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What is an automotive specialty technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Julia Johnson
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an automotive specialty technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.44 an hour? That's $40,431 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 10,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an automotive specialty technician?

Julia JohnsonJulia Johnson LinkedIn profile

Professor, Automotive Technology, Skyline College

You will be starting out as a Lube Tech for your first job in the automotive industry. You will be expected to perform maintenance services accurately and within the industry standard timeframe. It may seem like it’s not challenging enough or too repetitive, but you will be expected to prove yourself at this level before you can advance.
ScoreAutomotive Specialty TechnicianUS Average
Salary
3.2

Avg. Salary $40,431

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.7

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
8.4
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.80%

Asian 4.93%

Black or African American 9.43%

Hispanic or Latino 20.71%

Unknown 4.23%

White 59.90%

Gender

female 46.80%

male 53.20%

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

Automotive specialty technician career paths

Key steps to become an automotive specialty technician

  1. Explore automotive specialty technician education requirements

    Most common automotive specialty technician degrees

    Bachelor's

    32.1 %

    Associate

    29.0 %

    High School Diploma

    17.9 %
  2. Start to develop specific automotive specialty technician skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Patients44.10%
    CPR15.44%
    Direct Patient Care7.52%
    Blood Pressure6.31%
    Vital Signs5.04%
  3. Complete relevant automotive specialty technician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New automotive specialty technicians 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 automotive specialty technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real automotive specialty technician resumes.
  4. Research automotive specialty technician duties and responsibilities

    • Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
    • Follow all HIPAA guidelines with no exception.
    • Perform routine patient phlebotomy, EKG, and transport for inpatient and outpatient medical analysis.
    • Perform procedures under direction of the provider (phlebotomy, EKG, glucose monitoring, and Foley insertion, etc . )
  5. Prepare your automotive specialty technician resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your automotive specialty technician 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 automotive specialty technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable automotive specialty technician resume templates

    Build a professional automotive specialty technician 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 automotive specialty technician resume.
    Automotive Specialty Technician Resume
    Automotive Specialty Technician Resume
    Automotive Specialty Technician Resume
    Automotive Specialty Technician Resume
    Automotive Specialty Technician Resume
    Automotive Specialty Technician Resume
    Automotive Specialty Technician Resume
    Automotive Specialty Technician Resume
    Automotive Specialty Technician Resume
  6. Apply for automotive specialty technician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an automotive specialty technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first automotive specialty technician job

Zippi

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Average automotive specialty technician salary

The average automotive specialty technician salary in the United States is $40,431 per year or $19 per hour. Automotive specialty technician salaries range between $29,000 and $55,000 per year.

Average automotive specialty technician salary
$40,431 Yearly
$19.44 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do automotive specialty technicians rate their job?

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Automotive specialty technician reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2022
Pros

Love the challenge to diagnose those insane offbeat issues that just don't fit into the everyday problems


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2022
Cons

Nothing


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Its like a puzzle, dissemble and reassemble. Always love to know that the transmission is running fine.

Cons

If I have to rebuild it again cause I didn't do a responsible job.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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