When Life Gave Him Machines, Cameron Schatz Became A Machinist

🎙️ I met Cameron because he DM’d me and said “Would you ever want to talk to a guy who just started working as a machinist?” To which I replied (professionally) “You bet your ass I would.”Cameron Schatz is 25, didn’t (yet) finish college, and just a few years ago was fixing hot tubs and driving an hour each way to work. Today, he’s a CNC machinist at Lycoming Engines, cutting steel and running gauges on precision aircraft parts. And while most people follow a path into manufacturing, Cameron bushwhacked his way in—with no formal training, no family background in the trades, and no plan except “try everything and work hard.”We talk about the Kaizen project that got him interested in production flow, the shop culture differences between union and non-union jobs, and how he went from stacking parts at a laser cutter to running precision measurement on \$10,000 aerospace components. We also get into the emotional math of leaving your first real shop job, what a UAW contract actually feels like from the floor, and why making the leap into skilled manufacturing feels like joining a secret society… only one with lathes.He’s curious, self-taught, and determined to push past the ceiling. Loved this conversation.---TIMESTAMPS03:00 Growing up between Washington state and Pennsylvania08:00 First factory job: refurbishing hot tubs14:00 Kaizen meetings and shipping department leadership17:00 First steps into machining22:00 Getting into the CNC shop with no credentials28:00 The move to aerospace: joining Lycoming Engines31:00 How the UAW job board and labor grades actually work37:00 Being bumped, bidding, and union culture43:00 “If you’re stuck, you don’t have to stay stuck”48:00 What he’s working on next---KEY TOPICS* First-person account of entering manufacturing without a technical degree* Union vs non-union culture in American factories* Learning machining from the ground up* The informal mentorships that shape careers* Emotional labor of leaving your first “real” job* Modern industrial work as a vector for personal growth* The latent intelligence and ambition of America’s young tradespeople🔧 Follow Cameron: @cameron_schatzTool or Die is hosted by Joel Johnson (with visits from co-hostAlex Roy), former tech journalist, corporate strategist, and builder of brands like Gizmodo, Jalopnik, and Wirecutter. Each week, Joel talks with the people building the future of American manufacturing. Get full access to TOOL or DIE at www.toolordie.com/subscribe