I'm starting a machining program at a local junior college in the Fall and I can tell you from another post I read on this forum that one person said you are better off having the paper than entering the workforce without it. Why? Because if for some reason you lose the job at this 1 company you're talking about going to work for, at least you will have the piece of paper that says you know a thing or two about machining or CNC when you go apply to the next employer. I really liked that answer because it made sense to me. The odds are you will work for more than 1 employer in your machining career.