Railroad Mechanic Overview

There are certain skills that many railroad mechanics have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed dexterity, mechanical skills and physical strength.

When it comes to the most important skills required to be a railroad mechanic, we found that a lot of resumes listed 77.6% of railroad mechanics included mechanical equipment, while 7.9% of resumes included mechanical repair, and 7.9% of resumes included air brake tests. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.

When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the railroad mechanic job title. But what industry to start with? Most railroad mechanics actually find jobs in the manufacturing and transportation industries.

If you're interested in becoming a railroad mechanic, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 9.1% of railroad mechanics have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 9.1% of railroad mechanics have master's degrees. Even though some railroad mechanics have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a railroad mechanic. When we researched the most common majors for a railroad mechanic, we found that they most commonly earn high school diploma degrees or master's degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on railroad mechanic resumes include associate degree degrees or diploma degrees.

You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a railroad mechanic. In fact, many railroad mechanic jobs require experience in a role such as crane operator. Meanwhile, many railroad mechanics also have previous career experience in roles such as maintenance technician or assembly line worker.