Gas stations are necessary to ensure that cars can stay on the road. They will be where people fill up their cars. Sometimes these facilities have on-site car washes or convenience stores to pick up necessary items while out on the road. This might be one of the most important industries that help us keep up with our daily life.

This industry provides for hundreds of thousands of employment opportunities. Generally, most positions here do not require any special education. Most of the time you need to be 18 or older to be employed in this type of industry due to the nature of this field, and this is really the only restrictions in this type of industry.

Gas stations are open early and close late, some being open 24 hours. This means that an industry like this offers a lot of flexibility in the hours available for employees to work. There is a need for customer service skills for this job. Most of their training for these positions only really require on the job training.

In most stations, there is a small variety of jobs but they require different skills to obtain the positions. This can be as a result that many gas stations have a convenience store as a part of their facility.

Job Opportunities

These are some of the employment opportunities you can find in an industry like this:

Station Attendant: For this position, no education level is required. Having a skill in customer service can be beneficial to do this job well, and there is a need to have a general knowledge about cars. These are the people who pump gas for you at a full service station, or that assists in pumping gas at a self-serve station for disabled or elderly people. They also will check the oil in a car to see if it needs to be topped off or completely refilled. While the fuel is pumping, they will also clean your windshield for you. They might also put in windshield fluid for you if you need it. They can also take care of some general fixes needed to a car, like windshield wipers or fuses. Sometimes attendants can assist with ensuring your battery is charged and check your tire pressure for you. When the fuel is done pumping, they will bring in the payment to the cashier for the customer. The average yearly salary is around $21,000.

Cashier: The cashiers are located in the central building within or next to the gas pump area, or in a separate building beside the gas pumps. They are responsible for receiving payments from items in the convenience store (or nook, as some are very small buildings) and from the gas pumps. They must monitor the pumps and see how much is owed on each pump. They also have cameras that they watch that monitor the pumps to ensure that people who need help receive it and to ensure that people are following the rules of the station. They can communicate with the customers via a microphone/speaker system to see if they need assistance or to inform them of a rule that is not being followed. For people paying cash for their fuel, they must receive payment first, and then unlock the pump manually for customers. They are in charge of helping maintain the store and clean up as necessary. This position pays around $9-$10 an hour.

Manager: Managers are primarily responsible for the employees. They are in charge of hiring and firing employees. They will also have to properly train their employees so they can do their job efficiently and successfully. Managers will usually fill in for employees that are unable to make it in. They make the schedules and keep their employees up to date with company policies and safety procedures. In some cases, they are in charge of ensuring the paychecks are set for the employees. To be a manager, no education level is required. Managers generally work their way up the ladder by proving an excellence in their field. Managers make about $32,000 a year.

Job Outlook

The job growth in this industry will be at about the national average, which is 11%. This industry has a particularly high turnover rate, as many employees move onto other careers. This means that there are usually openings for this industry. You will also find that this growth will come about as the industry expands because of supply and demand.