An article in The Princeton Review makes a profound statement about what you should expect when bringing your car, truck or SUV into an auto repair technician: “The days of uneducated grease monkeys are over.”

As the article explains, extensive vocational training is required if an auto repair technician has any hope of keeping up with constantly advancing technology. You don’t really have to spend a lot of time under the hood of cars, trucks or SUVs to understand this. Just think about the advances in automobiles over the last couple of decades.

Cars, trucks, and SUVs today come with a myriad of accessories, including:

• Heads-up displays
• Bluetooth and Smartphone connectivity and functions
• Heated seats
• Power adjustable seats with lumbar support
• Dash cams
• Foot-operated tailgates
• Forward-collision warning
• Backup camera
• Blind-spot monitoring
• 360-degree surround-view systems
• Dual-zone climate control
• Keyless entry
• Lane-keeping assist

All these new features add more than comfort and convenience; they also add to the knowledge curve for those working on your car, truck or SUV. But, that curve doesn’t stop there.

Think about all the computerized systems in a car today. Without all their computers, a vehicle today wouldn’t even run. And, if all those computer systems aren’t set properly, your car, truck or SUV won’t run properly and may leave you stranded somewhere.

While auto repair technicians need to stay abreast of all the changes with new vehicles rolling off the assembly lines, they also need to know how to work on those older vehicles that are still on the road.

The point is that ongoing training is essential for a qualified auto repair technician. Lawyers practice law. Auto repair technicians don’t practice. They fix and maintain cars, trucks, and SUVs. But, they need to constantly update their education.