Wheel Alignment Technician Overview
Working as a Wheel Alignment Technician
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a wheel alignment technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.25 an hour? That's $37,970 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -1% and produce -6,400 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Wheel Alignment Technician Do
There are certain skills that many wheel alignment technicians 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 wheel alignment technician, we found that a lot of resumes listed 34.1% of wheel alignment technicians included wheel bearings, while 13.4% of resumes included alloy, and 11.0% of resumes included sanders. 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 wheel alignment technician job title. But what industry to start with? Most wheel alignment technicians actually find jobs in the retail and automotive industries.
How To Become a Wheel Alignment Technician
If you're interested in becoming a wheel alignment technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 11.0% of wheel alignment technicians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.4% of wheel alignment technicians have master's degrees. Even though some wheel alignment technicians 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 wheel alignment technician. When we researched the most common majors for a wheel alignment technician, we found that they most commonly earn high school diploma degrees or associate degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on wheel alignment technician resumes include bachelor's degree degrees or diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a wheel alignment technician. In fact, many wheel alignment technician jobs require experience in a role such as cashier. Meanwhile, many wheel alignment technicians also have previous career experience in roles such as sales associate or customer service representative.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there.
Wheel Alignment Technician Jobs
Wheel Alignment Technician Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of mechanic you might progress to a role such as foreman eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title plant manager.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Entry Level Jobs For Becoming A Wheel Alignment Technician
Top Skills For a Wheel Alignment Technician
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, 34.1% of wheel alignment technicians listed wheel bearings on their resume, but soft skills such as dexterity and mechanical skills are important as well.
- Clear Coat, 24.6%
- Alloy, 20.4%
- Wheel Bearings, 15.7%
- Sanders, 14.9%
- Rim, 12.6%
- Other Skills, 11.8% See All Wheel Alignment Technician Skills