that operates machinery, monitors live data dashboards, addresses a variety of quality assurance needs, and collaborates with team members.

In the afternoon, teams often meet again to discuss necessary preventive maintenance on any machines and investigate sensor alerts indicating a machine weakness that needs to be rectified. Finally, in the early evening, before shift changeover, you’ll prepare to hand over the work to the night shift, documenting any incidents during the day in regular reports and huddling again as a team to discuss performance metrics and strategize future improvements to methods.

Ways to join the manufacturing field

As discussed, these jobs are not something you can walk into and learn on the go. Manufacturing processes are complicated, dangerous, and high-tech, so companies want to hire trained professionals who know what they’re doing and can contribute to a team from the get-go.

Curious about the classes you’ll take? Here’s some insight into Goodwin’s advanced manufacturing certificate program curriculum:

First mod

• BMM 100 Introduction to Manufacturing
• BMM 140 Principles in Manufacturing Mathematics
• BMM 175 CNC Machining
• BMM 222 Technical Drawings and Specifications
• BMM 224 Metrology and Calibration

Second mod

• BMM 210 Lean Manufacturing Principles
• BMM 220 Materials and Processes in Manufacturing
• BMM 240 CAM I
• BMM 275 CNC Machining II

Third mod

• BMM 229 Advanced Metrology and Calibration
• BMM 241 CAM II
• BMM 276 CNC Machining Applications

No matter which area of manufacturing you’re looking to explore, whether you decide to start with a certificate program that teaches basic CNC machining, metrology, technology, inspections, or welding skills to get on the manufacturing floor, get curious about the specificity of a machinist work environment and want to complete your associate’s in Machine Engineering Technology or Quality Management Systems to open up team leadership opportunities, or want to take on an entire bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Management, there are accessible, high-quality, open enrollment programs available for you to explore.

Those eager to build the future, quite literally, will find the manufacturing work environment engaging and non-stop. Plus, it’s full of its fair share of interesting problems to solve.

Learn more about manufacturing programs at Goodwin University to see if this high-tech, fast-paced environment is a good career choice for you.