When I graduated high school, I had no idea what to do with my life.
- However, I met an HVAC technician, and I was immediately interested.
I remember that I was always more hands-on in school, and the lecture style of learning didn’t work well for me. I thought that I would want to learn how to fix and install air conditioners and furnaces. As I began to research the HVAC field, I noticed that there are two major routes for getting into the HVAC industry. Some people advocate trade school for HVAC work, and others recommend to jump right into the HVAC work through practical experience. Both of them have there pros and cons. Trade school is definitely more efficient. When I learn the HVAC field in a trade school, I am paying to learn how to do things the right way. They are teaching us the official curriculum for the HVAC industry. I also would have a degree to show employers that I understand how to work on HVAC units. However, practical experiences also have their strengths. When I work directly for a union or employer in the HVAC industry, I am getting practical experience to work in the HVAC industry. Rather than paying a college to teach me to work on HVAC units, I am getting paid to learn. Plus, in a trade job, hands-on work would probably look better on an application for any HVAC company. Unfortunately, this method means that I may miss the official guidelines for the HVAC units. I will probably have to seek the advice of the HVAC companies in our area since they will be the ones that I seek employment from anyways.