Auto Body Technology

Crash Course
With education from auto body schools, you'll acquire skills to work on large trucks, buses, and tractor trailers, or cars and small trucks. your job will include straightening bent bodies, removing dents, and replacing crumpled parts.

Plus, the advent of assembly-line repairs enables the auto body technology industry to move from the one-vehicle, one-repairer method to a team approach. This allows you to specialize in one type of repair, such as straightening frames, repairing doors and fenders, or painting and refinishing.

Auto Body Certification
Once you've been trained at auto body schools, you may elect to take one or more National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) auto body certification exams. As long as you pass at least one exam and have two years of hands-on work experience, you'll earn ASE auto body certification. Or, you can substitute your education from auto body schools for one year of work experience. If you pass four auto body certification exams, you may become an ASE Master Collision Repair and Refinish Technician. To retain your auto body certification, you must retake the exams at least every five years.

Automotive parts, body materials, and electronics are constantly changing and becoming more complex and technologically advanced. Beyond auto body certification, the best way to stay up-to-date in auto body technology is to continually read technical manuals and attend seminars and classes at auto body schools. Your auto body technology employer may also provide ongoing industry training.

Earning Potential
When you start out in the auto body technology field, you'll typically make 30 percent to 60 percent of the earnings of skilled workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You will continue to receive that hourly rate until you are skilled enough to be paid on an incentive basis.

Here's how incentive pay works: When you have some experience, especially from auto body schools, you will be paid a predetermined amount for various tasks, with earnings depending on the amount of work assigned to you and how fast you complete it. Often, your employer will guarantee you a minimum weekly salary. And since the auto body technology industry is not very sensitive to changes in economic conditions, you know there will always be work in the field.

Put your career in auto body technology on cruise control with tools of the trade from auto body schools.

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