Career Explorer Installation and repair
Human edge, growing
Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul mobile mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment, such as cranes, bulldozers, graders, and conveyors, used in construction, logging, and mining.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 99% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +6.7% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on physical dexterity and ethical judgement.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $65,510
- Job growth to 2035
- +6.7%
- Openings a year
- 15,000
- People doing it (2025)
- 180,000
- Usual route in
- High school diploma, then long on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance
- Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools
- Diagnose system or equipment problems
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Repair tools or equipment
- Maintain tools or equipment
- Assemble equipment or components
What the work looks like
- Repair and replace damaged or worn parts.
- Test mechanical products and equipment after repair or assembly to ensure proper performance and compliance with manufacturers' specifications.
- Operate and inspect machines or heavy equipment to diagnose defects.
- Read and understand operating manuals, blueprints, and technical drawings.
- Dismantle and reassemble heavy equipment using hoists and hand tools.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- More of these jobs, as mining companies continue to adopt new machinery and semi-autonomous equipment, increasing demand for mechanics.
Also known as: Equipment Mechanic, Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Heavy Equipment Technician, Mechanic, Construction Equipment Mechanic, Equipment Technician, Field Mechanic, Field Service Technician.
Is this career on your child's list?
Build a free Career Playbook matched to your child, or get a 90-day Action Plan with dated next steps, written for your child by name.
Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.