Career
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
Lead the mechanics and technicians who fix things.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Inspect, test, and measure completed work, using devices such as hand tools or gauges to verify conformance to standards or repair requirements.
- Inspect and monitor work areas, examine tools and equipment, and provide employee safety training to prevent, detect, and correct unsafe conditions or violations of procedures and safety rules.
- Interpret specifications, blueprints, or job orders to construct templates and lay out reference points for workers.
- Monitor employees' work levels and review work performance.
- Perform skilled repair or maintenance operations, using equipment such as hand or power tools, hydraulic presses or shears, or welding equipment.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Inspect, test, and measure completed work, using devices such as hand tools or gauges to verify conformance to standards or repair requirements.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Monitoring, Management of Personnel Resources, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $79,860 a year and 48,900 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Business AdministrationSee the degree →
- Electrical and Power Transmission Installation/Installer, GeneralCIP 46.0301
- LineworkerCIP 46.0303
- Mechanics and Repairers, GeneralCIP 47.0000
- Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technology/Technician, GeneralCIP 47.0600
- High Performance and Custom Engine Technician/MechanicCIP 47.0617
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,450 · +1.8%
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$79,920 · +5.0%
- First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand
- First-Line Supervisors of Passenger Attendants
- First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.