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Originally Posted by maxster

keep with the meter and doing the control side of the field that is where the bucks are.anybody can hump a compressor or change a fan motor..but breakdowns and trouble shooting are in demand in any company...and don't let anybody tell you "you can't do that".if your doing filters and belts on say a KMART with 20 rooftops...pop a control panel and take a look around..good luck. lead mechanics agonize over making a change before the spring to not waste a summer in a dead end company...then all of a sudden its November and there he is up on the roof freezing his meter off on the same old contracts...*****in' to himself.every tech is looking for a better working enviorment and possibly more money,better truck..more responsibility,hook up with Trane up there and get into new equipment start-ups and you'll never look back...why would going to ENRON a slap in the face..to you? I worked for Turner & Harrison back in the late 70s they had 5000 residential service contracts and commercial stuff....that GTE building off the 95 they did the entire job mechanical and duct work...would be interested in knowing how ENRON go those emblems on the side of their service trucks T & H having been Trane Comfort Corps there has to been former T & H guys inside there.

The GTE building is now another company building; my dad used to work at GTE before they moved, but that's some interesting info. I have an interest in doing commercial (from what I hear on this site, it's a go-to for something continually interesting or a "better" living, however, I need more experience in order to aim for that). What exactly do you mean by keep with the meter? Are you saying that I should head into doing refrigeration? And controls, I want to learn what that's all about. are they the boards you see on an air handler where the wires go to when installing? The HVAC field interests me a lot, but with the amount of options to choose from and finding my niche AND wanting a balanced lifestyle, I find myself having a hard time seeing what I could be doing in years to come.

keep with the meter and doing the control side of the field that is where the bucks are.anybody can hump a compressor or change a fan motor..but breakdowns and trouble shooting are in demand in any company...and don't let anybody tell you "you can't do that".if your doing filters and belts on say a KMART with 20 rooftops...pop a control panel and take a look around..good luck. lead mechanics agonize over making a change before the spring to not waste a summer in a dead end company...then all of a sudden its November and there he is up on the roof freezing his meter off on the same old contracts...*****in' to himself.every tech is looking for a better working enviorment and possibly more money,better truck..more responsibility,hook up with Trane up there and get into new equipment start-ups and you'll never look back...why would going to ENRON a slap in the face..to you? I worked for Turner & Harrison back in the late 70s they had 5000 residential service contracts and commercial stuff....that GTE building off the 95 they did the entire job mechanical and duct work...would be interested in knowing how ENRON go those emblems on the side of their service trucks T & H having been Trane Comfort Corps there has to been former T & H guys inside there.

alright then. well it turns out before I got hired the service tech we had left to encon actually... talk about a double slap in the face if I were to go there...

ill see where the road takes me, I do have an inkling interest in the electrical aspect though . regardless ill always learn. I like that.

Originally Posted by pmck94

I just had some thoughts about it that's all. I've been reading these horror stories of techs, commercial or resi, that get treated bad or have terrible pay for what they put up with on a daily basis. I know it differs from location but being in the northeast near nyc (I'm in Connecticut) the $20 a hour seems like the pits for what we go through.

I have another question, what other paths are there in HVAC where I could make a good living besides being a tech? I asked my boss about it and he said that there aren't a lot besides techs being the most sought

Other than service techs? Here are a few that come to mind:
Sales
Design
Dispatch
Ductwork
Diagnostics
Install
Foreman
Did I forget anything?

your boss is stuck in his little world of wax on wax off routine.what do you think he is going to say "oh you can be anything you want to be in this INDUSTRY" you might and will own your own shop someday and wise you had those 4 years back wasting time to be an apprentice...facilities managers,engineers,new construction project mgrs ...big money jobs and you never stop learning..i will be back with a pix for you and the company website .check it out www.enconhvac.com want to be thrown into a crowd like this either to sink or swim??? see all these lead guys four years will shoot by learning..an they will make you learn the trade.plenty of different areas to expand into with a shop this size.. you must see there trucks up there...ask a parts counter guy at ABCO about them...he knows the techs.might even connect...

I just had some thoughts about it that's all. I've been reading these horror stories of techs, commercial or resi, that get treated bad or have terrible pay for what they put up with on a daily basis. I know it differs from location but being in the northeast near nyc (I'm in Connecticut) the $20 a hour seems like the pits for what we go through.

I have another question, what other paths are there in HVAC where I could make a good living besides being a tech? I asked my boss about it and he said that there aren't a lot besides techs being the most sought

make a move into a bigger shop and get a lead guy co worker 4 years is a waste of time waiting for your guy now to show you stuff..getting into a shop with 6 10 lead guys your brain will explode with stuff and learning...

18? Stay right where you are at and learn this trade from the ground up. Get your degree, certificate or what have you as soon as you can while you work and come to this site whenever you have the chance. If HVAC is really what you want to do; you are perfectly poised to have a long, lucrative and satisfying career. You will be calling your own shots and working for whomever is lucky enough to pay you a lot of money to have you in about 10 or fifteen years. Hell - you'll still be about thirty or so...

I'm jealous.

On the Job training is the way to go. If your boss is a good tech and willing to teach you, I would stick it out. I personally learn best when I have to figure it out under pressure. Good luck

the hvac/r world is already full of individuals who didn't want to learn any more than it takes to "get licensced & start running service".

if you are going to jump ship now, the odds of you becoming proficient aren't in your favor.

second thought decisions

hey guys,

I'm currently a HVAC helper for a small company and have been thinking over a few things. right now Im having some second thoughts about what plan I have in mind. I don't mind HVAC, its pretty fun and I get my daily dose of fun, frustration, and pleasure in a days work. however, its what I'm doing now that bothers me. I really just want to go to the trade school, get my license, and become a service tech. my boss is the only tech we have and my coworker (I'm his helper) is in school for his d-2, and then will apprentice under my boss for his s-2 (or 1?). in years this means I won't be able to apprentice until I'm 22 (I'm 18 right now). so, the question becomes do I just stick it out those 4 years (or so) or just go to school and get licensed from there?