Also called: Maintenance Technician I, Machine Maintainer
Does routine upkeep on factory machines: oiling, cleaning, adjusting and replacing worn parts.
You follow a checklist each shift: grease the bearings on the conveyor, check belt tension, swap filters and listen for odd noises. When you spot something wrong, you work alongside a mechanic to fix it and learn as you go. Many people start here and climb to mechanic.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High-school diploma; trained on the job.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Industrial Maintenance Technology.
Growing much faster than average (about 13% over 10 years). Part of the industrial machinery mechanics group BLS projects to grow much faster than average.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Routine oiling and adjustment can be automated or scheduled by sensors, but hands-on upkeep is still needed.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at factories (ask for maintenance helper jobs) or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Shop class, Auto shop class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 49-9043.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.