As the saying goes, if you find a job you enjoy doing, you’ll never have to work a day in your life. If you are a gearhead, the automotive industry offers many fulfilling career paths.
Consider these six exciting occupations to make a living as a car enthusiast.
Sales can be a rewarding line of work, often with flexible hours and the ability to earn commissions on sales.
Sales skills are also universal. With strong sales experience, you may be able to transition to the automotive industry from another sector and land an entry-level position — and potentially work your way into a more prominent sales position later.
If you love speaking with people about car features and articulating them in simple terms, you’ll fit this role perfectly. Top performers usually get promoted to managerial positions, so you can increase your market value and avoid burnout.
Apply to an auto dealer carrying your favorite brands to talk about the models you’re passionate about and learn more about them during training.
This occupation may suit you if you love driving and teaching others. Educating teenagers about the do’s and don’ts of safe driving allows you to contribute to having safer drivers on the road. Considering that approximately 42,795 people died in motor vehicle traffic collisions in 2022 alone, a driving instructor is a noble profession.
Imparting best practices to students, monitoring the progress of young learners and helping deserving new drivers get licensed can give you a sense of accomplishment.
Curious about how motor vehicles work and love tinkering with them? Turn this hobby into a livelihood. You can complete an automotive service technology program to learn what happens under the hood and be able to methodically diagnose and fix the issue.
Time typically flies for passionate automotive service techs as troubleshooting car problems is intellectually engaging.
This profession magnetizes many motorheads because of its minimal education requirement, decent pay and diverse career path. After getting your foot in the door and holding a stable job for a year, you can apply for certification to beef up your resume and qualify for a higher salary.
Some employers may sponsor your studies to help you afford an automotive associate degree and remain gainfully employed.
Many service technicians are specialists. Some exclusively work on automotive air conditioning, brakes or transmissions. Front-end technicians concentrate on correcting ride, handling and tire problems, whereas diagnostic techs focus on addressing issues that affect engine inefficiency.
Do you have a penchant for making cars spotless? Car wash attendants provide the initial scrubbing on vehicles when customers arrive and operate and monitor the car wash systems. Rollover or in-bay car washes have moving machines to give stationary automobiles a bubble bath, whereas tunnel car wash systems soak, scrub, rinse and dry vehicles pulled on a conveyor belt.
The car wash industry in the United States is growing. Its market value reached $14.2 billion in 2020, and experts project this figure to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 4.8% between 2021 and 2028.
A steadily growing car wash industry means job opportunities. The sooner you take this career path, the faster you can acquire valuable experience to qualify for supervisory roles.
If you love old-fashioned wheels, this may be your dream job. This role can be mechanical, cosmetic or both. You may wear the hats of a service technician and an auto detailer to restore antique, vintage and classic automobiles to their former glory.
Pundits expect automotive restoration’s global market size to nearly double from $2.3 billion in 2022 to $5.5 billion in 2030. Rising demand for the services of a classic car restorer promises long-term job security.
An automotive engineer is the kind of mechanical engineer who specializes in vehicle design, modifying the construction of existing models and conceptualizing new ones. This prestigious role can help you land a high-paying job at a big-name automaker or a car accessory manufacturer.
Automotive engineers continue to drive innovation, and emerging industry trends have increased the demand for other types of engineers as well, including:
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Electrical: The electric vehicle revolution has opened more doors for electrical engineers.
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Robotics: Advances in vehicle autonomy and car production automation are impossible without robotics engineers.
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Network: The normalization of connected cars renders the services of network engineers indispensable.
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Acoustic: Acoustic engineers are responsible for car audio advancement.
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Chemical and environmental: Decarbonization is more attainable than ever because of the efforts of chemical engineers who experiment with alternative fuels — such as ethanol and hydrogen. Environmental engineers are pivotal in helping automotive interests achieve ambitious sustainability goals.
Start a Fulfilling Career in Automotive
The industry offers diverse roles for car enthusiasts of all kinds. These professions prove you can make a good living while pursuing your passion for automobiles.
Author Bio: Oscar Collins is the editor-in-chief of Modded. He has over five years of experience writing in the auto space, having published with Automotive News, Carwash and InAutomotive. Follow him on X @TModded for frequent updates on his work.
