STEM Career: Automotive Service Tech

Automotive Service Technicians work in automotive repair shops, automobile dealerships and with local governments to maintain and fix cars and trucks. Daily activities include working with customers, testing vehicular systems to identify problems and repairing worn parts. Automotive Service Technicians must combine technical and mechanical skills with new technologies to identify problems. Students considering careers in Automotive Services should be detailed oriented, enjoy working with their hands and be happy to work with customers. Automotive Service Technicians may also specialize, focusing on air conditioning repairs, brake repairs, transmission repairs, among other specialties.

To pursue a career as an Automotive Service Technician, a student should begin taking courses on automotive repair, electronics and mathematics. Beyond high school, many Service Technicians pursue an associate degree at a vocational school. There are also many opportunities for on-the-job training. After two years of experience, an Automotive Service Technician may take an exam to receive a certificate from The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence in one of eight areas within Automotive Services. This certificate demonstrates proficiency in this area of work, and will often result in higher compensation for the Automotive Service Technician.

Students who want to pursue this career certainly have jobs available to them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is expected that the United States economy will add 124,800 jobs for Automotive Service Technicians from 2010-2020. The median pay for an Automotive Service Technician is $35,790, above the national median pay for all jobs.