Shop mechanics are experts or professionals responsible for inspecting, repairing, and maintaining defective vehicles, light trucks, and machinery. Usually, they work in indoor garages. They can also be called or referred to as service technicians. As a shop mechanic, you must regularly conduct maintenance on systems, automotive vehicles, and machinery.
Also, you are expected to meet with customers to better understand their concerns and identify the issue. In addition, you must keep a log of repairs, maintenance records, as well as work logs. As a shop mechanic, you have to keep monitoring inventory and order new parts if and when needed. Furthermore, you must design a plan of action to cater to all upgrades and maintenance tasks.
You necessarily do not need to have a college education to be a shop mechanic. The most common degree for shop mechanics is a high school diploma and technical skills. An average shop mechanic earns $37,167 annually.
What is a Shop Mechanic?
What Does a Shop Mechanic Do
There are certain skills that many shop 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 customer-service skills, detail oriented and dexterity.
How To Become a Shop Mechanic
If you're interested in becoming a shop mechanic, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 12.3% of shop mechanics have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 0.9% of shop mechanics have master's degrees. Even though some shop mechanics have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Shop Mechanic Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a shop mechanic can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as field mechanic, progress to a title such as lead mechanic and then eventually end up with the title maintenance manager.
Average Salary for a Shop Mechanic
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Shop Mechanic
The role of a shop mechanic includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general shop mechanic responsibilities:
- Performs preventive maintenance inspections: -according to the schedule -performs all needed repairs indicated by preventive maintenance inspection performs general repairs to: -electrical systems, starters, lights, alternators
- Confer with mechanic iii’s and observe, test,
- Fully understands and utilizes standard operating procedures relative to gas compressor maintenance
There are several types of shop mechanic, including:
Mechanic
Role:
These are the people you run to when what your dad said would fix the light that came on in your car didn't actually work. There's a reason they're called mechanics.
Mechanics get down and dirty when it comes to repairing, inspecting and maintaining cars. While they generally work in well-ventilated repair shops, they usually come home with at least a little grease on their hands.
They don't just let anybody become a mechanic (we're looking at you, dad). Most mechanics complete a program at a postsecondary institution and become industry certified before they're qualified to work on your car. That way you know your car is literally in good hands.
- Average Salary: $47,149
- Degree: High School Diploma
Diesel Mechanic
Role:
So you like to get down and dirty, huh? We're talking strictly about anything with a diesel engine, so get your mind out of the gutter! A diesel mechanic is trained specifically to inspect, repair and overhaul any diesel-run vehicle.
The job can be noisy as some of the machines you'll be working with will be loud. Mostly you'll just be working full-time, but don't be surprised if you end up working overtime or a night shift. If you don't mind getting a little grease on your hands, then you'll fit right in. Of course, after you're certified or have attended a training program.
- Average Salary: $49,842
- Degree: High School Diploma
Shop Foreman
Role:
Are you willing to begin your career in the automotive industry? If one of your new year's resolutions is to get onto a career path that combines your love of cars with a well-paid and in-demand profession, then look no further than becoming a store foreman. A shop foreman is a senior-level position in an automobile or industrial equipment repair garage and usually a step up from a service technician or repair person in the hierarchy. This is an excellent profession that offers you an opportunity to run and monitor heavy-duty, technical manufacturing machines, parts, and equipment, personally. So if you're the kind of person who loves working with your hands as well as monitoring others to do the same, a career as a shop foreman could be satisfying and rewarding to you!
Being shop foreman, you'll be the leader of your mechanic staff in a workshop or a plant, and responsible for overseeing and managing the daily operations as well as the staff members who manufacture products, make services, or repairs. In addition to this, you'll also, hire and train employees, set the schedules and records, create effective strategies for meeting work deadlines, and coordinate with your team members to ensure work quality. Working the shop foreman position brings you complete liberty of choosing your workplace. From small auto body shops to large manufacturing plants, you can work in numerous construction facilities, including a factory, warehouse, automotive repair shop, machine, textile, or artisan manufacturing shop. Your working hours as a shop foreman usually follow a shift pattern. Since large auto shops and manufacturing plants often operate on a shift schedule, this means you might have to work for odd hours, weekend and holiday work are likely required. In some cases, you may be on the call 24/7 as the need arises.
To become a shop foreman, generally, a high school diploma or GED is required. There are no set educational or training requirements for this role; however, if you've earned some warehouse or factory experience using forklifts and air-powered tools, possess strong leadership and customer-driven abilities, technical skills, and the ability to work as a team, then you're a perfect fit for the role of shop foreman. Being the first-line supervisor of production and operating workers, you'll earn a living wage that helps ensure your basic needs and financial stability. Generally, as a shop foreman, you can expect to make a median salary of $42,000 per year. Your salary can range from $30,000 to $90,000, depending on years of experience and the nature of your company. The career advancement chances of shop foreman are also very high. Once you begin your career as a shop foreman in the automotive industry, your detailed experience and excellence in this challenging and rewarding position can pave the way for advancement into the role of service or branch manager and unlock the doors of high-paying jobs for you!
- Average Salary: $68,171
- Degree: High School Diploma
States With The Most Shop Mechanic Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active shop mechanic jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where shop mechanics earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Shop Mechanic Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 2,446 | $42,223 |
| 2 | California | 2,398 | $61,822 |
| 3 | Florida | 2,274 | $43,186 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | 1,461 | $55,148 |
| 5 | Georgia | 1,430 | $40,469 |
| 6 | Ohio | 1,421 | $44,033 |
| 7 | Illinois | 1,281 | $49,894 |
| 8 | New York | 1,277 | $52,947 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 1,180 | $45,650 |
| 10 | Indiana | 978 | $41,957 |
| 11 | Washington | 918 | $60,427 |
| 12 | Virginia | 885 | $41,905 |
| 13 | Michigan | 826 | $45,669 |
| 14 | New Jersey | 794 | $54,699 |
| 15 | Iowa | 746 | $48,327 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 742 | $46,842 |
| 17 | Colorado | 723 | $51,001 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 702 | $42,604 |
| 19 | Arizona | 702 | $43,804 |
| 20 | Maryland | 693 | $51,989 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | 689 | $57,004 |
| 22 | Minnesota | 680 | $48,206 |
| 23 | Alabama | 660 | $43,234 |
| 24 | South Carolina | 639 | $43,687 |
| 25 | Louisiana | 612 | $46,243 |
| 26 | Missouri | 612 | $45,491 |
| 27 | Oregon | 546 | $56,337 |
| 28 | Kentucky | 531 | $44,485 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | 452 | $47,244 |
| 30 | Utah | 416 | $45,240 |
| 31 | Connecticut | 407 | $57,462 |
| 32 | Mississippi | 363 | $38,117 |
| 33 | Arkansas | 344 | $42,311 |
| 34 | Kansas | 330 | $43,481 |
| 35 | Nevada | 315 | $51,325 |
| 36 | Nebraska | 307 | $40,099 |
| 37 | Idaho | 273 | $42,426 |
| 38 | New Mexico | 252 | $40,775 |
| 39 | Montana | 246 | $43,352 |
| 40 | New Hampshire | 187 | $47,937 |
| 41 | Maine | 173 | $47,626 |
| 42 | Delaware | 154 | $49,261 |
| 43 | North Dakota | 149 | $48,372 |
| 44 | West Virginia | 135 | $40,994 |
| 45 | Alaska | 124 | $59,481 |
| 46 | Rhode Island | 120 | $46,592 |
| 47 | South Dakota | 108 | $44,523 |
| 48 | Vermont | 96 | $51,796 |
| 49 | Hawaii | 96 | $53,613 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 87 | $44,851 |
Top Skills For a Shop Mechanic
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 7.1% of shop mechanics listed hand tools on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and detail oriented are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Shop Mechanic Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Shop Mechanic templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Shop Mechanic resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Shop Mechanic diversity
Shop Mechanic Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among shop mechanics, 3.6% of them are women, while 96.4% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among shop mechanics is White, which makes up 64.2% of all shop mechanics.
- The most common foreign language among shop mechanics is Spanish at 73.0%.
Online Courses For Shop Mechanic That You May Like
1. Applications in Engineering Mechanics
This course applies principles learned in my course “Introduction to Engineering Mechanics” to analyze real world engineering structures. You will need to have mastered the engineering fundamentals from that class in order to be successful in this course offering. This course addresses the modeling and analysis of static equilibrium problems with an emphasis on real world engineering systems and problem solving. --------------------------- Recommended Background: You will need to have...
2. First Order Optical System Design
This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5600, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. Optical instruments are how we see the world, from corrective eyewear to medical endoscopes to cell phone cameras to orbiting telescopes. When you finish this course, you will be able to design, to first order, such optical systems with simple mathematical and graphical techniques. This first order design will allow you to develop the foundation needed to...
3. Diesel Engine Fundamentals (Mechanical Engineering)
Learn about the diesel engine! Ideal for Automotive Engineering and Automobile Engineering!...
Best States For a Shop Mechanic
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a shop mechanic. The best states for people in this position are California, Washington, Alaska, and Connecticut. Shop mechanics make the most in California with an average salary of $61,822. Whereas in Washington and Alaska, they would average $60,427 and $59,481, respectively. While shop mechanics would only make an average of $57,462 in Connecticut, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Alaska
$59,481
Avg. Salary
2. Washington
$60,427
Avg. Salary
3. Oregon
$56,337
Avg. Salary
How Do Shop Mechanics Rate Their Jobs?
Top Shop Mechanic Employers
Most Common Employers For Shop Mechanic
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schlumberger | $54,936 | $26.41 | 10 |
| 2 | Baker Hughes | $54,834 | $26.36 | 11 |
| 3 | Weatherford International | $54,569 | $26.24 | 8 |
| 4 | American Airlines | $54,348 | $26.13 | 13 |
| 5 | Exterran Corporation HQ | $53,910 | $25.92 | 16 |
| 6 | University of California-Berkeley | $53,616 | $25.78 | 7 |
| 7 | Halliburton | $52,704 | $25.34 | 10 |
| 8 | Foster Farms | $51,507 | $24.76 | 15 |
| 9 | Keller | $50,188 | $24.13 | 12 |
| 10 | Cudd Energy Services | $49,451 | $23.77 | 7 |
Shop Mechanic Videos
