With the escalating costs of college, many students graduate from a 4-year program with an average debt that can range from nearly $30,000 to more than $70,000. This is only one of a number of reasons many individuals leaving high school choose not to seek additional formal education.

Increasingly, there are many opportunities that provide well-paying and secure careers without a college degree. One such market segment, the automotive maintenance and repair industry, employs more than 500,000 mechanics, and continues to grow at more than 3 percent per year. Moreover, with the right technical training, mechanics aren't limited by a lack of a college degree.

Increasing Quality for Automobile Owners

While the cars made today are much more reliable than those of just a few decades ago, they still require regular maintenance and care. In fact, such cars that last for 10 years or more and are driven more than 150,000 miles will need a number of parts and systems replaced and repaired during that time frame. As an example, brake repair accounted for more than 17 percent of the repair industry revenue in 2014.

As a response to this increased life cycle of automobiles, manufacturers and auto dealers are putting an unprecedented priority on providing high-quality service departments. As a part of this emphasis, many firms provide ongoing professional education and certifications that increase the capabilities and professionalism of their service staff and mechanics.

An indication of this increased importance of service is indicated in a report from Google Think Insights. This analysis show the queries made for service by smartphone are up by 74 percent in just one year, and that total replace or repair searches are up 8 percent. Important to dealers, these numbers also show more than 73 percent of consumers will definitely or most likely return to a recent service provider with good service. This not only increases the lifetime value of a customer for an auto dealer, it brings in as much as 80 percent of all aftermarket revenue in the auto industry.

A Win-Win Situation

This growing importance and professionalism of service personnel is good news for those seeking a new career as well as for car and truck owners. The increasing sophistication of cars and trucks makes it difficult for most owners to perform even basic preventative maintenance needs of modern vehicles. The numbers show these important consumers increasingly look to dealers who provide reliable services.

In turn, the specialization and increased investment in training provides the qualified and experienced mechanic with more demand for their services and career security. These factors help present an excellent opportunity for individuals who want to succeed but have no interest in college. Contact a company like Lakeside Radiator & Auto Repair for more information.

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