Career: Automotive Technicians
Automotive technicians work as closely with people as they do with cars. After all, it’s the customer who has heard that strange sound the car is making and it’s the customer whose life may depend on the diagnosis and repair that a technician makes.
Sometimes a problem may not be mechanical, but a malfunction in the increasingly complex computers found in today’s cars. Many automotive technicians now specialize in a particular area, such as air-conditioning, transmission, or brakes.
Automotive technicians inspect, maintain, and repair cars and light trucks.
“I think it’s essential to have other parts of your education in place, like a good background in both math and English, which will end up helping you immensely in this job.”
Mike, Head Mechanic
Are You Ready To...?
- Diagnose problems
- Re-create problems by test driving cars
- Look at a car’s computer for a trouble code and look the code up on your computer
- Make sure cars meet emissions standards
- Keep up with new technology, such as in-car Internet access
It Helps to Be...
A good listener and something of a detective. Since customers are the ones who drive the cars, you’ll have to listen carefully to their descriptions for clues as to what the problem may be.
Make High School Count
- Sign up for auto shop and electronics.
- Find out if your high school participates in a training program such as the Automotive Youth Education Services.
- Make the most of English classes and build up your reading skills. You’ll need to understand service manuals and written instructions.
Did You Know?
- Many employers require certification by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.
Outlook
Government economists expect jobs for automotive service technicians and mechanics to grow faster than the average for all careers through 2016. Car makers have improved cars, making them less likely to break down. However, the number of cars on the road keeps increasing. And all of those cars will be brought into a garage at some point.
There should be plenty of jobs for those with training. A large number of these workers will be retiring soon. They’ll need to be replaced.
Compensation
Many experienced technicians work partly on commission, earning a percentage of the value of the repairs they make on top of a base salary. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that the average yearly salary in 2008 for automotive technicians was $37,540.
