HEAVY EQUIPMENT MECHANIC

OVERVIEW

• You work a 40 hour week with decent pay.
• You have a medium amount of social contact.
• Their work is very widespread from construction to logging to even military repairs.
• Often specialize in one or two types of work.

WORK ACTIVITIES

• Perform maintenance checks and operate and inspect heavy machinery.
• Repair or replace damaged or worn parts.
• Examine parts for damage using gauges and meters.

HELPFUL HS COURSES

• Auto repair tech.
• Diesel mechanics and repair.
• Introduction to mechanics.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES NEEDED

• Communication: Read and understand work related materials.
• Reason and problem solving: notice when something is wrong or likely to go wrong.
• Work with things: find causes and find a solution for the problem.
• Manage time and things: Mange time of self and others.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Bend, twist and stretch their body.
• Use their hands to handle and control objects.
• Stand for long periods of time.
• Use hands and fingers to hold and assemble big or small objects.
• Make quick precise adjustments to machine controls.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Are often exposed to all body vibrations and hazardous equipment.
• Work outdoors at a site and indoors in the repair shop.
• Stand and lie in awkward positions.
• Climb high to occasionally reach parts of equipment.
• Make sure all details are exact.

PREPERATION

• To work as a heavy equipment mechanic you typically need a high school diploma and complete a longterm, on the job training.
• There are professional technical schools and two year colleges offer complete diesel tech programs.
• Most programs offer a combo of class instruction and hands on practice!

The salary of heavy equipment mechanic in Minnesota is an average 55,680 per year.

WHY THIS CAREER INTERESTS ME

• I lived out in the country til i was 5 years old so I've been helping out my parents grandparents with construction and i was always so fascinated by the size and mechanics of the machinery.