Career: Home Appliance Repairers
Your home is your castle -- until your appliances break down. When you need a stove fixed or gas lines checked for leaks, it’s a home appliance repairer you call.
Home appliance repairers make sure that pipes are securely laid down and properly connected. They keep your appliances running efficiently and, more importantly, safely. Some repairers specialize in small appliances, such as microwaves or vacuum cleaners, while others concentrate on large appliances.
Home appliance repairers install and repair small and large appliances, such as microwaves, refrigerators, washers, and dryers.
Did You Know?
- Many new dishwashers, washers, and dryers have onboard computers.
Are You Ready To...?
- Repair a washing machine in someone’s basement
- Show customers how dishes should be loaded into their new dishwashers
- Keep records on how you dispose of refrigerators
- Saw holes in walls for gas lines
It Helps to Be...
A good problem solver. You will be making decisions ranging from the safest way to thread pipe for a gas stove to the best price to charge a customer.
Make High School Count
- Sign up for a course in appliance repair, if your high school offers one.
- Take electronics, which will help you understand how the electrical systems of home appliances work.
- Build up your reading and speaking skills. You will be reading technical manuals and explaining to customers how to use and take care of appliances.
Did You Know?
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires that repairers who work with the refrigerants used in air conditioners and refrigerators be certified.
Outlook
Government economists expect the number of jobs for home appliance repairers to stay about the same through 2016. On the one hand, a growing population will use more appliances. On the other hand, as appliances become cheaper, people often buy a new appliance instead of having a broken one repaired. These two trends will likely mean little or no job growth.
Still, jobs will open up as workers retire or change careers. There will probably be more jobs in large companies than smaller shops.
Compensation
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that the average hourly wage in 2008 for home appliance repairers was $17.16. Some repairers also get commissions on top of their regular salary, meaning that they earn more if they complete more jobs.
