💡 Why it matters: Cars and buses carry people to work and school every day, so skilled mechanics who can use modern diagnostic tools are always needed and can earn well with experience.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Millions of cars and buses are on Nigerian roads, so skilled mechanics are always needed.
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦600k – ₦1.6M
- Mid-career
- ₦2M – ₦5M
- Senior
- ₦5M – ₦14M
≈ ₦167k – ₦417k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Diagnose why a car won't start or runs badly
- Service engines, brakes and suspension
- Use computer scanners to read fault codes
- Replace worn parts
- Explain problems and costs honestly to owners
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Hands-on skill
- Problem solving
- Honesty
- Customer care
- Computer diagnostics
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Apprenticeship in a good garage
- NABTEB motor vehicle trade test, then set up your own garage
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Apprenticeship with a garage or dealership
- College course, then work as a trainee technician
🇺🇸 United States
- Entry-level job as a lube or tire technician, learning on the job
- Manufacturer training programmes with dealerships
🇨🇦 Canada
- Registered apprenticeship through your province, ending in the Red Seal exam
- Pre-apprenticeship at a college
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Start tinkering with engines and learn how they work
- 2Do an apprenticeship or technical college course
- 3Learn computer diagnostics and modern car systems
- 4Gain trade certification
- 5Open your own garage or specialise in a brand
⏰ A day in the life
A customer's car is overheating. You connect a diagnostic scanner, test the cooling system and find a faulty thermostat. You replace it, road-test the car and explain to the owner what went wrong.