AUTO MECHANIC

Getting started in the automotive repair industry isn't as easy as you might think. It takes more than a love of cars to become a mechanic. For starters, aptitude in math, electronics, and computers helps. These are skills you'll need to use on the more complex car systems, which require the mechanic to work with new, sophisticated technologies.

For this reason, it is almost always necessary to enroll in a training program. Some high schools offer these programs, but depending on the school, you may not be taught the newest technologies. Most community colleges and technical schools do offer the kind of programs that will teach you all you need to know to start your auto mechanic career. In these programs, classroom training is combined with actual repair work to give you a complete understanding of the inner workings of a car and how to fix one, even the most technologically complex.

A training program is valuable because as an auto mechanic, you'll be expected to diagnose a car problem very quickly. People who have car problems don't want to leave the shop with a car that is still in disrepair. Cars contain so many complex systems, and auto mechanics must have a great deal of knowledge about each one. As the technology gets more and complex, it's necessary to understand not just the mechanical parts of a car but also the electrical systems.