| Important Core Job Duties (in order of importance) For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 100 (%) | Description: Follow supervisors' instructions as to which parts to restore or replace and how much time the job should take. |
| Importance: 97 (%) | Description: File, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools. |
| Importance: 91 (%) | Description: Sand body areas to be painted and cover bumpers, windows, and trim with masking tape or paper to protect them from the paint. |
| Importance: 90 (%) | Description: Remove upholstery, accessories, electrical window-and-seat-operating equipment, and trim to gain access to vehicle bodies and fenders. |
| Importance: 90 (%) | Description: Position dolly blocks against surfaces of dented areas and beat opposite surfaces to remove dents, using hammers. |
| Importance: 89 (%) | Description: Mix polyester resins and hardeners to be used in restoring damaged areas. |
| Importance: 88 (%) | Description: Remove small pits and dimples in body metal, using pick hammers and punches. |
| Importance: 88 (%) | Description: Adjust or align headlights, wheels, and brake systems. |
| Importance: 88 (%) | Description: Remove damaged sections of vehicles using metal-cutting guns, air grinders and wrenches, and install replacement parts using wrenches or welding equipment. |
| Importance: 88 (%) | Description: Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling. |
| Importance: 86 (%) | Description: Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders. |
| Importance: 86 (%) | Description: Apply heat to plastic panels, using hot-air welding guns or immersion in hot water, and press the softened panels back into shape by hand. |
| Importance: 86 (%) | Description: Clean work areas, using air hoses, to remove damaged material and discarded fiberglass strips used in repair procedures. |
| Importance: 86 (%) | Description: Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools. |
| Importance: 83 (%) | Description: Review damage reports, prepare or review repair cost estimates, and plan work to be performed. |
| Importance: 83 (%) | Description: Remove damaged panels, and identify the family and properties of the plastic used on a vehicle. |
| Importance: 82 (%) | Description: Fill small dents that cannot be worked out with plastic or solder. |
| Importance: 81 (%) | Description: Chain or clamp frames and sections to alignment machines that use hydraulic pressure to align damaged components. |
| Importance: 80 (%) | Description: Replace damaged glass on vehicles. |
| Importance: 80 (%) | Description: Fit and secure windows, vinyl roofs, and metal trim to vehicle bodies, using caulking guns, adhesive brushes, and mallets. |
| Importance: 75 (%) | Description: Cut and tape plastic separating film to outside repair areas to avoid damaging surrounding surfaces during repair procedure and remove tape and wash surfaces after repairs are complete. |
| Importance: 71 (%) | Description: Soak fiberglass matting in resin mixtures and apply layers of matting over repair areas to specified thicknesses. |
Manufacturing Technology Careers and Jobs
Select, Find and Prepare for Manufacturing Technology Careers and Jobs - all on one page
For hands-on, technically minded people interested in modern, automated production environments. Use the tools below to see which manufacturing technology roles fit your background and goals.
This major prepares students for modern, automation-heavy manufacturing environments rather than traditional manual-labor factory work. Use the tools below to explore Manufacturing Technology-related job titles sorted by growth rate, salary, or required education. You can start with entry points like Production Technician, or look ahead to advanced roles such as Manufacturing Engineer or Plant Manager. Along the way, you will see specific certifications, such as Certified Manufacturing Technologist (CMfgT), that can help you move up the career ladder.
Here is a short Helper Video 
This page will take you through 4 steps to (1) Select from Manufacturing Technology careers/jobs, (2) Find Manufacturing Technology job listings, (3) Prepare for Manufacturing Technology careers, and (4) Provide Manufacturing Technology career-specific resources.
Step 1: Select a Career/Job: This page starts with 4 ways for you to identify and select from listings of Manufacturing Technology careers/jobs:
A) Fastest Growing Manufacturing Technology Careers - 2023 to 2033 (est.)
These listings are based on job growth estimates and helps you to identify the fastest growing and evolving Manufacturing Technology careers. Some careers may not initially seem related to Manufacturing Technology, so relevant Manufacturing Technology jobs are listed alongside each listing. This can also help us to identify which careers (bottom of the listing) may have negative growth - perhaps due to automation or planned obsolescence.
B) Median Annual Salary U.S. Manufacturing Technology Careers
These listings are sorted (descending) by median annual salary in the U.S. This may help us to identify our ideal career. We may not qualify at this time for the desired career, but this listing and the results provided can help us to explore job details, as well as learn how to appropriately prepare for the career.
C) Manufacturing Technology Career Ladders (Educational Requirements)
These listings will help us to identify Manufacturing Technology careers sorted by educational requirements (with the most difficult to obtain listed first). This may help us to identify career ladders (as we scroll down the list), and help us to get jobs that we qualify for now.
D) Select From a Listing of 97 Manufacturing Technology Jobs.
The list may be quite long. There are two ways you might like to use this list:
1) Filter - As you enter a word, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles
2) Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
Once you have identified a job title of interest, simply click on it.
Step 2: Find a Job: After you have selected a career/job title above, you will see a form asking for your location. You will see several radio selection choices to utilize the job search site of your choice.
Step 3: Prepare For a Career: In this section you will gain access to detailed information to help you prepare for the chosen career. Information may include (not every career choice includes all of the elements below - updates occur quarterly):
Core Duties: Lists the primary worker-related tasks performed in this occupation
Supplemental Duties: Lists additional tasks that are performed but are secondary to the core duties
Work Activities: Summarizes the broad types of behaviors and actions related to this career
Specific Work Activities: Provides more granular day-to-day activities tied to the work performed
Essential Skills: Provides foundational skills that are core to performing this specific occupation
Transferable Skills: Provides career-portable skills that can be applied across multiple occupations and industries
Day-in-the-Life Summaries: Provides a snapshot of the key activities performed on a typical workday in this career
Knowledge Required: Provides the requirements regarding the acquisition of facts and principles
Software Skills: Lists software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized by category and priority
Preparation Required: Provides a summary of the required experience and education
Education Required: Detailed breakdown of the education required
Training and Experience Required: Detailed breakdown of the training and Training and Experience Required
Local Salary Information: Provides national and local salary ranges
Certifications: Provides appropriate government and private-sector certifications and/or credentials that may be required
Professional Associations: Provides professional associations that are related to the career selected
Job Listings: Provides links to active current job listings for the selected career, along with multiple similar job titles to explore. All information appears on this page without navigating away.
Related Careers to Consider: Lists up to 20 careers that might be of interest to you (related to your initial choice - what they do, what they know, and what they're called), ranked by best fit.
** If you clicked on a link from section D (as described in Step 1 above), you will see one or more links to an occupation that is usually a bit more general than your initial job selection - the link(s) is directly related to the specific job you identified through your prior selections.
*NOTE: It is possible that there may not be a career path identified for the specific job you selected in Step 1. If this is the case, scroll up the page and click on a different career/job.
Step 4: Career-Specific Resources (detailed and constantly updated): Continue to scroll down the page and you will find tabs that provide detailed (updated) links specific to the career you selected. This information includes:
Videos: Provides a listing of video links related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes: Sources for resume materials and techniques. This can help to get you started.
Job Description: Sources that provide job descriptions, which are vital to resume and interview preparation.
Interviews: Provides links that can help you to prepare for and successfully complete the job interview. Can also assist with coffee chats.
Step by Step: Provides links to resources that can help to organize the career search process.
LinkedIn: One of the best professional social media sites that provides links, opportunities, and networking specifically for careers and career development.
Step 1 of 4: Select a Career/Job
47 Manufacturing Technology careers are listed below (sorted by Percentage Change in Total Job Openings - 2023 to 2033 est.). Manufacturing Technology-related jobs specific to each career are also provided. This shows which careers are emerging and growing the fastest. Please Scroll and Select below:
| Occupations | U.S. Job Openings 2023-2033 (% change) | Manufacturing Technology-Related Jobs |
56 Manufacturing Technology careers are listed below (sorted by U.S. National Median Salary). Manufacturing Technology-related jobs specific to each occupation are also provided. Please Scroll and Select below::
| Occupations | National Median Salary | Manufacturing Technology-Related Jobs |
59 Manufacturing Technology careers are listed (sorted by Education/Preparation Requirements - descending) to provide career ladders. Manufacturing Technology-related jobs specific to each career are also provided.
|
Education/Preparation Categories: 5 = Usually requires graduate school (e.g., Master's degree, Ph.D., M.D., or J.D.) 4 = Usually requires a four-year Bachelor's degree 3 = Usually requires vocational training, related on-the-job experience, or Associate's degree 2 = Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, but not always Please Scroll and Select below: |
||
| Occupations | Education/Preparation | Manufacturing Technology-Related Jobs |
Scroll through the picklist (below). There are 97 specific Manufacturing Technology job titles listed. Select those that may be of interest - you will get active job listing links, along with detailed resources to help you prepare for a career related to that job.
You can use this form two ways:
Filter - As you enter a keyword, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles below
Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
OR - leave blank and scroll through the choices:
Select a Job Title (Scroll and Select) :
Step 2 of 4: Find a Job
Find Job Listings:
Automotive Body and Related Repairers.
Step 3 of 4: Prepare For a Career
Automotive Body and Related Repairers
Description: Repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames.
Please click on a section below to expand and see detailed occupational information related to "Automotive Body and Related Repairers":
U.S. Total Employment (2023):
153,700U.S. Total Employment (2033 est.):
161,800
Employment Change (2023-2033 est.):
8,100 (5.3%) Average Annual Job Openings (2023-2033 est.):
15,200
Core Duties
Supplemental Duties
| Important Supplemental Job Duties (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 66 (%) | Description: Read specifications or confer with customers to determine the desired custom modifications for altering the appearance of vehicles. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Cut openings in vehicle bodies for the installation of customized windows, using templates and power shears or chisels. |
| Importance: 54 (%) | Description: Measure and mark vinyl material and cut material to size for roof installation, using rules, straightedges, and hand shears. |
Work Activities
| Important General Work Activities (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 82 (%) | Description: Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. |
| Importance: 81 (%) | Description: Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Importance: 81 (%) | Description: Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. |
| Importance: 79 (%) | Description: Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft. |
| Importance: 78 (%) | Description: Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
| Importance: 78 (%) | Description: Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. |
| Importance: 77 (%) | Description: Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. |
| Importance: 76 (%) | Description: Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. |
| Importance: 76 (%) | Description: Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
| Importance: 76 (%) | Description: Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. |
| Importance: 75 (%) | Description: Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. |
| Importance: 74 (%) | Description: Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. |
| Importance: 73 (%) | Description: Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. |
| Importance: 70 (%) | Description: Performing General Physical Activities: Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials. |
| Importance: 70 (%) | Description: Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others. |
| Importance: 67 (%) | Description: Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others. |
| Importance: 63 (%) | Description: Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles). |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills. |
Specific Work Activities
| Important Specific Work Activities
How can you begin to build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. Specific Work Activities appear below: |
|
| Adjust vehicle components according to specifications. | |
| Apply protective coverings to objects or surfaces near work areas. | |
| Clean work areas. | |
| Confer with customers or users to assess problems. | |
| Cut materials according to specifications or needs. | |
| Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair. | |
| Heat material or workpieces to prepare for or complete production. | |
| Inspect completed work to ensure proper functioning. | |
| Install machine or equipment replacement parts. | |
| Install vehicle parts or accessories. | |
| Measure distances or dimensions. | |
| Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment. | |
| Operate welding equipment. | |
| Paint surfaces or equipment. | |
| Plan work procedures. | |
| Prepare compounds or solutions to be used for repairs. | |
| Read work orders or descriptions of problems to determine repairs or modifications needed. | |
| Receive information or instructions for performing work assignments. | |
| Remove dents from equipment, materials, tools or structures. | |
| Remove parts or components from vehicles. | |
| Replace vehicle glass. | |
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment. | |
Knowledge Required
| Knowledge Required (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 70 (%) | Description: Mechanical: Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Production and Processing: Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. |
Transferable Skills
| Transferable Skills (in order of importance)
These are skills that can transfer across occupations and industries. For the Top 5 most important, how can you strengthen these skills now so they support both this career and future career flexibility? |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 54 (%) | Description: Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools. |
| Importance: 52 (%) | Description: Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it. |
Day-in-the-Life Summaries
| Day-in-the-Life Summaries These summaries show the main types of activities you are likely to perform on a regular basis in this occupation. How can you imagine your typical workday — using these examples to see if this type of work fits you? |
| Activity: Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance. |
| Activity: Apply protective solutions or coatings. |
| Activity: Assemble equipment or components. |
| Activity: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas. |
| Activity: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities. |
| Activity: Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications. |
| Activity: Cut materials. |
| Activity: Disassemble equipment. |
| Activity: Inspect completed work or finished products. |
| Activity: Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques. |
| Activity: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment. |
| Activity: Plan work activities. |
| Activity: Position workpieces or materials on equipment. |
| Activity: Prepare industrial materials for processing or use. |
| Activity: Prepare mixtures or solutions. |
| Activity: Read documents or materials to inform work processes. |
| Activity: Repair vehicle components. |
| Activity: Set up protective structures or coverings near work areas. |
| Activity: Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment. |
Software Skills
|
Software Skills These are examples of software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized from most to least important for your career preparation. How can you start learning or practicing the highest-priority tools so that you feel confident using them on the job? |
| Emerging Tech Skills |
| Electronic mail software: |
| Microsoft Outlook |
| Office suite software: |
| Microsoft Office software |
| Operating system software: |
| Microsoft Windows |
| Spreadsheet software: |
| Microsoft Excel |
| Word processing software: |
| Microsoft Word |
| General Software Tools |
| Accounting software: |
| Accounts receivable software |
| Analytical or scientific software: |
| Collision damage estimation software Collision damage measurement software Paint mixing and matching software Swan River Estimiser Pro |
| Calendar and scheduling software: |
| Appointment scheduling software |
| Data base user interface and query software: |
| AutoZone ALLDATA Equipment management information software |
| Inventory management software: |
| Materials management software |
| Point of sale POS software: |
| Automotive and Accounting Software by R*KOM Invoice Writer |
| Word processing software: |
| Microsoft OneNote |
Preparation Required
| Preparation Required - How much preparation is needed to obtain this type of job? |
| Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed |
| Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training. |
| Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. |
| Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. |
| These occupations involve following instructions and often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include dishwashers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, counter and rental clerks, dental laboratory technicians, and security guards. |
Education Required
| Education Required - by frequency of educational attainment This shows you details about the level of education most commonly held by workers in this occupation. How can you begin planning the educational pathway that will prepare you best for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Education |
| Frequency of Attainment: 42.0 (%) | Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) |
| Frequency of Attainment: 34.7 (%) | Level of Education: Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) |
| Frequency of Attainment: 23.4 (%) | Level of Education: Less than a High School Diploma |
Training and Experience Required
| Training and Experience Required - by frequency of training and work experience attainment This section shows you how often different types of training and work experience are required for this occupation. How can you start gaining the kinds of experience and training that are most common for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience |
| Frequency of Attainment: 41.4 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: None |
| Frequency of Attainment: 13.0 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 12.2 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Up to and including 1 month |
| Frequency of Attainment: 11.9 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year |
| Frequency of Attainment: 7.0 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 4.9 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months |
| Frequency of Attainment: 4.9 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 4.9 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 10 years |
Local Salary Information
Select a State (scroll and Select) :
Please select a State to see State and National Salaries
Certifications
| Certifications These are examples of certifications that may be important for this occupation. How can you begin exploring which certifications fit your goals and what steps you would need to take to earn them? |
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ASE Collision Repair or Refinishing Technician
| |
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Master Collision Repair & Refinishing Technician
| |
Job Listings
| Job Listings and Similar Occupational Titles - scroll and click to identify common requirements, keywords, and skills in current job listings |
Related Careers to Consider
Step 4 of 4: Career-Specific Resources
This section contains detailed external resources appropriate to "Automotive Body and Related Repairers". Explore these resources to start learning more. Links are constantly updated, so bookmark this page.
Videos
Here is a listing of videos related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes
Here are resources that allow you to see example resumes for this occupation. It may be helpful to see examples from others who have this type of experience.
Job Description
Here are resources that provide job descriptions, which are vital for resume and interview preparation.
Interviews
There are many great resources that can help guide you through the interview process. These links provide help in preparing and performing an effective interview, specific to this occupation.
Step-by-Step
Here are links to help guide you, step-by-step, to become a(n): Automotive Body and Related Repairers
LinkedIn®
Here are links to various posts and groups from LinkedIn ® that relate to this occupation. Great way to start building professional contacts in the field that might be most appropriate for you.
Developed by Dr. Ralph Jagodka, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus of Business Management at Mt. San Antonio College and author of the Harvard Business Impact article "What to Do When Students Ask You for Career Advice." - Full bio. © 2026 About This Page
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