Truck Technician

Face it, you love trucks -- all kinds, especially the big rigs. From early on, you admired their size, their power, their speed, the beauty of all that chrome.

As you got older, your curiosity drove you to learn how they worked.

Now you're in high school, hitting the books. But while your classmates are discussing the school play, you are daydreaming about trucks.

You're wondering if you can turn your passion into a profession and make a living working on the behemoths.

What's the good news?

You can follow your dream. You can have a solid, secure, stimulating career -- and make good money -- as a medium/heavy duty truck technician. "America's goods move by truck," and America's trucks are kept moving by top notch technicians who are in constant demand.

What do I need to get started?

Although a good set of tools and a strong desire are important, they're just the beginning. Stick with your studies. You'll need a solid education.

Believe it or not, the basic knowledge and skills you are learning in your other classes will be essential to your success.

You will apply what you learned in math to help you analyze and solve problems like calculating gear ratios. Science, especially physics, is necessary to understand force, friction, hydraulics, and electrical circuits. And computerized engine management is spreading to trucks at lightning speed.

You will also need strong communications skills to access technical information from shop manuals or computers. You'll have to be able to deal effectively with drivers and coworkers, and write work orders and reports.

What might my future hold?

If you have the drive, there's almost no limit to your options and advancement. Although beginning salaries start in the low twenties, experienced technicians earn $30,000 to $40,000 — even more with overtime.

Although many students get job right out of high school, others may decide to seek a two-year associates degree from the local community college. Still others will expand their education into a four-year bachelors degree.

Many technicians love the day-to-day challenges of repairing trucks and have good careers doing just that.

But others branch out. They may become service managers, fleet maintenance managers -- even teachers. Those with a flair for business may own their own shop or manage a shop or dealership.

Whatever your path, the truck service and repair industry is broad enough to make your dreams come true for years to come.