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The differences between mechanic's assistants 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 a mechanic's assistant and a shop technician. Additionally, a mechanic's assistant has an average salary of $41,533, which is higher than the $36,798 average annual salary of a shop technician.
The top three skills for a mechanic's assistant include preventative maintenance, hand tools and OSHA. The most important skills for a shop technician are preventative maintenance, routine maintenance, and diagnosis.
| Mechanic's Assistant | Shop Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,533 | $36,798 |
| Hourly rate | $19.97 | $17.69 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 40,249 | 150,349 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A mechanics assistant job involves assisting mechanics in operating, repairing, and refurbishing vehicles. Primarily, mechanics assistants work on the installation, repair, and replacement of an automobile's mechanical parts. They need to be knowledgeable of the processes and composition of automobiles. Also, they execute the opening and closing tasks in stores. The skillset for this position includes a strong work ethic, diagnostic skills, problem-solving, prior experience, customer service skills, and resourcefulness.
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.
Mechanic's assistants and shop technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanic's Assistant | Shop Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,533 | $36,798 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $63,000 | Between $25,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Leandro, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | ASRC Federal | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between a mechanic's assistant and a shop technician in terms of educational background:
| Mechanic's Assistant | Shop Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between mechanic's assistants' and shop technicians' demographics:
| Mechanic's Assistant | Shop Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 2.3% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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% |