Do you have the type of mind that’s always curious about how things work?

Were you always taking things apart and putting them together again? Maybe at an early age you were the one everyone asked to fix things when they were broken. Curiosity can be rewarded with more than knowledge.

It’s good to have a craft that you can take anywhere, one that’s needed in every local area. If you decide to become your own boss, consider these 10 small businesses for mechanically gifted people.

10. Avionics

Why not let your career take flight? If you’re driven and ambitious, you can gain mastery of planes, jets, and copters. Eventually you’ll come to understand that even the sky is no limit.

9. Locksmith

Locks are constantly breaking or needing installation. People move, doors and gates are replaced. People decide they want that much more security. You may have to be on call for lockouts in the middle of the night. The upside is that you are not stuck in one place of business all day. You also get to buy all kinds of gadgets, locksets and keymaking equipment.

8. Elevator maintenance and repair

Most buildings’ elevators have to get it inspected at least once a year. Who is the management going to need to pass the test, or if one fails? You will need to learn, and be happy working on-site. It may not be for the timid, but lives will depend on your skills.

7. Construction equipment

All construction work requires heavy machinery and the people to keep it running smoothly. You might not be the operator, but travel from site-to-site seeing to the machinery. Starting there you might branch out to mining and other heavy industries.

6. Boating and shipping

If you’re near the water you might get into all things nautical. There are pleasure craft for resorts, fishing boats and other vessels for work, and even great ships that travel the world. All of these need continual upkeep, fixes and occasional overhauls. In almost any industry you can go from small- to large-scale opportunities.

5. Customizing and upgrading vehicles

If repairing cars, trucks and motorcycles may not be your first choice, you might consider other auto services, like detailing, customizing with after-market parts, or stereo installation. You’ll likely want to be in a larger market to generate enough customers. You might consider providing your services to an existing shop as an independent. That way it can offer more services and you save on setting up your own location.

4. Electrician

Most mechanical devices invented in the past century have to interact with the grid. If you can take the time to skill up, read diagrams, and employ some mathematics, this may be the hands-on field of your dreams.

3. Plumbing

Having a skillset needed in all new construction and in constant emergencies, plumbers ply their hydraulic engineering trades in any place you can imagine. You’ll always be sought after. It may take some time before you can go out on your own, so be ready for years of practice on the job.

2. Heating and cooling

From homes to office towers, every locale needs heating and cooling technicians. You will need pro training and certification, but it’s a business that’s can’t be offshored or taken over by robots, at least not yet!

1. Auto mechanic

If you love and know everything about cars, this may be your line of work. Many people start as unofficial weekend repair people for friends and family, but you’ll want to get as much training in as you can from the pros who’ve come before you start a shop of your own. You can become the trusted go-to person for people in town, and there’s a lot of growth possible.

by Catalogs.com Info Guru Roger DeGennaro