Car Collision Repair Jobs

People seeking stable careers not requiring four-year degrees may consider car collision repair jobs. This is a growing career field with demand for new workers with technical skills. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 17 percent growth in this field between 2010 and 2020. Demand for workers is expected to remain strong as growing numbers of Americans take to the road. Even with new innovations in safety and performance, car accidents will continue to occur, requiring the services of car collision repair technicians to fix the damage.

Car Collision Repair Education And Classes

Although some may view car collision repair jobs as entry level jobs, many employers prefer to hire automobile service technicians who have completed formal training at a postsecondary institution. Such training can be obtained at community colleges and vocational schools across the country.

Postsecondary institutions may offer many different courses, providing some degree of flexibility to students. However, students typically must take a specific number of core classes to graduate. Courses may include non-structural repair, welding, refinishing, collision repair estimating, automotive service, automotive electrical theory and vehicle steering and suspension. Students may also study automobile air conditioning and heating systems, tune-ups and automotive computers. Schools may also require students to demonstrate basic writing, language and math skills.

Car Repair Job Duties

Car collision repair technicians perform various duties at work. They may estimate costs for repair jobs, straighten bent frames, grind or sand repaired surfaces and pound out smaller dents with hand tools. Some repair jobs require the technicians to remove parts of the vehicle to gain access to sections of a car needing repair. They typically work in garages. Because most car collisions involve an insured driver, car collision repair technicians frequently supply estimates to insurance adjusters before starting repairs to ensure the insurance company will pay the bill once work is completed.

Car collision repair workers generally enjoy stable careers because of the demand for their services. They typically work in well-lit and well-ventilated garages and may use computers for many repair and diagnostic tasks. However, their technical skills are still needed on a daily basis. Many tasks require use of hand tools and manipulating dirty or greasy vehicle parts. In 2010, car collision repair technicians earned median wages of $35,790. Those in entry level jobs earned less. For people who love vehicles and working with their hands, car collision repair jobs can provide job stability and respectable pay.

Pressured To Find A High Paying Job

It isn’t every day that you look for a job. We all need to work for purpose in life. Being in the right job is one thing. Working a job that pays the bills is another. Being under pressure to find a high paying job requires patience, focus and determination to not give up.

Having Determination

Determination is needed to not give up until you find the right job. Proper job fit is a function of both money and fulfillment. You have to pay the bills but in order to generate maximum earning potential you have to be in a role where you can develop to the best of your abilities.

I was under a lot of pressure because the pay was not high enough. I had to work a part-time job to make ends meet so I looked for another full time job. After two years, the next banking job came to me. A customer of the bank had observed my banking skills and appreciated the way I handled his business. He asked if I was interested in interviewing for a new bank he was opening. The next week I interviewed with 50 other applicants. Twenty of us were hired. My interview went well but I’m convinced that I secured the new job while delivering superior service at my old job.

During the two years of looking for a new job I stayed focus. I knew that I needed a different environment in which to grow. I certainly needed extra money. The pressure was difficult when I couldn’t pay every bill. I kept looking while also working hard at my job. My boss noticed nothing but my new boss saw everything. I could have quit and taken on more part-time jobs.

I stayed patient, trusting my hard work to pay off. Being underpaid for two years was difficult. Looking around wasn’t working but I stayed patient, made the best of my situation and was eventually rewarded.

My original banking job taught me the basics of finances and customer service. My new banking job allowed me to develop financial management skills and build client portfolios. The pay was 30% higher, enabling me to quit my second job and settle down. What motivated me to stay patient, focused and determined was the sense that something better was ahead. I needed it to pay the bills and I wanted it to further my career.

What kind of experiences did you have when you were pressured to find a job? What did you do? and how did you manage to survive it?

Unconventional Jobs for Women

Compared to a few decades ago when women were almost always limited to the choice of becoming a teacher, secretary or nurse, the work field has opened dramatically and presented near limitless career fields for women to train for and work in. While many women still work in the service industry, more women are beginning to explore non-traditional occupations that have, until very recently, been filled almost exclusively by men. For women interested in more unconventional jobs, the benefits can often include flexible hours and higher paying salaries.

Women And Trucking Jobs

Some women are swapping a job at the office for something a bit more exciting in the trucking industry. Over-the-road truck drivers are responsible for transporting goods, foods and other products to towns and cities all across the country. While driving an 18-wheeler has traditionally been a job that young boys often dream of doing when they grow up, more women are beginning to don the trucker cap and take hands-on job in the transportation industry alongside their male counterparts. Training, which requires students to earn a CDL (commercial drivers license) can be completed in a matter of weeks. Employment rate for truck drivers, heavy equipment drivers and public transportation drivers is growing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Drivers earn a median wage of $14.00 per hour.

Animal And Pest Control For Women

Pest control and animal control is another career field that more women are beginning to choose as a viable career opportunity. Exterminators and pest control technicians specialize in ridding homes, commercial buildings and public areas of insect and animal problems, some of which may be dangerous or destructive to people and property. Training is usually conducted on the job, and women entering this field can expect to work as a technician assistant for a few years. Basic college courses in sciences, such as chemistry or biology, as well as strong communication and customer service skills are a plus.

Women And Small Engine Repair

Another unconventional career field for women who are mechanically inclined is small engine repair. A mechanic that works on small engines can expect to fix everything from a lawnmower to expensive motorcycles; the sheer variety of machines that come in for repair keeps this job from ever seeming boring. Women considering a career in small engine repair will have to take classes at a technical school or community college for up to two years. Average median wage for small engine mechanics is about $15.00 per hour.