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Maintenance and Repair Workers, General vs Mechanical Door Repairers: what changes?

Consider Maintenance and Repair Workers, General if you want to perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of a building in repair. Consider Mechanical Door Repairers if you would rather install, service, or repair automatic door mechanisms and hydraulic doors. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General and Mechanical Door Repairers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

National median pay (2025)
$49,590
Route into the job
High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate
Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
148,700
Know before you choose

Hands-on manipulation of tools, controls, or objects occupies a meaningful part of the workday.

See the full Maintenance and Repair Workers, General brief

Mechanical Door Repairers

National median pay (2025)
$55,720
Route into the job
High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate
Wind large springs with upward motion of arm.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
2,100
Know before you choose

Operating or riding in vehicles is a recurring part of the work rather than an occasional trip.

See the full Mechanical Door Repairers brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General has the edge on annual openings

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General is at 148,700 annual openings, compared with 2,100 annual openings for Mechanical Door Repairers.

2

Typical preparation differs.

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Mechanical Door Repairers: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

3

Mechanical Door Repairers has the edge on projected growth

Mechanical Door Repairers is at 6.4% projected growth, compared with 4.2% projected growth for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General.

4

Mechanical Door Repairers has the edge on median pay

Mechanical Door Repairers is at $55,720, compared with $49,590 for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General.

61.7/ 100

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

vs
54.5/ 100

Mechanical Door Repairers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General vs Mechanical Door Repairers

DimensionMaintenance and Repair Workers, GeneralMechanical Door Repairers
Median pay (2025)$49,590$55,720
Pay percentile31 percentile40.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)4.2%6.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)148,7002,100
2025 employment1,621,80028,400
How you qualifyHigh school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensingHigh school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 3Job Zone 2
Related work experienceNo prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job trainingMore than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.