How To Become A Bench Mechanic: What It Is and Career Path

What is a bench mechanic and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a bench mechanic. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.15 an hour? That's $41,908 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 12,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreBench MechanicUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $41,908

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.09%

Asian 2.65%

Black or African American 6.99%

Hispanic or Latino 19.42%

Unknown 5.08%

White 64.77%

Gender

female 15.51%

male 84.49%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.8

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a bench mechanic

Explore bench mechanic education requirements

Most common bench mechanic degrees

High School Diploma

38.7 %

Associate

33.9 %

Bachelor's

12.9 %

Start to develop specific bench mechanic skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	47.98%
Pressure Test	25.47%
Calipers	11.82%
Military Aircraft	8.08%
R	4.61%

Complete relevant bench mechanic training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New bench 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 a bench mechanic based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real bench mechanic resumes.

Research bench mechanic duties and responsibilities

Manage projects dot compliance and driver logs.
Measure parts for dimensional accuracy using templates, jigs, calipers, micrometers and laser.
Work under airframe and power plant license mechanics.
Evaluate, troubleshoot, repair, overhaul and test to manufactures specs.

Prepare your bench mechanic resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your bench 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 a bench 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 bench mechanic resume templates

Build a professional bench 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 bench mechanic resume.