is trade school better or college

[TRUETOTHEGAME]

I went to apex in manhattan for about seven months. At times I feel as that if I would have went to college I would do better.
On the other hand it was all the time I could afford to lose with a income. Do you guys feel like experince will catch up to me at some point before twenty years pass.
Or that's the bad part about trade schools. At times I wounder should I just do it.

[jpsmith1cm]

It is up to you.

You have taken the first step by joining a website like this one.

Read and learn. Many references are available both in print and online to speed your education.

Ask question. Even stupid ones. You might need a thick skin if you ask a particularly simple question, but you've already seen that, I think.

[Phase Loss]

no matter where you learn your basics at, you will only learn the basics. No school in the world has all of the equipment that you will run into out in the field while you are working.

My opinion is, go to school, learn the basics, get your EPA or what ever else you need to be employed...get a job and the real schooling will begin.

[DavyB]

I wouldn't worry about your education as long as you have the fundamentals, you should be alright. I suppose everyone learns differently, but for me, hands-on is definitely more important. I had to mis-wire controls and blow fuses and have refer leaks and scrape rust off of ancient blower wheels to learn how to fix stuff properly. My 8 months in Air Force HVAC/R tech school is a blur (one week on boilers, 2 weeks on pneumatic controls??) much like high school and college.

IMHO as long as you are working and care about what you are doing, you will be a successful tech.

[bigboik]

I went to apex in manhattan for about seven months. At times I feel as that if I would have went to college I would do better.
On the other hand it was all the time I could afford to lose with a income. Do you guys feel like experince will catch up to me at some point before twenty years pass.
Or that's the bad part about trade schools. At times I wounder should I just do it.
Hey I went a trade school for 10 months, the first day they said its up to you have much you get out of this. So I stay in my book and ask alot of questions. I think if you do this you'll feel better about skills. Just don't stop learning.

[HVAC Teacher]

These guys are right on. It's up to you to apply it. Whatever your plans are, teachers can only do so much in the classroom or lab. I give tours of our facility and explain the programs: Assoc. degree, technical diploma, steamfitter & fefrigeration apprenticeships. I teach at a technical college & my two biggest challenges are staying current with the ever changing techknolegies & getting the students to apply themselves. There are so many avenues of this trade to get into! I stay on this site to stay current & work in the field during summer break. My background is comercial & industrial HVAC. One thing I've learned in the 28 years is that you will never know it all!

[servpro]

People ask me where I went to school to learn the trade and my answer is the 'School of Blown Fuse'. I worked a couple of years in the trade and then started going to trade schools and factory training classes. Nothing beats experience but as much supplementing you can do, the better. Simple answer: Stay in school, but keep learning no matter what.

[refer guy]

it freaking annoys me every time some punk says that he went to a trade school and did not learn much, but yet he has a damn job in this field. Trade school or college does not teach you everything, instead you get the basics and the required license such as EPA. if you went to trade school and you can point out a compressor, evaporator, condenser, motor, then you did good in school.

[spyder00087]

College and trade schools are helpful. They do more than just tell you what a comp. looks like.

[-frozen-ocean-]

college or trade schools are starting points. those instructors are there to instruct. bottom line it is up to you to grow in this industry. If you enjoy this trade and enjoy going to work ever day the sky is the limit.

Someone who can take pride in there work and someone who at the end of the day who still doesn't get what he was working on and then goes home to research on his own to find the problem those people are the ones who will succeed in this trade bottom line. all others will just keep us busy.........

[jricer2001]

I went to tech school and I just took hvac/r and concentrated on the /r in and out in 1 yr and wholly the things i didnt know, and the things that i knew but didnt know how to apply. AS LONG AS YOU TRY TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY YOULL PROBBLY BE JUST FINE. and most likeley better off than a lot of guys youll meet. It doesnt matter where you learned it as long as you know it.

[orthnell]

i need good school in nyc to get my license need sum help

[jgarcia]

I think you will never learn this trade in school but a college degree can open some opportunities to some good jobs that without a degree you will not be able to apply. So I you can, go to collage. If going to collage now is not an option then get experiance, start making some money and go to collage later in your career.

[nesc522]

If you got the code and lab hrs needed to get licensed from your school, then your doing just fine. I have seen a few guys lately go for licenses and find they need more code hrs, not good.

[invisiblecollar]

I took ten months of refrigeration pre employment in college. It was the best thing I could have done.
I was the first person from pre employment my boss hired and he was pretty amazed at what I knew. I could recover refrigerant, leak check, pull a vacuum, and do sone basic troubleshooting.
The other guys he hired around the same time as me who didn't take pre employment were way behind me... And still are.

[jricer2001]

I took ten months of refrigeration pre employment in college. It was the best thing I could have done.
I was the first person from pre employment my boss hired and he was pretty amazed at what I knew. I could recover refrigerant, leak check, pull a vacuum, and do sone basic troubleshooting.
The other guys he hired around the same time as me who didn't take pre employment were way behind me... And still are.

you are preachin to the choir. would you do a heart transplant then down the road go to med school??? no. learn the trade FIRST then get a job in the field and sharpen youre skills. my first employer wouldnt even look at me until I was 3 weeks from grad. by the time i was out I was already gaurenteed a job.

[invisiblecollar]

you are preachin to the choir. would you do a heart transplant then down the road go to med school??? no. learn the trade FIRST then get a job in the field and sharpen youre skills. my first employer wouldnt even look at me until I was 3 weeks from grad. by the time i was out I was already gaurenteed a job.


How is that not learning the trade? For ten months I was learning refrigeration. I was working on walk INs, refrigerators, and ac's. Plus 3 hours of theory everyday.
After that I was hired on at a company and had to wait a month before being sign up as an apprentice.
That is alot better than hiring a nephew of the owner who doesn't give a crap... NO?

[jricer2001]

How is that not learning the trade? For ten months I was learning refrigeration. I was working on walk INs, refrigerators, and ac's. Plus 3 hours of theory everyday.
After that I was hired on at a company and had to wait a month before being sign up as an apprentice.
That is alot better than hiring a nephew of the owner who doesn't give a crap... NO?

..... what?? I think you need to re-read my post. I am saying that i think that people should have to go to trade school before they are allowed in the field (unless you are a apprentice) so you dont ask stupidly basic questions and if you go to trade school first you probbly have youre epa cards so that gets rid of that problem also... so perhaps you misunderstood me. I THINK YOU DID IT THE CORRECT WAY.

[invisiblecollar]

..... what?? I think you need to re-read my post. I am saying that i think that people should have to go to trade school before they are allowed in the field (unless you are a apprentice) so you dont ask stupidly basic questions and if you go to trade school first you probbly have youre epa cards so that gets rid of that problem also... so perhaps you misunderstood me. I THINK YOU DID IT THE CORRECT WAY.

lol I apologize, I took the post the wrong way.