Why Women Should Consider a Career in the Automotive Industry
There are almost 75,000,000 women in the civilian labor force in the United States. A little less than 50% of US workers are women. It was difficult to find a statistic of a percentage of women in the skilled labor force, but it appears to be around 5%. Less than 1% work in the automotive industry.
We live in a culture that has focused on pushing our students toward college and professional careers. We have done such an excellent job of that, in fact, that we are heading into a blue-collar crisis. We have already started. In the world of automotive, it is incredibly challenging to find skilled workers.
The auto repair shops that struggle to find qualified auto mechanics know this is happening, The rest of the country is barely beginning to recognize what this is going to mean for the rest of us — considering the high likelihood of your high school experience including references to sure students not being academically smart enough who were then sent to auto shop classes. It’s still happening, and it’s a big problem on many levels. First of all, let’s stop diminishing the intellectual abilities of folks who are mechanically inclined!
Consider this, working on a car requires significant intellectual abilities. When is the last time you tried to figure out something on your car that was more complicated than checking your oil? What you find under the hood of your car is a series of electronics, computers, and crazy technology. No one who is short on intellectual abilities makes for a good auto repair technician. Period.
America is slowly waking up to the realization that we are heading into a significant skilled-trade-jobs shortage. Who is going to fix your plumbing? What about installing new siding to your house? Then there’s your car… How are you going to find a qualified auto mechanic to effectively and efficiently diagnose and then fix what is going on with your ever-more-complicated vehicle?
In our schools, we are beginning to see more of a push for STEM learning for our girls. We have just barely started to see the rise in even acknowledging that our girls have skills and abilities in ways that we never encouraged before.
The reasons that this is the time for girls to rise and take their place next to their brothers under the hood of a car:
You have what it takes!
The industry is in dire need of excellent auto mechanics, service advisors, and more.
You are just as smart and capable as any man when it comes to computer skills, diagnostics, and developing high levels of skilled craftsmanship in the automotive world.
Just like in World War II, our women were called out from their homes to work in manufacturing jobs and plenty of other types of work that had been reserved for men. The difference is, the men won’t be returning to take these jobs away. The job is yours for good!
There is a lot less cost associated with attaining a tech degree then there is in obtaining a college education.
There is excellent earning potential in the automotive industry! You are more likely to earn six figures within a matter of years, as opposed to never if you get a degree in areas like social work, teaching, etc.
The time is now! Take advantage of it and follow your dreams. You’ve got this girl! Feel free to reach out to the team at Dick’s Automotive to ask questions about the industry. If you are already a trained tech, consider applying with us! We are conveniently located at 1550 Tollhouse Road in Clovis, CA. 93611. We’d love to meet ya!
