Did you complete an HVAC program?

Question

I'm looking to get into a skilled trade with decent pay and good job security. Was it hard for you to find a job after you completed the HVAC program? Was it really difficult to do?

Answer 1

Yes, I took an HVAC course. Unfortunately, no job ever came of it. That may have been because the industry was in the process of switching away from the environmentally dangerous freons.

As for the difficulty, you have to have a grasp of physics, mechanics, electricity, a little bit of chemistry, and even meteorology. The few AC systems I worked on were usually broken due to dirt and grime, and/or small leaks brought on by vibration.

A good HVAC person has to have a "feel" or "knack" for the work.

I also think there is a certification procedure before you can legally repair AC systems these days.

Answer 2

I was a subway Mechanic thus HVAC was one disipline I had to master, along with electronics, electrical phneumatics, hydralics etc. Principles are simple but I suggest you get all the education you can handle. Prior planning prevents poor performance.

Answer 3

yes i did i spent 4 and a half years in sheet metal workers local #15, the union wasnt the way to go for me, i went to work outside of the union for 13 years and there is no job security i graduated best in my class, i went back to further my trade skills and got certified in welding for grease duct, i ran 100 million dollar condo jobs, with duct large enough to drive a van through , I was foreman for hundreds of projects, in charge of 50 men at a time married to these huge projects, blueprints by the truckloads,i was shop foreman for one of the biggest shops in daytona beach fl, the pay never reached over 40 thousand per year, they started hiring minority workers that would work for half of the money that a skilled tradesman demanded, thats what i have done most of my life, so alot of people that i know are still doing it, and they say that its getting so bad that most of them are looking for jobs elsewhere, the spanish speaking workers are used to living on less money than we are, skilled or not, so the employers are yielding higher profits by hiring them,thus running us out of the construction industry, and its common sense why pay this guy 45 to 50 k per year when he can get 2 or 3 for the same money, this isnt me being racial by no means just stating the facts, i think that industry was a very good job for me, but a man cant make any money doing that now,i couldnt support my family anymore after no raises in 5 years inflation killed it,yet the companies have a line at the door willing to work for money that i made 11 years ago, i chose a welding job,fabricating 5 axis machines and when i walked through the door i make twice as much as working in that field,blue collar work is getting sold to the lowest bidder, so get an education you cant compete and i urge you to make a good future for yourself and steer clear from these trade jobs,,, good luck been there done that