There are a wide variety of rewarding career opportunities available for the mechanically inclined, including jobs in the automotive, aviation, motorcycle, watercraft, electrical, and heating and ventilation industries. Earning your degree or certificate in the technical trade of your choice from a respected online or campus school can give you the skills you need to make a living in these fast-growing fields.
Here are just a few of the many career possibilities available in the technical/trades fields:
use their technical expertise to inspect, maintain, and repair automobiles and light trucks. Today’s automotive systems demand workers who can use computerized shop equipment and work with electronic systems while still being skilled with traditional hand tools. Median hourly earnings for automotive service technicians and mechanics as of May 2004 were $15.60/hour.
install, maintain, and repair these systems in homes and businesses. They may specialize in either repair or installation, as well as in heating, air conditioning or refrigeration work. These technicians are adept at using a variety of tools, gauges, and testing device as part of their job. Median hourly earnings for HVAC technicians as of May 2004 were $17.43/hour.
inspect, maintain, and repair aircraft engines, landing gear, instruments, and other aircraft parts. Mechanics may work on one or many different type of aircraft, including jets, propeller-driven airplanes, and helicopters. Avionics technicians repair and maintain components used in aircraft navigation and radio communications. Median hourly earnings for aircraft mechanics and avionics technicians as of May 2004 were $21.77/hour.