What You Need to Know About Automotive Engineering Technicians

Occupation Description 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.

What do Automotive Engineering Technicians do On a Daily Basis?

• Fabricate new or modify existing prototype components or fixtures.
• Improve fuel efficiency by testing vehicles or components that use lighter materials, such as aluminum, magnesium alloy, or plastic.
• Recommend product or component design improvements, based on test data or observations.
• Participate in research or testing of computerized automotive applications, such as telemetrics, intelligent transportation systems, artificial intelligence, or automatic control.
• Build instrumentation or laboratory test equipment for special purposes.
• Set up mechanical, hydraulic, or electric test equipment in accordance with engineering specifications, standards, or test procedures.

What Skills Do You Need to Work as an Automotive Engineering Technician?

When polled, Automotive Engineering Technicians say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Types of Automotive Engineering Technician Jobs

• Automotive Engineering Technician
• Durability Technician
• Test Engineer
• Engineering Team Supervisor
• Auto Design Checker

Are There Job Opportunities for Automotive Engineering Technicians?

There were about 46,100 jobs for Mechanical Engineering Technicians in 2016 (in the United States).

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 5% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 2,300 new jobs for Automotive Engineering Technicians by 2026. There will be an estimated 4,200 positions for Automotive Engineering Technician per year.

The states with the most job growth for Mechanical Engineering Technicians are Texas, Michigan, and California.

Watch out if you plan on working in Vermont, Maine, or Hawaii. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

How Much Does an Automotive Engineering Technician Make?

The typical yearly salary for Mechanical Engineering Technicians is somewhere between $34,900 and $85,430. The median salary for this occupation is $56,250.

How much do Mechanical Engineering Technicians make in different U.S. states?

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Louisiana	$82,350
New Mexico	$79,530
Connecticut	$69,900
Colorado	$68,690
Texas	$67,740
Nevada	$67,610
Washington	$65,300
Alaska	$65,050
Maine	$62,720
California	$62,510
Maryland	$61,790
Mississippi	$61,630
Illinois	$60,940
Virginia	$60,860
Massachusetts	$60,100
New York	$60,000
North Dakota	$59,350
Rhode Island	$59,180
Minnesota	$58,940
South Carolina	$58,790
Oklahoma	$58,630
Alabama	$57,670
Arizona	$57,620
Nebraska	$56,070
District of Columbia	$55,820
Tennessee	$55,730
Georgia	$55,540
Michigan	$55,470
Kansas	$55,210
New Hampshire	$55,160
New Jersey	$55,090
Montana	$55,070
West Virginia	$54,950
North Carolina	$54,810
Idaho	$54,740
Ohio	$54,660
Pennsylvania	$54,640
Utah	$54,060
Arkansas	$53,860
Indiana	$53,430
Vermont	$53,420
Wisconsin	$52,140
Oregon	$51,860
Missouri	$51,850
Iowa	$51,710
Kentucky	$50,510
Florida	$50,360
South Dakota	$43,310

What Tools & Technology do Automotive Engineering Technicians Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Automotive Engineering Technicians:

• Microsoft Office
• Computer aided design CAD software
• SAP
• PTC Creo Parametric
• Microsoft Word
• National Instruments LabVIEW
• Autodesk Inventor
• Autodesk AutoCAD Mechanical
• Microsoft Excel
• IBM Notes

Where Automotive Engineering Technicians Are Employed

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons