How To Become An Auto Garage Mechanic: What It Is and Career Path

What is an auto garage mechanic and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an auto garage mechanic. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.37 an hour? That's $42,369 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 10,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreAuto Garage MechanicUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,369

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.7

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.85%

Asian 5.58%

Black or African American 8.46%

Hispanic or Latino 18.64%

Unknown 4.36%

White 62.12%

Gender

female 2.52%

male 97.48%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.2

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an auto garage mechanic

Explore auto garage mechanic education requirements

Most common auto garage mechanic degrees

High School Diploma

38.5 %

Associate

34.6 %

Diploma

13.5 %

Start to develop specific auto garage mechanic skills

Skills	Percentages
CDL	34.50%
Hand Tools	29.47%
Hoists	11.67%
Diesel Engines	6.42%
Diesel Trucks	4.73%

Complete relevant auto garage mechanic training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New auto garage mechanics learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an auto garage mechanic based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real auto garage mechanic resumes.

Research auto garage mechanic duties and responsibilities

Diagnose, repair and replace hydraulic controls, engine components, loader attachments, brakes and bearings using cranes and hoists.
Document repairs, modifications and inspections in accordance with FAA requirements on both paper and in an automate maintenance information database.
Install, repair, and service many kinds of garage doors and door openers.

Prepare your auto garage mechanic resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your auto garage mechanic resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an auto garage mechanic resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable auto garage mechanic resume templates

Build a professional auto garage mechanic resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your auto garage mechanic resume.