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The differences between automotive mechanics and shop technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an automotive mechanic and a shop technician. Additionally, an automotive mechanic has an average salary of $42,864, which is higher than the $36,798 average annual salary of a shop technician.
The top three skills for an automotive mechanic include customer service, work ethic and hand tools. The most important skills for a shop technician are preventative maintenance, routine maintenance, and diagnosis.
| Automotive Mechanic | Shop Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $42,864 | $36,798 |
| Hourly rate | $20.61 | $17.69 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 95,703 | 150,349 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An automotive mechanic is responsible for inspecting the vehicle's engine, identifying defects and inconsistencies, and repairing malfunctioning components through diagnostic tests. Automotive mechanics diagnose problems and inform the customers of troubleshooting procedures and provide cost estimates for maintenance. They may also offer additional services to boost the engine's optimal performance and efficiency, at the same time, to generate more revenues for the business. An automotive mechanic must have excellent knowledge of the automotive industry, especially in responding to the inquiries and concerns of the customers regarding their vehicles and schedule regular repairs as necessary.
Shop Technicians are skilled workers assigned to a retail store. Their main activities depend on the nature of the business their company is in. Usually, Shop Technicians work with machines in the shop. They conduct repair and maintenance work for machines that have long been in the shop. They are also in charge of installing and building new machines as well. Shop Technicians are assigned to manage records of such machines or s other mechanical items in the store. This is part of the administrative activities they may do for the shop.
Automotive mechanics and shop technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automotive Mechanic | Shop Technician | |
| Average salary | $42,864 | $36,798 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $59,000 | Between $25,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Greeley, CO | San Leandro, CA |
| Highest paying state | Colorado | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Eversource Energy | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Energy |
There are a few differences between an automotive mechanic and a shop technician in terms of educational background:
| Automotive Mechanic | Shop Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between automotive mechanics' and shop technicians' demographics:
| Automotive Mechanic | Shop Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.4% Female, 3.6% | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |