getting started in hvac field ... any tips?

[cheezrox]

I recently finished technical school and am currently working for a home warranty company as an hvac adjuster. From what I can tell, techs seem to loathe home warranty companies with a passion, so I'm not sure how much this job will help me further my career at all. I have been looking into apprenticeships and entry level jobs (especially counter sales jobs) in my area (Chicago suburbs) but I'm not having much luck. I've also looked into unions, but all I can really find is the Pipefitters union, and I don't really know how much that would me. Does anyone have any advice about resources or anything else that would help me at least get my feet wet?

[MikeJ]

It's all experience. Go with it till you see where that job is taking you. Learn what you can. In a year or so you should know which aspect of hvac interests you the most. Keep a resume out there doing the looking for you. In the meantime learn all you can. In six months post back and say what you think of home warranty companies. Are they the carp of the water world?

[cheezrox]

I've been preparing for quite a while to become an hvac technician, so I have a pretty clear idea of what I want to do. In a perfect world, I would want to work with super-low temperature equipment (cryogenics and the like) but I gave up on becoming a physicist when I realized I don't want to write research papers. At this point in time, what I want to do is residential/light commercial service/installation. I figure I may as well start out in a supply warehouse or something similiar to help me get familiar with components, but I wouldn't mind skipping that and going right out into the field if I can.
All I really seem to be learning at this job (relating to hvac, that is) is just which areas I need to know more about. I don't really learn much about those areas from talking to the contractors - I just kind of fake it. It is helpful that it shows me where I'm lacking, but without the time/opportunities to learn more about it, it's not really very useful.
After working for a home warranty company for two months, I have mixed opinions about home warranties in general. I think they do a lot more good than people give them credit for (at least with my company). Some of the problems are due to our beaucracy (must follow proper procedure), but the rest of the complaints seem more to do with contractor problems and misunderstanding about what the contract covers.

I didn't go to school to become nothing more than a glorified customer service rep. I want to get my hands on equipment, even if it's only in a parts shop.