How To Become An Auto Repair Technician

by Barbara Bellesi

If you know your V6 from a V8 and have actually read your car manual, then perhaps you've considered a career as an auto repair technician. From hot rods to old clunkers, an auto repair mechanic can fix them all.

How do I become an auto repair technician?
As cars become increasingly advanced in technology, auto body repair training and education has become more important than ever. In fact, many auto body shops and dealerships are looking for new hires who have completed a formal training program through a vocational or career school or community college.

Although certification is not always necessary for employment, particularly at smaller auto body shops, it is a good way to prove to an employer that you have what it takes to fix cars. The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) offers certification, as well as sponsors the Automotive Youth Education Service (AYES), which partners high school auto body programs with auto manufacturers and dealers.

Classroom instruction is important for an auto body repair technician, but even more important is the hands-on training that you'll get as an apprentice in a repair shop. If you want to start a career as an auto body mechanic, you'll have to spend lots of quality time in the car shop under the tutelage of a seasoned professional, learning all you can first-hand about cars and how to fix them.

What will I learn in auto repair school?
When you enroll in an auto repair school, you will spend plenty of time in both the classroom and in the auto body shop. Programs today will train students for work on both new and old model cars, and a traineeship at an auto body shop will provide a valuable experience in which students can put to work their newfound skills.

Auto repair programs can be completed in as little as six months to one year at a trade school. If you concentrate in just one skill or type of repair, you can finish a program in less time than if you choose to pick up skills in several different areas of auto body repair. If one attends a program at a community college, however, the program could last up to two years, particularly if an associate's degree is earned. In addition to auto body classes, a student in an associate's degree program will also complete coursework in English, math, computers, and other related subjects.

If you enroll in an auto body repair program, you can concentrate and become certified in a variety of areas including electrical systems, engine repair, brake systems, suspension and steering, and heating and air-conditioning. Certification alone usually requires at least two years of work experience plus a passing grade on the certification test, though completion of a training program can be swapped for one year of experience.

Some people can stare under the hood of a car like it's a masterpiece in a museum. If this sounds like you, then consider one of the many auto body repair programs in the country and get revved up for a new career.