What an automotive technician really does
You find out why a car is acting up, prove it with data, fix it, and explain it so the owner trusts the bill.
FieldSkilled trades
Preparation (O*NET Job Zone)Medium preparation needed
What the work involves
What fills a typical week for automotive technicians, built from O*NET occupation data.
- Pick up repair orders and talk through the job with the shop foreman or service advisor.
- Run multi point inspections on every car that comes in and record what you find.
- Do the steady work: oil services, brakes, alignments, cooling and A/C service.
- Hook up a scan tool, read codes and live data, and track down electrical and engine faults.
- Look up specs and procedures in online service manuals before you pull anything apart.
- Road test after the repair to prove it is fixed and meets the manufacturer spec.
- Help the advisor explain findings and future repairs to customers.
What the days are like
What people in the job know
- Long weeks are normal, especially in busy shops. Duration of typical work week: 52% more than 40 hours (O*NET Work Context)
- You get real say in how to diagnose and fix a car, and your calls affect the shop's numbers. Freedom to make decisions: 42% a lot of freedom; Impact of decisions on company results: 46% very important results (O*NET Work Context)
- Talking is a big part of the job. You are discussing cars with the advisor, foreman and sometimes the owner every day. Face-to-face discussions: 76% every day; Confer with customers to obtain descriptions of vehicle problems (O*NET task 13, importance 81)
- You will be dirty and in awkward positions a lot. Oil, coolant and brake dust are daily. Exposed to contaminants: 69% every day; Bending or twisting body: 40% continually or almost continually (O*NET Work Context)
- The clock is always running, since cars are promised back by end of day. Time pressure: 52% every day (O*NET Work Context)
How people get into it
O*NET Job Zone 3 (medium preparation). The most common answer is a post secondary certificate from an automotive technology program (32% of O*NET respondents say new hires need one), but 30% say less than a high school diploma and 26% a high school diploma, so many start as a lube or entry tech and learn on the job. Techs build up through experience and industry certifications over several years.
The Firstday trial, easy to hard
Three simulated tasks with AI coworkers who message you, react to your work and coach with questions. Nobody scores you.
What the trial can't show: This trial does not cover the physical work: lifting cars, using hand and air tools, removing seized bolts, feel for a brake pedal or a noise on a road test, or high voltage safety on hybrids, or the strength and stamina of a long shift under vehicles. It covers inspection judgment, diagnostic reasoning from scan data and test results, estimating and documentation, and conversations with the advisor and customer.
Reading about it is one thing.
Find out how the work feels to you before you spend on a degree, course or job change. Your first trial is free.
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Job details on this page are built from O*NET OnLine, 49-3023.00. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.