Automotive Technician

Maximizing Your Career and Income as an Automotive Technician – JobGuppy

Automotive Technician and Teaching Instructor, Andrew Smith

Maximizing Your Career and Income as an Automotive Technician

Are you considering a career in the automotive repair and maintenance industry and have questions?

Check out this episode where Master ASE certified technician, Andrew Smith, shares valuable information he has learned across his career from working at corporate dealerships, managing shops, owning his own shop, and now teaching local high school students. 

He has good advice on how to launch your career and on maximizing your earning potential.

Andrew’s career advice section

  • Get your ASE certification as soon as possible early in your career.
  • Don’t try to do it all. Pick a category and start growing your skillset there. For example, there are hybrid engines, diesel engines, gasoline engines, marine engines, etc….
  • As you advance, look for roles with higher billable hours and possibly less physical labor for the cost.
  • If the job is hard, do it hard. Because if you do it hard, then it becomes easy. But if you are always looking for the easy way out, it is always going to be hard.
  • Plan for your financial future. This career and industry may not come with a pension or 401k plan. Early on, consider working with a financial advisor to relieve the financial burden later in your career.

Andrew’s bio

  • Graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel Technical College (now known as Lincoln Tech)
  • His career has spanned working at corporate dealerships, managing automotive repair shops, owning his shop, and now sharing his knowledge with young people as a teacher in a trades program in the local high schools.
  • Teaching Instructor with Master ASE Certification.

Example career ladder

  • Entry level technician
  • Advanced level technician
  • ASE certified technician – certified in 1 of 8 areas
  • Master ASE certified technician – certified in all 8 areas
  • Senior Master ASE certified technician
    • Senior title is granted if you continue to maintain ongoing certifications.

Examples of some industries related to this career field:

Education level required

  • This is a job role that will not require a college degree.
  • To maximize your opportunities, consider becoming ASE certified.

Named schools and certification programs

Personality traits helpful in this job role

  • Ability to work with customers and communicate issues and sale services.
  • Ability to research information and then translate that into workable action items.
  • Be prepared to continually have to adapt as automotive technology advances over time.

Job Search terms and ideas

Income

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