Take the First Step Toward Your Mechanic Career Now!
An auto mechanic’s job is to diagnose and fix cars, trucks, and other types of vehicles. You’re like a doctor, but your patients have oil. Job duties for auto mechanics are similar, no matter what type of garage you’re working in:
You’re an auto mechanic, but you also answer to "service technician" or "service tech." Since most employers want their auto mechanics to have some sort of serious training behind them, here’s what you’ll need to do and know:
Master mechanics are the highest-ranking mechanics. To become one, you must be certified from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. Two years of experience, or completion of school plus one year of experience are needed to become certified. You can be certified in any of the following areas separately:
Or, if you complete certification tests A1-A8, then you are recognized as an ASE-Certified Master Automobile Technician.
As an auto mechanic, you will earn a median salary of $38K, with the top ten percent of your colleagues earning $64K.
If you’re working at a dealership or for the manufacturer, then you might have a “flat rate” or “flag hour” structure where you get paid based on the work you’ve completed—the more you finish that day, the more you get paid. Some shops will pay hourly as opposed to this: You will always make the same amount per hours worked.
Either way, you’ll be familiar with overtime. And most likely, you’ll be working weekends and evenings, as well.
Auto mechanic job growth is remaining steady at 6 percent, with close to 46,000 available positions opening through 2026. Finding a job should be fairly straight forward if you’re certified and qualified. As the technology behind cars evolves, they become more reliable. This means that in the near future, you’ll really only be performing routine maintenance as the bulk of your job.