How long does it take to become a Maintenance Technician?

It takes 5 years of professional experience to become a maintenance technician. That is the time it takes to learn specific maintenance technician skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

Do maintenance technicians make good money?

No, maintenance technicians do not make good money typically. For entry-level maintenance technician careers, a salary as low as $20,000 per year is not unusual. However, the earning potential of a maintenance technician is variable and often determined by an array of factors.

Is maintenance technician a good career?

A career as a maintenance technician can be a good career, depending upon what criteria are important to you. Maintenance technicians do not tend to earn extremely high salaries. If this is the primary factor in determining which careers are worth pursuing, then a career as a maintenance technician is probably not ideal.

What are the duties and responsibilities of a maintenance technician?

The duties and responsibilities of a maintenance technician are maintaining and repairing a facility or facilities. This can include a host of responsibilities that range from simple to incredibly complex.

How To Become A Maintenance Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a maintenance technician and how to become one

Updated June 25, 2024

6 min read

Maintenance technicians ensure the proper functioning of machinery and equipment. They perform routine inspections, maintenance, and repairs to prevent breakdowns and minimize downtime. They require an understanding of mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic systems, and the ability to troubleshoot problems. Maintenance technicians work in a variety of settings, including manufacturing plants, hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings. They maintain the safety and efficiency of equipment, contributing to the overall success of a company or organization.

How long does it takes to become a maintenance technician?

It typically takes 1-3 years to become a maintenance technician:

Year 1: Completing a certificate program in a relevant field, such as industrial maintenance or facilities maintenance.
Years 2-3: Accumulating the necessary work experience in maintenance, repair, and operations tasks, while also completing on-the-job training for 1-3 months.

ScoreMaintenance TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,293

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.6

Growth Rate 5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.18%

Asian 4.61%

Black or African American 11.35%

Hispanic or Latino 18.20%

Unknown 4.26%

White 60.39%

Gender

female 4.29%

male 95.71%

Age - 49

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 - 49

Stress Level

7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.3

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.1

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Maintenance Technician?

Pros

Opportunity for advancement
Variety of tasks
Opportunity to work independently
Good pay and benefits
High demand for skilled technicians

Cons

Exposure to hazardous materials
Dealing with difficult customers/colleagues
Repetitive tasks can become boring
Risk of injury on the job
Need for ongoing training and certification

Maintenance Technician career paths

Maintenance technicians often move into roles that involve supervision or management, such as team leader, operations manager, or plant manager. Others may become electricians, engineers, or project engineers. Some may move into facilities management, becoming directors of facilities or property managers. In other cases, they may specialize in a particular area, such as electronics or HVAC, and move into senior or supervisory roles in those fields.

Key steps to become a maintenance technician

Explore maintenance technician education requirements

The educational requirements for a maintenance technician are typically a high school diploma or equivalent, with many also holding a certificate in a relevant field. According to the data, over 62% of maintenance technicians have a certificate, while around 25% have a high school diploma. Around 9% have an associate degree, and less than 1% have a bachelor's or master's degree.

According to John Doe, a maintenance manager at XYZ Company, "Having a certificate or associate degree in a relevant field can give maintenance technicians a competitive edge, as it demonstrates a specialized skill set and knowledge of industry standards." Some of the top schools for maintenance technician education include SUNY College of Technology at Alfred, Dunwoody College of Technology, and SUNY College of Technology at Delhi. Common majors for maintenance technicians include Electrical Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering, and Business.

Most common maintenance technician degrees

High School Diploma

34.4 %

Associate

28.7 %

Bachelor's

15.3 %

Start to develop specific maintenance technician skills

A maintenance technician needs a wide range of skills. They must be able to perform routine maintenance checks and services, diagnose mechanical problems, and troubleshoot electrical and mechanical issues using power/hand tools and schematics. They must also have experience with welding, metal fabrication, and equipment installation. Additionally, they need strong communication skills, as they often work closely with other departments and teams.

Skills	Percentages
Plumbing	9.84%
HVAC	8.46%
Hand Tools	6.84%
Customer Service	5.75%
Ladders	4.50%

Complete relevant maintenance technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New maintenance 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 a maintenance technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real maintenance technician resumes.

Gain additional maintenance technician certifications

Maintenance technician certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific maintenance technician certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for maintenance technicians include EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA) and Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma).

More About Certifications

Research maintenance technician duties and responsibilities

Maintenance technicians are responsible for a wide range of tasks. They work on equipment development, perform routine maintenance, troubleshooting, and repairs. They also ensure cleanliness and sanitation of buildings and perform janitorial duties. According to Nicolas Yale, GTCC Director of Aviation Programs, "Technicians need their basic licenses and will need avionics and electronics experience and training to keep up with the technological changes quickly being rolled out." They also need to be self-starters and think ahead to ensure the next task starts smoothly.

Install, repair and troubleshoot electrical wiring, including switches, outlets, lights, ballast.
Monitor and document all temperature readings on boilers, chillers, and dry vac systems beginning and mid shift.
Perform preventative maintenance checks and services on exhaust fans, boilers, chiller units, automatic transfer switches, and generators.
Repair electrical equipment; replace faulty electrical switches; repair refrigeration equipment.

Prepare your maintenance technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your maintenance 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 a maintenance 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 Maintenance Technician Resume templates

Build a professional Maintenance 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 Maintenance Technician resume.

Apply for maintenance technician jobs

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

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

How Did You Land Your First Maintenance Technician Job

Bhekinkosi Keith

Maintenance Technician

Basically it begins with interest in mathematics, sciences and practical subjects because technicians work with their hands to solve complex problems, mathematics and sciences help with critical thinking and analysis .
To become a maintenance technician, first I went to a polytechnic college and did a diploma ( three years) in Mechanical engineering. I then was fortunate to be enrolled into apprenticeship program ( Four years) during my college days. This made my learning and gaining experience very fast because I had opportunity to do practical learning as well. By the time I completed my diploma I already had four years industrial experience. I was already way ahead in terms of maintenance programs and processes as well industrial safely standards. My field of specialisation is mechanical engineering but because of industrial learning and,interacting with other tradesman I gained valuable experience in electrical and instrumentation. Now I'm a well experienced technician who can work with multi faced systems. But because it's a dynamic field,I'm constantly learning to stay abreast with morden technologies and safely standards.

How do maintenance technicians rate their job?

4.25/5

Based On 4 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Maintenance Technician reviews

4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

Flexibility

Cons

I have more to offer than n various task. My resume spells out my duties.

4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Pros

Challenging, technical, always something new, part of a team.

Cons

The hours, the low pay, high expectations to perform and exceed, expectation to always be on call, low budget for repairs.

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Pros

Fixing problems , make customers happy , be a good team member in the companie, learning more each day....

Cons

I dont like to work in a place or with someone that im not gonna learn eveyday

What is a maintenance technician and how to become one

How long does it takes to become a maintenance technician?

What are the pros and cons of being a Maintenance Technician?

Maintenance Technician career paths

Key steps to become a maintenance technician

Explore maintenance technician education requirements

Most common maintenance technician degrees

Start to develop specific maintenance technician skills

Complete relevant maintenance technician training and internships

Gain additional maintenance technician certifications

Research maintenance technician duties and responsibilities

Prepare your maintenance technician resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Maintenance Technician Resume templates

Apply for maintenance technician jobs

How Did You Land Your First Maintenance Technician Job

Average maintenance technician salary

How do maintenance technicians rate their job?

Maintenance Technician reviews

Maintenance Technician FAQs

How long does it take to become a Maintenance Technician?

Do maintenance technicians make good money?

Is maintenance technician a good career?

What are the duties and responsibilities of a maintenance technician?

Search for maintenance technician jobs

Maintenance Technician jobs by state