Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 18 Summary • In addition to a career as an automotive service technician, a person interested in the automotive industry can enter into automotive sales, insurance, engineering, design, manufacturing, testing, and education. • In the current job market, demand for automotive service technicians is at an all-time high due to an aging demographic of experienced technicians and the increasing number of vehicles on the road. • An automotive service technician’s day is a combination of vehicle diagnosis, hands-on work, paperwork, and communication. • Vehicle diagnosis is a major part of an auto service technician’s job. Knowledge built around electrical theory, electronic operation, computer networks/interfaces, math and analytical thinking skills, and how to use diagnostic computer software to perform test procedures and collect and display vehicle data are important for today’s technician. • Despite long work hours and physically demanding work, a career as an automotive technician includes the following advantages: the opportunity to work with your hands, a variety of interesting work projects, the security of a guaranteed career, and the enjoyment and satisfaction of successfully diagnosing and correcting vehicle problems. • Technicians trained in the automotive field can often transition to a career in which they service related equipment, such as heavy trucks, construction equipment, marine engines, motorcycles, and agricultural equipment. • Typically, auto technicians are paid based on an hourly wage, a commission system, or a flat-rate system. • Entrepreneurs in the auto technician community choose to open and operate their own repair shop, either as independent owners or as parts of a franchise system. • The automotive parts business offers an employment possibility that is supplemental to the auto service field. • An automotive technician can be promoted into a managerial position as a shop foreman or service manager. • A career as a vehicle salesperson or with a company that serves the automotive aftermarket offers a wide range of potential employers and different compensation methods or scales. • Different positions in automotive manufacturing perform various tasks to bring a vehicle from a conceptual idea all the way to the final product of a functional vehicle built on an assembly line. • Working in the automotive insurance field may mean a job title of an insurance agent or insurance adjuster. • Teaching a new generation about automotive service and the automotive industry is a decision some service techs make after gaining experience in the industry and receiving instruction on educational methods. • For careers in the automotive industry other than a service technician, obtaining a degree from a traditional four-year college in a discipline that can translate into different career paths within the industry is a beneficial choice. • Attending a trade school, technical college, or community college joining the armed forces enrolling in an apprenticeship program or a combination of these three paths of study is the best way to become an automotive technician while acquiring the talents necessary for the job.