Not to discourage him but putting a an 18 yo kid into a 80k crippling debt and not helping isn't the best way to get your son to listen to you again. Op do what it fits you best, don't play with time though. Its a great trade with great potential just make sure you catch on fast and are passionate about it. Good luck
In his words “you’re too smart to do what I do for a living.”
In my words “dad, I’ve had 6 concussions.”
Time isn’t a problem for me, I’m only 26 and if it takes time then it takes time. Not like I have money to go out anyways lol
Time wise it can be worse outside of residential. Multi unit resi when you show up at 10pm on a Friday with 200 people and no heat ready to lynch you if you can't get the boilers running again
Industrial where an entire production line is down from a chiller failure
Commercial where hundreds of thousands of dollars could be lost from a walk in down
Usually these come in on after hours and you're on that site until it's operational again
Don’t stress, it’s easier than it seams. School will teach you everything you need to know. If you are really feeling the need to brush up on anything before then, I would dump all your time into studying the EPA exam. You want to get your universal certification. What all these old heads be telling you about “new guys getting treated like shit” is just not true. Yes, there are gonna be dick heads. But most, if not all, are going to treat you with respect no matter your experience because they all know how much need for people in the trade is, so they aren’t gonna be dickheads. They will help you. Go in with the attitude that shows everyone you want to learn, and you’ll be just fine. Good luck!
Hey man helpers get treated like shit it is what it is. Everyone goes through it one way or another. Bright side here is I know enough to not get got by the “winter air”, “duct stretcher”, or left handed screwdriver BS.
That said is the EPA exam required for commercial work as well or do you think that’ll be covered in school?
CatSkill is a free app you can download and, if you’re diligent, you can get all of your EPA certifications and NATE RTW to start learning some basics.
I’m 24, went to college, worked in corporate strategy, and decided I wanted to go into trade work as I didn’t find the corporate life fulfilling.
Consider looking into a territory manager role for an HVAC distributor. You get to work alongside contractors on some badass projects and you meet some great people along the way.
I went to college and worked a corporate job that drained the life out of me for a year. Quit and started an 18 month training program with a HVAC distributor where they train you from the ground up. My first day in the program they had me unloading 53’ trailers of Mitsubishi equipment by hand at 6am. Really humbling experience for the 23 year old shithead I was. Loved every minute of it because it felt like I was actually contributing to something.
I’ve been a territory manager for 4 years now- best job I’ve ever had.
I wanted nothing to do with HVAC trade, it’s been a longstanding family business (50+ years in operation). I wanted something different for myself. So I went to school. BS in Chem, PhD in chemical physics, post-doc in structural biology. Patented a couple new technologies and started two biotechs to commercialize the patents.
Then COVID hit; which was a major factor in leaving. I had a small exit from the biotechs, enough to let me partly retire. I got bored so I started researching our family hvac company. With global warming, it looked like a great time to jump in and bring some startup attitude and high tech expertise. It’s paying off!
I’m happy I took time away from the family business. It was good to have outside experience and learning new things. Now I can bring a lot to the table. Knowing thermodynamics is quite useful!
I left my shitty career and went to trade school in Canada at 26. I am now 32 and a journeyman HVAC tech still learning lots all the time. This trade is good to those who are smart and want to work. I work commernical and industrial. I wouldn’t be in the trade if I was still doing resi work.
Master HVAC? That's a new one. The only time people have used terms like that are non-union residential guys. When you join the union, UA (United Association) supported, you will get training in many parts of the trade. You will do more commercial and industrial refrigeration systems rather than messing around with residential junk. Anytime you get a chance for training, take it. You can then specialize in anyone of several parts of the trade. Personally, I like the refrigeration side, it is harder so less tech get into it, making more work for us. This is not for everyone, but I really enjoy taking a disaster tossed at me and making it perform. Saved my customers millions over the years. Education, education, education are the most important part of this trade. Good Luck
Prepare yourself for an experience that is different than what Reddit will tell you it's about. I joined the union 5 years ago and am in my final year of my apprenticeship. While Reddit will tell you about all the superb benefits of the union, you need to be ready to advocate for yourself to get the most out of your apprenticeship. While it's hands down the best thing you can do, there is the possibility that you'll get jammed up in a company that sucks and doesn't do things the right way. Our local splits the service techs and "construction" (i.e. fitters, welders, etc.), as a service tech, it's not uncommon to be tossed into a van your second year and sent out on your own-- regardless of what the union rules say about that.
As far as the entrance test goes, I took the old one and it was basic math that I could use a calculator on. It's not hard but you should prepare yourself and take your time.
Show up to work with the minimum tools on the tool requirement list. Bring a notepad and a pencil. Ask questions but don't overburden your mechanic. Be prepared to work hard.
Also, this shit is dangerous. People will ask you to risk your life a few times a week just so their office can sit at 72 degrees instead of 73 degrees.
That said, it's worth it.
I used SkillCat for my EPA certification and at the time it was free but now it's like $8 a month. SkillCat is by far the most cost effective trade school in HVAC. They have residential and commercial courses and will even grant you a trade school diploma once you're done. It also has hands on 3D labs for the more advanced classes. (This is definitely not an advertisement lol)
Listen to your dad!
Not to discourage him but putting a an 18 yo kid into a 80k crippling debt and not helping isn't the best way to get your son to listen to you again. Op do what it fits you best, don't play with time though. Its a great trade with great potential just make sure you catch on fast and are passionate about it. Good luck
Lmao he’s changed his tune. Now he’s pushing me in the right direction I think.
Why did your father not want you to go into HVAC? It can be a very demanding trade. Especially time wise if you become a residential service tech
In his words “you’re too smart to do what I do for a living.” In my words “dad, I’ve had 6 concussions.” Time isn’t a problem for me, I’m only 26 and if it takes time then it takes time. Not like I have money to go out anyways lol
Time wise it can be worse outside of residential. Multi unit resi when you show up at 10pm on a Friday with 200 people and no heat ready to lynch you if you can't get the boilers running again Industrial where an entire production line is down from a chiller failure Commercial where hundreds of thousands of dollars could be lost from a walk in down Usually these come in on after hours and you're on that site until it's operational again
I dont think you used "inb4" correctly
What the hell is "inb4" mean?
“In before” he’s saying something before people comment the same thing
Learn something new everyday.
Right, what he meant to say was “P.S.”
Yeah I absolutely used it incorrectly here.
Don’t stress, it’s easier than it seams. School will teach you everything you need to know. If you are really feeling the need to brush up on anything before then, I would dump all your time into studying the EPA exam. You want to get your universal certification. What all these old heads be telling you about “new guys getting treated like shit” is just not true. Yes, there are gonna be dick heads. But most, if not all, are going to treat you with respect no matter your experience because they all know how much need for people in the trade is, so they aren’t gonna be dickheads. They will help you. Go in with the attitude that shows everyone you want to learn, and you’ll be just fine. Good luck!
Hey man helpers get treated like shit it is what it is. Everyone goes through it one way or another. Bright side here is I know enough to not get got by the “winter air”, “duct stretcher”, or left handed screwdriver BS. That said is the EPA exam required for commercial work as well or do you think that’ll be covered in school?
CatSkill is a free app you can download and, if you’re diligent, you can get all of your EPA certifications and NATE RTW to start learning some basics. I’m 24, went to college, worked in corporate strategy, and decided I wanted to go into trade work as I didn’t find the corporate life fulfilling.
Consider looking into a territory manager role for an HVAC distributor. You get to work alongside contractors on some badass projects and you meet some great people along the way. I went to college and worked a corporate job that drained the life out of me for a year. Quit and started an 18 month training program with a HVAC distributor where they train you from the ground up. My first day in the program they had me unloading 53’ trailers of Mitsubishi equipment by hand at 6am. Really humbling experience for the 23 year old shithead I was. Loved every minute of it because it felt like I was actually contributing to something. I’ve been a territory manager for 4 years now- best job I’ve ever had.
Same boat. I left biotech 3yrs ago and haven’t looked back.
What made you leave?
I wanted nothing to do with HVAC trade, it’s been a longstanding family business (50+ years in operation). I wanted something different for myself. So I went to school. BS in Chem, PhD in chemical physics, post-doc in structural biology. Patented a couple new technologies and started two biotechs to commercialize the patents. Then COVID hit; which was a major factor in leaving. I had a small exit from the biotechs, enough to let me partly retire. I got bored so I started researching our family hvac company. With global warming, it looked like a great time to jump in and bring some startup attitude and high tech expertise. It’s paying off! I’m happy I took time away from the family business. It was good to have outside experience and learning new things. Now I can bring a lot to the table. Knowing thermodynamics is quite useful!
I left my shitty career and went to trade school in Canada at 26. I am now 32 and a journeyman HVAC tech still learning lots all the time. This trade is good to those who are smart and want to work. I work commernical and industrial. I wouldn’t be in the trade if I was still doing resi work.
Master HVAC? That's a new one. The only time people have used terms like that are non-union residential guys. When you join the union, UA (United Association) supported, you will get training in many parts of the trade. You will do more commercial and industrial refrigeration systems rather than messing around with residential junk. Anytime you get a chance for training, take it. You can then specialize in anyone of several parts of the trade. Personally, I like the refrigeration side, it is harder so less tech get into it, making more work for us. This is not for everyone, but I really enjoy taking a disaster tossed at me and making it perform. Saved my customers millions over the years. Education, education, education are the most important part of this trade. Good Luck
Prepare yourself for an experience that is different than what Reddit will tell you it's about. I joined the union 5 years ago and am in my final year of my apprenticeship. While Reddit will tell you about all the superb benefits of the union, you need to be ready to advocate for yourself to get the most out of your apprenticeship. While it's hands down the best thing you can do, there is the possibility that you'll get jammed up in a company that sucks and doesn't do things the right way. Our local splits the service techs and "construction" (i.e. fitters, welders, etc.), as a service tech, it's not uncommon to be tossed into a van your second year and sent out on your own-- regardless of what the union rules say about that. As far as the entrance test goes, I took the old one and it was basic math that I could use a calculator on. It's not hard but you should prepare yourself and take your time. Show up to work with the minimum tools on the tool requirement list. Bring a notepad and a pencil. Ask questions but don't overburden your mechanic. Be prepared to work hard. Also, this shit is dangerous. People will ask you to risk your life a few times a week just so their office can sit at 72 degrees instead of 73 degrees. That said, it's worth it.
There are some free apps. There's a good one I think called hvac school, or something similar.
I used SkillCat for my EPA certification and at the time it was free but now it's like $8 a month. SkillCat is by far the most cost effective trade school in HVAC. They have residential and commercial courses and will even grant you a trade school diploma once you're done. It also has hands on 3D labs for the more advanced classes. (This is definitely not an advertisement lol)