Automotive Technology Jobs

A career in automotive technology may be a good choice for someone who is knowledgeable about and enjoys working on cars. Anyone interested in a career in the automotive industry can attend a technical school for professional training. Many car manufacturers also offer training through specialized schools for anyone interested in working on a certain manufacturer’s vehicles.

Automotive Collision Repair Technician

An automotive collision repair technician diagnoses vehicle issues and repairs after an accident. Automotive collision repair technicians may choose to specialize in one area of collision repair such as structural repair or painting. In order to work effectively as an automotive collision repair technician the technician must understand the technology used to repair the vehicle such as paint sprayers and the computers that calculate the amount of paint to use for a vehicle and how it should be mixed, how to look up information on specific vehicles from reputable sources on the internet including digitized shop manual, and how to accurately create invoices, reports for insurance companies, and estimates for customers.

Automotive Service Technician

The automotive service technician is the first person to speak with the owner of the car when they bring it to the dealership or auto body shop with issues. This technician receives the description of the problem from the owner which they then approach diagnostically using the on-board computer system and hand-held sensors. The automotive service technician is responsible for entering all customer and diagnostic information into the shop’s computer system. They also must use the internet and the repair shop’s parts database to create an estimated amount of repairs for the customer prior to beginning repairs. Automotive service technicians also run routine service inspections on vehicles. The technician is the investigator for the mechanic who corrects the problem that the technician identified.

Mechanic

Mechanics work in auto body shops and other vehicle service departments. Mechanics are required to complete training and certification before beginning work as a mechanic. After the automotive technician diagnoses the issue with the vehicle it is up to the mechanic to be able to correct the issue if possible. Mechanics are required to have a vast knowledge of automotive technology in order to use hand-held computerized devices to reset on-board computers, diagnose issues, track the path of issues through the vehicle, and in some cases, use specialized automotive equipment to calibrate or correct issues with vehicles. Mechanics can specialize their education in a particular type or automotive manufacturer.

Teacher

Another automotive job that requires the use of technology is as a teacher. These teachers can work at trade or vocational schools, colleges, or high schools. Many automotive teachers train automotive technicians and mechanics how to operate their equipment successfully to correct issues with vehicles. Automotive teachers take their real world education and professional training, applying it to teaching their students in a real world manner how to diagnose problems and correct issues on various types of vehicles. Automotive teaching positions require instructors to be able to teach students how to operate industry computer systems, technical diagnostic equipment, and to repair vehicles using current technology. This position often requires a teaching certificate in addition to any applicable automotive technology training.

References

Auto Service Technology Career Guide
http://www.khake.com/page12.html NATEF; Automotive Technology Careers
http://www.natef.org/career.cfm Bureau of Labor Statistics 2011; Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos181.htm Car Junky; Automotive Careers on Cutting Edge of Technology
http://news.carjunky.com/automotive/automotive_careers_on_cutting_edge_of_technology.shtml PayScale; Automotive Technology Degree Salary
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Automotive_Technology/Salary


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