Rev up your career with a job as an auto technician

Automotive technicians are required to buy their own tools; experienced workers have thousands of dollars invested in them. Most schools have alliances with tool manufacturers that help entry-level technicians accumulate tools during their training period.

Schools also help graduates to land a job, Lincoln Institute's Laquerre said: 'Upon a student's completion of our automotive degree or certification, placement services go into high gear in the local or national market.'

Employment growth will continue to be concentrated in automobile dealerships and independent automotive-repair shops. However, many new jobs also will be created in small retail operations that offer after-warranty repairs such as oil changes, brake repairs and air-conditioner service.

Other automotive-service technicians and mechanics are all but disappearing as gasoline service stations become fast-food sites.

The Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook: 2006-07 provides background information about the complexity of industry requirements and advises completing a formal training program in high school or in a postsecondary vocational school or a community college.

Palm Beach County offers several automotive-technology secondary academies and a charter school where students begin programs that they can use to transfer into advanced courses in postsecondary schools.

Laquerre said the program at Lincoln School of Technology provides qualified men and women with careers in the automotive field. These include automotive technicians, automotive-service assistants, and light line or general-service technicians.

Whether you're looking to change careers or have just graduated from high school, auto technology is a viable career path with an opportunity for steady employment and good wages. Compensation ranges from $25,000 at entry level to more than $65,000.