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i've been going to school for 3 months now to get my operator 1,so i'm still very new to this.i found a job in a small machine shop running an old okuma lc20 for over a week now.i'm still going to go to school and see it all the way through.my question is how to make that transition from operator to cnc programmer and what do i need to know to prepare myself for the transition.please someone point me in the right path.i've been practicing with mastercam x .thanx

it kinda depends on what you want, just to learn how or get payed to program.
you can learn a lot from reading through and folowing the code on the machine tool you are running, when you see something you dont understand break out the machines manual and find the command and codes you don't get. then when you get the chance ask the programer to help you understand. this is a good way to start though not so good if you want to move into programing as a primary job. the programer fo instance may not care to share his know how with you perhaps for fear of loosing his liveleyhood.

if your goal is to move into getting payed to program you may want to look into a tech school for training, may I suggest a mech. eng. tech. program with training in something like virtual gibbs, mastercam, smartcam, ect. you'll need to do some research on what cad/cam software is popular in your aera and study accordingly. some software can be accuired free over the internet for training purposes, remember that a hiring authority may not be familiar with the software himself though you can bet your bottom dollar he or she knows the name of the package the company in question uses (and that may very well may be all he/she knows) and the only sure way to impress them is if you can say you are familiar with their software.

a lot depends on who you are working with and their willingness to work with you. good luck!