I like this job because I just don't have to be a mechanic all day. Pay in the industry varies depending on the nature of the job, the type of employer and whether a technician works under a union contract. Diesel techs also receive medical, retirement and vacation benefits. Even in a hot job market, employers still want hirees to demonstrate mechanical backgrounds, either through experience or education. The easiest way to get that training is through technical classes.
Community colleges have no fixed admission requirements for their diesel-mechanic programs.
Timber-industry workers and Boeing employees who have lost their jobs take the classes to train for new jobs. But even they don't get away from the grease and nuts and bolts. Bob Lane is a Seattle free-lance writer. Become a Featured Employer. Free Loan apps.