If You Love Machines, an AI-Proof Job Awaits You

N. Raghuraman, Management Guru

Since childhood, he loved taking apart his toys and putting them back together, although he used to fail at it. Then, during school days, he would tinker with his father’s car and try to fix it. Sometimes he would fix it, but sometimes his father had to pay huge bills for the mechanic.

But it did not make any difference to the father. He let him play with his expensive car. His father, a pilot by profession, believed that only people with a mechanical mindset could defeat AI. The boy grew up and started dreaming of flying machines like his father. But his eyesight was not worth it.

Now this high school kid is training for a second job that will land him an aviation job with a six-figure salary. In the last six years, the demand for this job is more than that of pilot.

In fact, people like his father could not fly these huge machines until they certified their airworthiness. Because while pilots fly the planes, technicians are the legal guardians of their airworthiness. Currently, this 17 year old boy is taking training as Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AME) in a 10 thousand square feet hangar (where planes are repaired) at a regional airport in America.

Believe me, as soon as the training is completed, he will get a job in an airline, where his salary will start from six figures. The aviation industry is happy to have such machine enthusiasts. This is because the industry is facing a shortage of people who maintain the safe and timely flight of planes. More than 40% of aviation mechanics are aging and nearing retirement. Many are on extension after crossing the age of 60.

Aviation traffic is very high in countries like America. Next year, there is an estimated shortage of about 7 thousand certified mechanics in North America alone. This does not include 15 thousand non-certified maintenance staff. Due to this reduction, AME entry level salaries have increased by more than 50% since 2020. This is one of the very few jobs where a signing bonus of up to $75,000 is given upon joining.

Including salary and overtime, the annual package reaches about $1.35 lakh. Still, aviation companies are not able to fill the vacant posts and many big airlines are starting their own training programs. Wondering how his journey began?

It started right after high school. In India and many other countries, the minimum qualification for this is 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (PCM). For this, a four-year degree is not necessary, but you have to do a specialized license-based training program. It is a common misconception that good training is available only abroad.

The reality is that it has a strong training infrastructure in India, which is regulated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). There are many top rated government and private colleges available in India. For this, EASA Part-147 certified schools in Europe or FAA Approved Part-147 schools of America can be seen. Countries like Canada and Germany are major hubs for international students due to their advanced MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facilities.

The complete training and study takes about three years. There are several CETs in India from the second week of May to the second week of June. Many of these students aim to obtain a Category B license (B1 for Mechanical or B2 for Avionics). For this they have to pass several modular exams of DGCA and complete practical hours.

The bottom line is that If you love machines then try to take your career in the direction of AME. This is an AI-proof and high-paying job.

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