Insert your manly hood Into a salad shooter and get It over fast........Stay away from this ...No future Even after 30 years In this.....Worst mistake I every made.

 

Then why exactly did you stay in it so long?

 

its a good trade, only thing is at this point in time contruction is real slow
I think most guys out there are just hanging in there.

if you want to change your job try getting into health care with the baby boomer generation getting older now that is the job market you want to be in not in construction.

do a google search there is way more work in health care and there will be more.
if I was younger and not in my mid 40s I would jump into that.

GOOD LUCK

 

Having a bad day are we?

Actually I love teaching and doing this work.

Made a pretty good living!

 

Having a bad day are we?

He's always pissed off!!

 

Best career change I could have made. I worked for fifteen years in a metal stamping plant, couldn't take it any longer. I started taking HVAC classes at the local junior college at night and on the weekends, while still working at least 40 hour weeks. It was not easy, especially with a wife and two young kids. But looking back at it now, it was definitely worth it. The co. I work for does mostly res. and light comm., one thing I can say is I hope you like people, you're going to meet a lot of them, and always remember THEY are the reason we have our jobs. Treat everyone you meet with respect and you'll do fine . Good luck with your decision.

 

I would have to say that for those who have a job, it is a good trade. I would also have to say that it is not an easy trade to get into. I have been done with my schooling for almost a year and I have not found a job yet. Having said that, I would definitely check the job market in your area before I spent money on any schooling.

Also, don't believe what the schools tell you. I don't know how many times I have heard "Make the right job come to you" or "High skill = high pay". This is complete BS. It is just a sales pitch to get enrollment up. After all, these schools are just businesses that are after your money.

As far as what it takes to get started. Knowing somebody in the trade will do more for you than any school. As a matter of fact, it seems that the only people in my classes that got jobs where those that knew somebody.

Of course your area may be different. The area that I'm from has so many schools handing out HVAC certificates, it kind of makes it useless to have one.

 

I think this sums it up nicely.

I would think twice about it.

Lot of union people out of work in my area... some are losing their homes. I know people that have been out of work since last September (2007). Non-union shops hiring at about half of the union rate (around $17 an hour.. and less).

The classes I have taken, interesting as they may be, have done zero to get me a job. If anything, I have become overqualified in the eyes of a company looking for someone to just work hard on their next project- only to be laid off when it is done.

Only two things have helped. One is being in the right place at the right time. The other is knowing someone.

Faxing a resume to almost 200 employers generated 3 phone calls.

The people I know that are working now either (1) are lucky... (2) know someone... (3) are a fixture at the company they work for... (4) have a set of well used kneepads... or (5) subsidize the company they work for with their own vehicle, gas, tools and cell phone. Ability and knowledge seem to have little bearing on the situation.

Age discrimination is rampant in this industry. Lots of luck working steady over 50- if your body isn't trashed at that point.

After thinking about it twice, I would think yet again... especially if you plan on paying for schooling to make the career change. The school will make money even if you don't.

 

i was in and grew up in the auto trade.

switched about 5 years ago and am not looking back!! best thing i have done thus far in my life

 

I had 10 years in mfg management, then decided to get out. Now i'm a tech in a heating / plumbing company. Low pay for first years, but gets better as u learn. You can' t outsource this trade to china or india). I hate the plumbing w/ a passion, but the hvac stimulates your brain to no end. GO TO SCHOOL! It's the best advice. "Beer can cold" does not work in this field if u want to advance or be sucessfull. U have to understand the chemesrty and phsyics in order to win, not to mention the electrical. THE GOOD NEWS IS: once you are trainned, u can apply the skills to anything mechanical, and fix it yourself. Highly recommended (unless your in my labor market, in that case.... the trade sucks

 

How good of a trade it is to get into depends on what area you live in. And which part of the trade you want to do.
You find techs that have been with the same company for more then 20 years. And their are companies that hire on extra techs during their busy season, and then lay them off as soon as it slows down.

Your are could be a good are for getting into the trade, or a bad area.
If your looking into HVAC as a sure thing, your looking in the wrong area.

 

I can speak for one side of it. Once you start learning about HVAC and the physics of it. The world seems to be a better more interesting place.....since practically everything in the world in one form or another has to do with air, heat, electricity, efficiency, laws of thermal dynamics, money, weather..ect...ect...Dag I would hope you could use the knowledge somewhere..........It would seem those alone would make it seem worth it.


Even cooking.......don't believe me we have a area on the forum just for that. .....might be surprised how much the knowledge helps you out in everything in life...you might find yourself in a bar though talking to someone about why their cold beer doesn't have dew on the side of it. or how to make the water colder to chill it faster...all in good fun.

 

Or doing vacuum experiments to freeze water without putting it in a freezer.

 

See perfect example. (sliding the mason jar ?*sneakily*? behind my back)



.....can't believe sneakily is a word. lol +1 for spell check.



Anyways:
I can firmly say the world would not be where it is today without refrigeration and it will never go away till everyone has a fresh garden in their backyard with livestock they "process" daily for use......or they come out with that thing from star trek that makes food from nothing.


To the OP I don't know if you noticed on the side but take a look through the HVAC career center http://www.mepjobs.com/(S(sumsfy45q5n5ipj3tbferwit))/default.aspx


20 pages of job postings starting @ the beginning of this month till yesterday all over the country.

 

Hvac-r

I have came along way in the field and seen plenty of different aspects of it. I don't regret any of it, because seeing the technical side of it keeps my mind busy. It would be very hard for me to find any other trade that would pay decent, and enjoyable.

In my opinion, many of the negative things people have listed about the trade are due to the poor economy, lack of leadership, outsourcing jobs to illegals and/or other countries.

The world (country) going "down the hole" is a completly separate issue. This is still one of the best industries to be in.

 

Go to school.
Be willing to start at a low paying crap job to build your experience. Apartment maintenance if you have to.
Understand that relocating may be a necessity always around the corner.

 

Screw those maintenance guys get a real job.

 

do you like working in the cold ?

Do you like working when its hotter then H$LL ?

Do you like working in the rain and wind ?

Hope you have no problems with heights or working in tight spaces

Are you good under pressure ?

do you have any problems working long hours for days on end ?

are you good at dealing with people and A$$holes?

Can you handle people backstabbing you without losing it and getting fired ?

If your going union ....... plan on nights going to school while you work during the day.

Can you handle being on call a lot ?


IT GOES ON AND ON.



Its a great trade but depending on where you work or what part of the trade your getting into ............ your going to have to answer to a lot of those questions.

I never thought of hardly any of them when I started out at 18 ....... I was just looking for a job, now its been over 30 years of it.

Knowing what I know know ........ I think its something you should stronly think about.

Ya thats like me looking back and thinking......... Dam I wish I would have tried really learning something in grade school and High school

 

or you could just say, how good are you at crisis managment thats what i tell people i do when they ask my profession

 

Hey Cracker, I hear Real Estate sales is the job to get into down there these days

I wouldnt get into this trade if your over 30. By the time you get good at it, your body cant keep up. The 50 year old walking wounded at my current company are pitiful.

 

what are you talking about? i work with a guy, doing residential work, everyday that is over 60! he has been in this feild all his life! heck somedays he gets around better than i do and i am less than half his age

 

On the plus side- HVAC has always provided a living. I have never had to collect an unemployment check. I was laid off once in twenty-five plus years in the trade and had a new job within a week.

On the minus side- If you are older, you might want to consider a different field. There are physically-demanding aspects to the trade as well as wide variations in outdoor working conditions.

The HVAC business itself has changed a lot since I first started. Unfortunately, it has become less focused upon quality and more upon increasing profit margins through "short-cuts", hidden charges to customers, and an overall emphasis upon sales as opposed to service.

Also, there is a trend toward hiring lower-wage "parts changers" as opposed to truly skilled tradespersons. If there is a call-back, many companies will charge the customer asserting that it was a different problem to the equipment previously serviced. So, the unskilled or semi-skilled tech can find ready employment. No doubt, you've seen the newspaper and Internet ads proclaiming a 30-day course of instruction that allows you to become a "certified" HVAC technician. I've also seen ads from HVAC companies such as "Seeking a Career Change? We Can Help!" Basically, they state that they, too, can have an individual right off the street and into a service van after a few short weeks of training.

I also agree with an earlier post that there really is not much of an opportunity for advancement in this trade. Sure, over the years, I've had individuals in companies "blow smoke up my skirt" by telling me that they were considering me for for future service manager positions that never materialized; in fact, there were never going to be any future positions. It was just a line that various companies used in an attempt to retain their senior technicians (other senior techs were told the same things). I finally told one supervisor, "Look! You don't have to keep telling me this bogus crap. I know and you know that there are not going to be any service manager positions in the next ten to twenty years. I realize that I am much more valuable to you folks out in the field and you have no intention of promoting me. I'm satisfied where I am at, you don't have to lie to me!"

The people that do seem to advance in the trade seem to be the ones who either have relatives or friends in high places or know how to "push all the right buttons" in curry-favoring a position. So many SM's have a pitiful lack of service knowledge and an even greater lack of people and business skills.
It's unreal and you wonder how so many get away with treating both internal and external customers the way they do.

Negatives aside, there does seem a certain degree of stability in working within the trade. It's not like being a factory worker or a mid-level manager in a corporate environment where you can be down-sized and it might take months if not years to find a similar position. In HVAC, there is always a place for an experienced and talented technician.

 

Better than dry-walling

 

How is HVAC as a career change? Depends what the change is from, I guess.

 

HVAC/R....Good or Bad



dec makes some valid points...............

My Father worked for a large gas utility back in the days when they actually performed a service, e.g. no heat, no hot water, etc, etc
Before pagers, cell phones were abundant, I'd wake up to the phone ringing and hearing my Dad cursing and the truck starting.................I'd lay there and think " no way on Earth I'm ever gonna do that job for a living"!!!!
Heh.
Thirty years later...........I'm waking up and starting MY truck!! WTF?? you ask???
Well, I actually like doing this type of work. The positives outweigh the negatives IF you can control your own mind. I like the fact that everyday is different. You can actually know how it's gonna be by looking at the outdoor thermostat when you drag your behind out of bed. You NEVER stop learning new things. I find getting inside the customer's head is far more a chore than doing the actual install or service call.
Biggest problem????? finding good, reliable help. (newbies or Techs)
I can only do about a third of the amount of work I get called for because I never have enough of a labour force behind me. It's sad really............just finished a BAXI wall-hung boiler install after the customer waited 2 years for me to get back. Unbelievable.
I could go on and on here Guyz but I'm sitting in front of a hugh pile of paperwork that I'm supposed to be working on so.......I must go.
Paperwork............that's for another day. lololololol
Take Care,
Roy

 

I wish I could control my mind . . . .

And after that, I'd like to be able to control my wife's mind.

 

mind games

lolololololol..................

I gave up trying to control my Wife's mind.

 

Let me give you an honest tip newbie to newbee. Coming from someone who has worked at multiple HVAC companies. Everything Im telling you here is from empirical knowledge. There is no debate.

What to expect in this field as a newbee.

Insults and degrading treatment as a standard (no biggie). How you react will get you unemployed and blacklisted. Great deal huh.

You will be told (usually screaming hysterically) to do things (ridiculous things) that could maim you for life or kill you or not but they want you to take that chance and if you get messed up (this is a riot) its your fault you idiot.

Actual Example: Pull a fuse out at night in the pouring rain (basically raining sideways) from a live (voltage) rooftop with metal (no rubber) needlenose plyers (insane but my 20 boss didn’t care cause it would have been me not him). “I said aren’t I risking getting fried”. He said (and I quote) “Just do it stop arguing, there is no load so you wont get hurt”. I didn’t do it. I had to be all political and it may still have cost me my job.

Expect everyone you work with (more experienced HVAC people) to slander, backstab, lie and basically try to get you “kicked out” of your job. How you react may allow you to keep it or you may loose it anyway.

Expect many of the people you work with to be premadonas with gynormous egos (very hard to work with). There are a lot of drunks and druggies too (basically like working with a 13 year old, big babys). My last two service managers smoked at work and went the pharmaceutical route also (even worse).

People will try to make it hard for you to learn. The will lie or say its too hard to explain and 6 months later you find out that they were just trying to make you fail and make a hard field to learn even harder. This is standard.

There are good companies I personally have not been at one myself but its not all bad. The field itself is great, constantly learning, rewarding (still highly stressful at times) but it is very interesting in and of itself. Learn as much as you can and it will be more political than you can imagine at your level. If you get with a good company hold on and never leave.

Good luck bro.

 

Yeah, it's 2 years old.

Not really limited to just newbies only, though.

Carry on.

 

HVAC career,when you are starting out you will get mistreated and lied to,your more exp workers are fearful for their job and they will likely not want to show you anything. On the otherhand some of your more exp workers will fill your head with too much info.And bend over backwards to help you.

The company i work for we are a full service mechanical,plumbing,electrical
and the electrical & plumbing are struggling while the commercial/industrial
a/c dept is very busy. If you want a busy career stay with A/C Service.

After 27 years i still love what I do everyday,regardless what everybody complains about. We make more than a lot of college grads make.

Good luck with your choice.

 

Lots of good insight on the HVAC world already, but you might also want to look at our new 'microsite' - it's called Start your MEP Career!, and you can find it at http://start.mepjobs.com It has lots of background info on the HVAC (& electrical and plumbing) field, plus resource articles, company profiles, etc.

Hope you find it useful-

Jeff
MEP Jobs

 

Hi,

I agreed with you. Any way, your points of view make me thinking about some thing for my project.

Pls try to keep posting. Tks and best regards

 

Its a 2 year old thread. And he only ever made 1 post.

Probably a little late now to tell him to keep posting.