Career Guides
Plain-language guides for shop careers: the work in the bay and at the service desk, ASE and I-CAR training, state rules, pay, and the next step up.
What an automotive technician (auto mechanic) does daily, where they work, technician levels, training routes, pay and job outlook.
What an auto body technician does, where collision techs work, how to become one, and how flag-hour pay works, with BLS May 2025 pay and outlook figures.
What a service advisor does, where advisors work, the voluntary ASE C1 credential, how advisor pay works and the path to service manager.
An experienced auto tech holding ASE A1-A8 master status, an OEM master level or a shop's senior title. What the job is, the route in and the pay data.
A general service technician (GST or C tech) is the entry-level mechanic: routine maintenance and basic repairs while learning the trade. See how to get hired.
What a lube technician does, the quick lube, dealer express and tire store employers, pay data, and how the job leads up to mechanic work.
What a tire technician does, where tire techs work, entry requirements, BLS pay for the role, and how tire work leads to alignment and mechanic jobs.
Transmission technicians and rebuilders work on gear trains, couplings and hydraulic pumps. See the job, employers, training routes, pay and open jobs.
What diagnostic technicians do: find issues that keep engines from running efficiently using scan tools and multimeters. See the work, tools, training and pay.
What an EV technician does, how electric and hybrid work differs from gas-engine repair, where EV techs get hired, training routes, pay and demand.
A fleet technician services an employer's own cars and light trucks. See the job duties, fleet types, schedules and pay, and how to become a fleet mechanic.
What a smog technician does, which states run emissions programs, inspector vs repair technician roles, training routes, pay and open smog tech jobs.
What a vehicle safety inspector does, which states run inspection programs, how technicians qualify, and what the work pays, plus inspector jobs to browse.
What an auto glass technician does, shop vs mobile work, ADAS recalibration, training routes, AGSC certification and BLS pay for the occupation.
What a car detailer does, where detailers work, what the job requires, what BLS pay data shows, and how to find car detailer jobs.
What a dealership lot porter does: moving and staging cars, sales-lot vs service-porter vs shuttle work, license and driving record, pay, and how to move up.
What an auto painter (refinish technician) does, how EPA 6H training works, what the closest BLS group pays, and how the job differs from prep and body techs.
What a paint prep technician (prepper) does, how prep leads to a painter job, and when EPA 6H painter training applies to prep work. Browse open prep tech jobs.
What a frame technician does, structural vs non-structural repair, the measuring and welding equipment involved, and how body techs move into structural work.
What a paintless dent repair (PDR) technician does, how the dent-removal craft works, where PDR techs work and what BLS pay data shows for the field.
What ADAS calibration technicians do, which sensors and systems they calibrate, where they work, and the I-CAR and ASE paths into the specialty.
What a collision estimator does, how shop estimators differ from insurance appraisers, where estimators work, and how to move into estimating.
What an automotive service manager does day to day, how the job differs at dealers, independents and chains, and the closest BLS pay data for the title.
What a shop foreman does in an auto repair shop: supervising technicians, checking work and pitching in on repairs, with BLS pay data and the path in.
What a parts counter person does at the dealership, retail and wholesale counter, the job titles, pay, ASE certification and how to start the career.
What does a body shop manager do? The duties of a collision repair manager, where the jobs are, how to move into the role, and what federal pay data shows.
What auto repair shop owners actually do, what Census data shows about the trade, and how a mechanic weighs opening, buying or franchising a shop.