Ready to relocate to Phoenix: Looking for an aerospace/defense shop with strong mentors to level up my programming

Hello everyone,

I’ve hit a wall at my current shop. I'm currently training the person working alongside me, and the other experienced guy is about to retire and has pretty much checked out—meaning all my learning from here on out has to be self-taught. I've realized that if you're the smartest person in the room, it's time to find a new room. I'm ready to pack up, relocate to the Phoenix, AZ area (to support my wife while she finishes her degree in AZ), and learn from people who are sharper than me and will actually push my limits.. For some background, I’ve got about 10 years in the trade. For the last 5 years, I've been doing R&D machining, medical tooling/ R.F die work (I.V. bags), custom CNC work, and manual machine repairs for maintenance support. I finally of print to part or part to part when there is no print. Before that, I spent time as a shop supervisor in the oilfield sector, where I boosted efficiency and profit margins through tooling upgrades, speed/feed optimizations, and process overhauls. My technical foundation is built on 3-axis mills (Haas and Hurco), live-tooling lathes (Haas), and writing/modifying manual G-code on DMG machines. On the software side, I took a class to learn the basics of Mastercam multi-axis, but I'm not fully multi-axis trained yet—I am looking for a shop where I can get the seat time and hands-on implementation to become a true multi-axis programmer. I'm a fast learner and I'm feeling completely stagnant.

I want to break into aerospace or defense to do print-to-part programming, but more than anything, I need a shop with real mentors who can teach me, help me build up those multi-axis skills, and take my programming and set-up skills to the next level. * For the machinists out there in the Phoenix/Arizona area : What aerospace/defense shops actually invest in training traditional/R&D machinists into high-end programmers, rather than just treating you like a button-pusher?

* Any advice on making the jump out of maintenance/R&D straight into an aerospace hub like Phoenix? Appreciate any direction, shop recommendations, or advice you guys can share.

Thanks in advance.