Call a local auto shop or just drop by and ask if you can talk to someone about being a mechanic. Be ready to ask questions, like what someone who wants to work in this field should do to get started.

Career

Interview a mechanic.

Decide on something you want to try building, then look up tutorials and videos on Google and Youtube. Start small and work with what you have or can easily acquire.

Advice

Build something!

There will always be obstacles in your journey. Life is not about avoiding those obstacles, but learning how to navigate them. Get advice on how to overcome your obstacles! 

Day to Day

Watch a TED Talk about overcoming obstacles.

Automotive Engineering Technicians

Assist engineers in determining the practicality of proposed product design changes and plan and carry out tests on experimental test devices or equipment for performance, durability, or efficiency.

Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Realistic

Third Interest High-Point

Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Investigative

Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Conventional

Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Enterprising

Second Interest High-Point

Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Artistic

Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Social

First Interest High-Point

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Engineering Technicians, Except Drafters

Mechanical Engineering Technicians

Architecture and Engineering Occupations

Drafters, Engineering Technicians, and Mapping Technicians

Build instrumentation or laboratory test equipment for special purposes.

Order new test equipment, supplies, or replacement parts.

Set up mechanical, hydraulic, or electric test equipment in accordance with engineering specifications, standards, or test procedures.

Recommend tests or testing conditions in accordance with designs, customer requirements, or industry standards to ensure test validity.

Monitor computer-controlled test equipment, according to written or verbal instructions.

Read and interpret blueprints, schematics, work specifications, drawings, or charts.

Maintain test equipment in operational condition by performing routine maintenance or making minor repairs or adjustments as needed.

Install equipment, such as instrumentation, test equipment, engines, or aftermarket products, to ensure proper interfaces.

Inspect or test parts to determine nature or cause of defects or malfunctions.

Document test results, using cameras, spreadsheets, documents, or other tools.

Fabricate new or modify existing prototype components or fixtures.

Analyze test data for automotive systems, subsystems, or component parts.

Recommend product or component design improvements, based on test data or observations.

Perform or execute manual or automated tests of automotive system or component performance, efficiency, or durability.

Analyze performance of vehicles or components that have been redesigned to increase fuel efficiency, such as camless or dual-clutch engines or alternative types of air-conditioning systems.

Improve fuel efficiency by testing vehicles or components that use lighter materials, such as aluminum, magnesium alloy, or plastic.

Participate in research or testing of computerized automotive applications, such as telemetrics, intelligent transportation systems, artificial intelligence, or automatic control.

Test performance of vehicles that use alternative fuels, such as alcohol blends, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, biodiesel, nano diesel, or alternative power methods, such as solar energy or hydrogen fuel cells.

Calipers

Chassis dynamometers

Compression testers

Computer numerical controlled CNC milling machines

Computerized numerical control CNC turning centers

Crack detection equipment

Electronic engine analyzers

Engine lathes

Environmental chambers

Exhaust gas analyzers

Flow benches

Force gauges

Frequency counters

Function generators

High-vacuum tensile testing chambers

Ignition oscilloscopes

Leakage testers

Metal inert gas MIG welders

Multimeters

Oscilloscopes

Pin gauges

Plasma cutters

Timing lights

Tungsten inert gas TIG welding equipment

Vibration testers

A&D Technology iTest

Autodesk AutoCAD Mechanical

Autodesk Inventor

Computer aided design CAD software

Computer aided manufacturing CAM software

Data acquisition software

IBM Notes

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Word

National Instruments LabVIEW

PTC Creo Parametric

Road simulators

Save your money and go to school. If you have an education you can go anywhere and do anything. You will learn things that you never will anywhere else. 

At age 18, I decided that I needed to do something with my life, so I sold my car, applied for a visa/passport, and came to the United States looking for the American Dream. The language barrier can sometimes be an obstacle.

I help auto parts manufacturers develop products by obtaining an emissions certificate. My day is usually spent testing a variety of products to ensure they meet the state and federal emissions standards and issuing affordable CARB EOs to manufacturers. 

Emissions Lab Technician

One last question, any advice that you're gonna give us? from one old man that told me. liked to go here. I was thinking I was a king. the king of $50, but school, you're gonna have an education and because education is the best. you can have everything you guys want. from, what you have as long as you have you have to fight for it. to finish the school. a engine, build whatever is in your mind, to follow and you have to finish it. you you cannot do it. do like you guys are doing already. I wanna get educated. finish maybe right there. 

Education

Opportunity

Anything Is Possible With An Education

I was so little and all my friends have car. by day with my family. me to buy a car, all right. running the car has nothing so now what? the car little by little. because I work on the car that I buy when with no money in my pocket. selling stuff to fix my car. take this one, it's yours! No, I started with a junk car, 

Hard Work

Struggle

Start Small

My name is Arturo Guerra, I come from Mexico City and the laboratory about emissions. turbos and all this stuff. we have fun in here. &gt;&gt; What made you get into this field in had nice cars and everything. living day by day with my family. helped me to buy a car. running, the car had nothing, so now what? by little, that's how I explain my the car that I bought when I was maybe 16, that's how everything started from there. was open in the for my position. people from Encima has a degrees, and they're looking at me. family is from, what you have, have the dream, you have to fight for it. school, you have the dream to build a car, build whatever is in your mind, to follow and you have to finish it. cannot do it, it is never true. to do what you guys are doing already. I wanna get educated, but maybe right there. 

Arturo Herrera Highlight

Whats your favorite part of this industry? you work with the device, going to pass the standards. like hey I have this, so what it does, you know what I mean? you know? or fail the car. when I see the stores, it's like it's part of me in that car. you know what I mean? &gt;&gt; Yeah, 

Passion

Passion Project

My name is Arthur Rivera. I have been in the industry for 20 years. the laboratory about emissions. through bolts, and all this stuff. field in the first place? all my friend has a car, all right? everything. by day with my family. helped me to buy a car. car is not running, the car has nothing, the car little by little. love about the cars. that I buy when I was maybe 16, selling stuff to fix my car. take this one. you know what I mean? and I have to work to make it work. kid I always play with cars. own body shops or mechanic shops. like certification. things that I know, everything I learned in this industry basically. the United States from Mexico, friend brother before he passed away. me to the laboratory. that's how I started everything. part of this industry? you work with the device. gonna pass the standards. hey, I have this, so let's see if it pass. you know what I mean? if I fail the car. you know what I mean? when I see it in the stores, it's like, it's like, it's part of me in the car. you know what I mean? but it's [INAUDIBLE]. I think that's why we're all here. you couldn't get into the field, or try to gonna make it, or anything like that? if people tell you if you cannot do it. you don't go nowhere. you have to listen to your self. but it's more about people, I like to do these things. like what I'm doing, that's why I'm here. the cars, that I deal with the customers, bring their product [INAUDIBLE]. listen to myself and that's, a selfish positive, you know what I mean? you know what I mean? from Mexico to here? &gt;&gt; Just the whole struggle of me. and you don't have the language. by communication, you talk to engineering, the education and everything. anything, having kind of street smarts about cars? it was open at [INAUDIBLE], my position. [INAUDIBLE] people that go [INAUDIBLE] they gave me the opportunity. I get to go to school. any advice that you'd wanna give us? from one old man that told me. liked to go here, go there, there, there. I was a king, you know what I mean? you're the king with $50. school, You're going to have education, because education is the best. you can have everything you guys want. from or what you have as long as you have you have to fight for it. dream to finish school. build an engine, whatever is in your heart. you have to finish it. you you cannot do it. do like what you guys are doing already. finish may be right there. 

Interview

If you were looking down at yourself at our age, believe in God, believe in your bug, whatever I don't care. believe in yourselves, never give up. 

Beliefs & Faith

Values

Stick With The Good People

When you were our age, did you know what you wanted to do? &gt;&gt; No. &gt;&gt; No, no, by that time I was, &gt;&gt; 18, by that time I was fighting for make some money and survive. not that easy to live in. dad was pushing me to go to school. but I have bad friends. &gt;&gt; You know what I mean. everything goes bad. [LAUGH] United States, all my friends. I have a staff because I learn something. you're gonna be bad. is going to be good. be dead or jail or something else, you have to be careful about your friends. 

Support & Encouragement

Choose Your Friends Wisely

Changing Gears

Technicians Roadtrip

INSIGHTS FROM THE FILM

Hitchhike along for a supercharged adventure as Alexandra, Dylan, and Michael—three aspiring auto and diesel technicians—go from monster truck rallies to high-tech labs to discover the growing possibilities in automotive and diesel tech. As they speak to gearheads in every corner of the field—from tractor builders, to Porsche collectors, Fast and the Furious technicians, and more—they learn that the stereotype of the grease monkey mechanic is outdated. Being a technician means being on the frontlines of technology, racing towards the future.

Auto and diesel technicians hold the keys to the future of human movement. We set out to see where the industry is going—and the people who are driving it forward.

Our cars and trucks are high-powered and high-tech—and they need an elite workforce to keep them running. That’s why we’re sending three aspiring auto and diesel technicians on a road trip that will give them an exclusive look at what’s happening under the hood of their industry. They’ll meet with professional technicians, hear candid stories of struggle and success, and of course, check out a ton of cool cars along the way. Ride along with the crew as they explore this rapidly accelerating field—and see if this turns out to be the spark that ignites their future.

We’re not just showing auto and diesel technicians what’s on the road ahead—we’re putting them in the driver’s seat.

FUELED BY:

Tech Force Foundation

SEMA Garage

So this Spring I'm traveling with two other students. we're gonna be living in a RV. never met, but that I have in cars and automobiles. a bunch of different places. people who work in the auto or diesel industry. them. their lives, and how they got there. >> The automotive field is a legitimate and worthy of respect. are incredibly intelligent and today's rocket ship car. control modules than the first space shuttle. >> That car is insane. >> If you're interested in mechanics right now, in another 40 years down the road, interested. I get to get paid for it. just happy to go to work every day. that. are living my dream. they got to where they're at. bicycles apart and then motorcycles and then cars. first car, wrenching on it and trying to do stuff to it. >> For every one thing that I learned that that failed, that broke, that caught on fire. of control, continued to feed my need for speed. something like this was available to me, it was a dream. fun. out what I wanna do next. old-timers are not gonna be around forever. in a guy, a American muscle car guy, a European road playing around in the dirt type of person. true car enthusiasts together the build, the chase. the same language. drive. in an RV and go interview some pretty crazy people. a little bit more from this. we're gonna go from here. lost and we need guidance on where to go. should do with our lives. 

Arturo Herrera

Emissions Lab Technician

Videos

Arturo Herrera

Milestones

Career

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

My work combines:

Engineering

Technology

Learning / Being Challenged

Day to Day

Skills & Qualities Beyond School

Advice for Getting Started

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Society in General:

Challenges I Overcame

First-Generation Immigrant

Interviewed By

Changing Gears