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At the end of your Motorcycle Service Technician course at Pickens Technical College, you’ll have the chance to earn your Motorcycle Service Technology-Basic and Expanded Certificates. By completing the course and the test, you’ll be certified to work as a motorcycle or power sports technician. But there’s a catch. Since many certifications are given by motorcycle manufacturers themselves and are focused on their makes and models, you might have to re-certify yourself in specific motorcycle manufacturers’ parts and services.

Now, because you’ll be entering the workforce with a certificate and a record of your passage of Tom Laing’s class, you won’t have much trouble finding a job in the industry. Automobile mechanics are in high demand, and those who can work on personal watercraft, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, and motorcycles will be even more in-demand for the foreseeable future. Obviously, after one semester at Pickens, you’ll have a Basic Technician Certificate, which will get you in the door of many places of employment. If you stick around for the second semester, you’ll earn the even more impressive Advanced Technician Certificate. Your classroom and practice hours required in the course make these certifications possible.

How to Make Yourself Stand Out Even More

Let’s go above and beyond the Pickens workshop. If you’re applying for a job at a retailer selling a specific type of motorcycle, say a Harley-Davidson dealer, you’ll need to be familiar with their parts, systems, and repairs. Your certification shows you know your way around a motorcycle, but the employer may want you to prove you know their parts and processes inside and out and may require additional testing. Certifying yourself in multiple individual manufacturer’s systems will give you a wider range of prospects after you graduate from Pickens.

If you know you’ll be applying to a dealership or retailer focused on one type of power sports vehicle, it wouldn’t hurt to call them up and ask about their hiring process. At the very least, you’ll appear eager to learn and ready to do what it takes to join their team. Employers love this.

Continuing education is crucial in this field. Certifications show exactly what you know and are skilled in. That’s why employers love certifications. While the power sports industry isn’t as certification-happy as, say, the medical field, it still doesn’t hurt to explore cutting-edge technologies and new ways of diagnosing and repairing motorcycles and other recreational vehicles.

Lifelong Learning

Certification is one thing, but what will truly lead to your success as a motorcycle mechanic will be your dedication to continuing education and lifelong learning. Don’t be afraid to explore new technology in the field and learn how new devices and tools are affecting your industry. You don’t have to be a market analyst or a motorcycle manufacturing sector journalist, but knowing the general trends in the industry and potentially disruptive technology being developed will only make you more attractive to employers and will make you a better mechanic, capable of delighting customers.