Not a tradesman, but I worked in fabrication/machining QA/QC my whole work life. Without the skills and hard work of those actually making the products, I couldn’t have made a career and livelihood.

To the point of the original post, there’s a potential career path or even just good exposure to the field or just an interim job while studying further. To the potential jobs of machine operator, machinist, tool and die maker, CNC programmer, manufacturing or design engineering; Ill suggest quality assurance or control. Inspection, calibration, advanced metrology methods, QA program administration are all essential elements. Right before I retired we purchased an computer aided infrared scanning measurement system. One of shop inspectors had a manual machining background, the other more CNC based.

My last work-stop(19+years), was at a large fabrication and machining manufacturer. We had a niche product line and specialty expertise. We had large manual machines, but were transitioning to CNC because that’s what new machinists are trained on. But we and others will always have need for the capability to setup and run one off pieces. Fabricating and machining large weldments doesn’t happen in pristine aerospace or similar environments but overall pay and benefits were very good.

If it helps on what the market is:

I'm currently recruiting for some Senior Mechanical Design Engineers. Long term contract roles that pay in the $65-$85./hr W2 Range.
Must have 4 Bachelors in Mechanical Engineer
Must have 10+ Years of experience. (%95 Remote)

Another role is Direct Hire role $90K - $110K range with 5-10 years of experience. Again : Degree Required. (Onsite 1-2 days a week)

Hope these x2 Data Points help.

The airline I work for has a huge machine shop and have been hiring for the past couple of years. The pay is good, they top out base pay at over 100k a year and plenty of OT if they want it.

It is a good career and great pay for not a lot of schooling.

Also on the upside. He can always Form1 some suppressors!

OP, would the fellow in question have the ability to be a fabricator/operate his own shop?

Those fellows usually use manual machines - faster/simpler for one off/small runs.

That will pay about the same/more than an engineering degree.

It wouldn’t hurt for him to do so, with a degree in engineering/take some accounting courses as well, but it depends on how much the education will cost him.

I served a six year apprenticeship for Tool and Die Making back in the 1970's. I always give the analogy that a Tool and Die Maker is to a Machinist as a CPA is to a Bookkeeper. No cut on Machinists or Bookkeeper, I'm just trying to show that Tool and Die Maker is like a machinist with a masters degree. I was earning a good living (even on apprentice wages) while my friends were paying and borrowing there way through collage. I also made more money than they did as "scientists" and teachers with their degrees. I used my Tool and Die making background to move on to running toolrooms, designing and building tooling and machines for production, designing products and running production for other people. I was able to use my experience start our own manufacturing business. When times got lean we as Machinist and Tool and Die Makers, were kept working while some of the collage guys were let go. We produced the products that brought in the money and payed the bills, they didn't.

Throughout my career, I could always tell an Engineer that went to collage vs. one that spent time as a machinist. I'm talking significant time, not a collage "shop" coarse. The Engineers that spent time in the shop had a much better grasp of how to design parts for economical fabrication, as well as how to dimension a drawing for the way it is set up in a machine to be made.

My point is that learning to be a machinist is a great career and can be used as a stepping stone to a lot more things. I would also say that being a production machinist is good but being a fabricating machinist is much more challenging and not boring.

"the Trades" are an excellent and under-rated way to make a living. I have two degrees hanging on my wall but if I had it to do over I'll be danged if I wouldn't have started out in - and finished up with the Trades. I LOVED machine shop work... and welding wasn't too bad either. I would offer one word of advice however: If there's any way in the world you can -> get into an apprenticeship program. OJT is a lot tougher and not as highly respected as apprenticeships.

I haven't read all the responses, but thought I'd lend a few thoughts. I have degrees in Engineering Mechanics (basically a more math oriented Mechanical Engineering) and Aerospace Engineering and have worked as an engineer and project manager in the oil and gas industry for about 15 years. I've worked with quite a few manufacturing centers and machine shops in multiple countries over the years. Obviously I took the college route, but there is a lot of options for someone looking at the skilled trades. There's a few different paths I can think of for working in a machine shop:

Operator
This is what most people are doing in large scale manufacturing operations. The operator will have anywhere from 1 to maybe 3 or 4 CNC machines that they are manning. They put the material in, select the program, ensure the tooling is correct and change as needed, monitor progress, make intermediate measurements, start and stop the machine as needed etc. They rarely will use manual lathes or mills in the shops I've seen.

Traditional Machinist
This is becoming a rarer breed and requires a high level of skill and training. I worked with several master machinists that could be handed a part in the morning and make 3 more just like it without drawings by lunch. This is what most people think of when the term "machinist" is used. While there will always be a need for someone like this, the advent and use of CAD/CAM/CNC and now additive manufacturing has reduced the reliance on pure manual skill. I have a tremendous amount of respect for those that can do this type of work and they earn good money, but I fear that many bean counters don't fully appreciate this level of craftsmanship and the problem solving they bring to the table. Probably best suited for high precision/low volume manufacturing like aerospace or prototyping shops. My Grandfather did this for many years.

CNC Programmer
This is much less hands-on and could be combined with Operator, Machinist, or Manufacturing Engineer (see below). These are the people that program the tool paths, tool selection, feed rates, turn rates etc. to turn a model into code the CNC machine can read and ultimately a finished part. This takes quite a bit of training and understanding of machining practices. I'm not an expert, but I believe that each machine manufacturer has their own flavor of programming language, so while it would be fairly straight froward to go from one to the other there would be a learning curve. Definitely something that would serve anyone well if they work in a manufacturing environment.

Manufacturing Engineer
This is usually a specialization within Mechanical Engineering or perhaps Industrial Engineering. This engineer will understand more of the fundamentals on machining processes, design, value stream maps (more on the industrial side), statistical quality control, probably some engineering economics on top of the base level Mechanical Engineering curriculum. There is certainly some hands-on work that can be done here, but often it is helping design tooling and fixturing as needed, creating routings (do this operation first, this one second, move to this machine...etc.), handle any issues encountered, possibly disposition any deviations depending on does that within the organization etc. This has the advantage of having a base engineering curriculum so is more portable, but is less hands-on.

Quality
This is more of a function rather than a role, but includes engineers and CMM operators. The engineers in this case are probably Manufacturing or Mechanical but may also have a statistics background. There is a lot of work on statistical process control and sampling etc. The CMM operators and other quality inspectors use various measurement tools to determine if parts are per the engineering bill of materials (dimensions, material, coatings etc.).

Welder
A good welder is worth their weight in gold. It's a tough job that requires attention to detail, skill, and a willingness to work in hot and dirty environments. However, it pays well and everyone knows not to mess with the good welders as they are hard to come by. If he gets NDE inspector certification that's even better. This is also an occupation that is very portable as tons of different industries use welding.

I think a lot of it depends on what your son specifically likes to do. All of the above are great jobs that require skill, aptitude and training.

I'd be happy to speak with you and him if you are interested. I've never actually held any of these roles as I was a Design Engineer and Project and Technology Manager, but I've had a lot of interactions with all of the above over the years.

I like welding, but it is hard of the eyes. Lawyers, librarians, and welders almost always have an extreme need for glasses over time. Something about looking at a tiny spot for hours a day appears to be the problem.

That's a very nice summary, Kampy.

And c1steve is right: welding is hard on the eyes.

I learned quickly that I'm not good at welding, and should ask others to do my welding for me. I don't like to give up, but it pays to recognize when I'm miserably bad at something.

While I do not do it, machinist are needed, there is a big future in 3D printed parts in both metal and various polymers. Lots of work being done here on the DOD/Aerospace side of the house. I know of a guy who is a machinist with a PhD and uses both in his field for aero space research.

Look at the guys who started Area 419, high end precision reloading and long range precision shooting components. There is a need across the US as manufacturing is brought back here. It is a strategic asset that is strongly needed. That goes for virtually any trade as well.

I am a big proponent of tradesmen and dislike the cultural norm that college has become. And I'd definitely advise someone toward a trade rather than many standard liberal arts degrees.
With that said, if the boy has the aptitude and desire to become a mechanical engineer I couldn't sleep well telling him to become a machinist instead.

The possibilities are basically endless with an ME degree. They pay will almost always be better and conditions less hazardous. He can design anything from building systems to rocket engines. And of course, he could still learn machinery as a bonus.