Wanting to know about automotive technician salary is normal if you are thinking about having a career in that path. Because of the development of technology, careers in auto technician are more and more challenging and more complex than the previous decades. Not only you are required to complete the training, you are also required to have the certification.
Job Responsibility
Becoming a professional auto technician and mechanic requires professionalism, dedication, and also skills because you will deal with lots of important elements in the checking. You will inspect, check, maintain, and also repair the vehicles. Even doing mediocre jobs like the basic auto service like tire rotation, oil change, or car diagnose should be done by professional technicians. The work may seem unimportant, but it really affects the condition of the car; thus, leading to safety matter of the driver and passengers. Imagine if your car is checked by unprofessional technician that claims that everything is okay, while it is not? That’s why several requirements of skills like communication ability, comprehensive knowledge of the auto, good reasoning skills, and also analytical skills are important in this line of work.
The Career Growth
This line of work is quite promising as more and more skills and professional workers are needed. The demand may not be drastic or high, but this industry always needs professional and experienced worker in the line. You can find jobs easily when you have Snap on and ASE certification, because your qualifications have been checked. If you have more to offer – having auto tech training, having direct experience with sophisticated technology, familiar with equipments and also diagnostic system – you won’t have to worry about any competition because you will excel in this industry.
Certification
In becoming professional auto technician, you can get:
• Snap on certification. This kind of certification is important especially if you have dealt with diagnostic equipments. As you are well aware of, these kinds of high tech equipments are crucial in the auto implementation, so having a certificate that certify you of such usage will be handy.
• ASE certification. Automotive Service Excellence certification is the standard qualification for auto technicians. If you have one, you are safe. Because it has 40 different exams that are classified by specialty, the exams focus on real knowledge of related skills. it lasts for 5 years before you should renew the certificate.
By having certification, you are considered more appealing for employers. Not to mention that these certifications are important for professional technicians, so consider to have them.
The Salary
You can expect $18 an hour for this profession. If you take specialized skill like electric vehicles, customer service, or hybrid electric vehicle, the possibility of increase is higher. Of course, the salary also depends greatly on skills, place of living, education, and experience. The range can start from $23,000 to $62,000, with possible overtime rate ranging from $12 to $36 per hour. If you dedicate yourself to the job and have further education or skill, expect better and higher automotive technician salary.