An entry-level mechanic servicing electromechanical accounting machines — tabulators, sorters, collators, and reproducers. The role centered on preventive maintenance, repair, parts replacement, and keeping accounting installations running through the punch-card era.
Most days tend to involve routine servicing and repair calls — adjusting timing, replacing worn parts, troubleshooting card jams, and performing preventive maintenance on machines at customer sites or in service depots. You'll often work from a service route, carry tools and replacement parts, and document service calls. Mechanical aptitude builds with hands-on time on the equipment.
The variance between employers comes down to scale and specialization — a manufacturer's field service tech (IBM, Burroughs, Remington Rand) services that company's machines on customer sites; an in-house mechanic at a large installation handles a fleet of varied equipment; a third-party service shop services machines across brands. Travel between customer locations is common in field service routes.
People who tend to thrive here are mechanically inclined, comfortable with hands-on repair work, and patient with the diagnostic puzzles that come from worn or misadjusted equipment. The work tends to offer steady demand wherever installed equipment remains in service and a clear path toward senior tech or service supervisor roles. The trade-off is the physical and travel demands, but for those who enjoy mechanical work in a service context, the role offers durable craft.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
An entry-level mechanic servicing electromechanical accounting machines — tabulators, sorters, collators, and reproducers. The role centered on preventive maintenance, repair, parts replacement, and keeping accounting installations running through the punch-card era.
Median pay for a Junior Accounting Machine Mechanic is about $47K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $35K to $70K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Active Listening, Repairing, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, and Troubleshooting.
Most people in this role hold a postsecondary certificate.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 0.9% through 2034, with roughly 73,010 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Accounting Machine Mechanic, Field Service Technician, and Service Technician.
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