An auto machinist is a trained professional who repairs, builds, and maintains vehicles that are powered by internal combustion engines or other power sources. He or she may work with specific machines and tools to create necessary parts or alter existing parts needed for proper function of an automobile or other piece of machinery, and the auto machinist is likely to build or repair various types of engines. He or she will usually hold at least a high school diploma, and some post-secondary training in the form of a degree or certificate is almost always necessary.
Basic mathematics skills are a requirement for a position as an auto machinist, as well as basic communication skills. The rest of the necessary skills to become an auto machinist can be learned on the job or through job training; the machinist will learn how to operate machinery that can be used to create precision parts for engines or other automobile components, and he or she will also learn the layouts of engines and vehicles he or she is likely to work on as an auto machinist. Basics of combustion and other scientific properties found in automobiles will be taught as well.
Sometimes a machinists union will exist in a particular region, and a person interested in becoming an auto machinist can join this union so he or she can take part in an apprenticeship program. Such a program will allow the candidate to take part in classroom lessons that teach basic skills as well as on the job training that will give the apprentice real experience working as an auto machinist. An apprenticeship can last several years, during which time the apprentice will generally make less money than a full machinist. Once the apprenticeship ends and the apprentice has passed all required examinations, he or she can become a full machinist.
Job opportunities for this type of machinist can vary. A machinist may be employed by a private business owner in need of a person who can maintain existing automobiles or equipment; a construction company, for example, may hire a machinist to maintain heavy machinery. Automobile manufacturing plants are likely to hire a number of machinists to participate in and even oversee the production of parts for engines and other car components. An automotive garage may hire a machinist to work on vehicles being serviced on a daily basis in a particular locale or region.
