The field of manufacturing has changed so much you might no longer recognize it. “Manufacturing is no longer just a row of unskilled laborers standing at an assembly line,” Lund said. Instead, there is a demand for advanced manufacturers who have a narrowly focused, but high-level, skill set. The good news is training for these jobs generally only requires a two-year associates degree from a program dedicated to training students for work in fields such as specialty chemicals or precision tool making. Precision toolmakers are responsible for many of the products we use every day — from cell phones to ceiling fans to smoke detectors — that are developed using a computer, rather than piece by piece on an assembly line.