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Knowledge is great, but desire, drive and effort to be better makes a world of difference.

Hey everybody,
just had my first successful HVAC gig. Unpaid of course. I successfully hooked up the local crackheads evaporative cooler and boy was he impressed. Still havent made it back to good ol Texas yet.

I see classes on craigslist advertised in skilled trades a lot. Probably same thing.

Originally Posted by bmathews

My honest advice is to stay away from the large companies. You will be a number and they will beat the living crap out of you. You might make more money, but you will likely be a warm body. Find a small to medium sized company where there is an actual owner that you will interact with at some level. You will have an opportunity to learn more. One of the big things is to learn from your mistakes, don't be a complete dumbass, own up to your mistaes, don't blame somebody else, show up to work everyday and not be a raging alcoholic or drug addict.

Good points.

As a sidebar, it would be interesting to see just how much somebody DOES know after one of those two-week courses.

Typically in this region, you'll get hired as an install helper....after six months they'll throw you in a truck as a "lead installer".....after a few years of that, they'll throw you in a different truck and call you a "tech"....at which point, (without additional training) you'll be running calls, and calling someone for help on 2 out or 3 of them.

Find a small company that will teach you the science of the trade. Yes, you have to generate profit for the company....but a good company will teach you what you need to know in order to make more money...for yourself AND the company.

My honest advice is to stay away from the large companies. You will be a number and they will beat the living crap out of you. You might make more money, but you will likely be a warm body. Find a small to medium sized company where there is an actual owner that you will interact with at some level. You will have an opportunity to learn more. One of the big things is to learn from your mistakes, don't be a complete dumbass, own up to your mistaes, don't blame somebody else, show up to work everyday and not be a raging alcoholic or drug addict.

Originally Posted by crazzycajun

What the **** what does this thing cost. How can they even begin to claim this as education and claim to hvac service techs
hell basic trainig was 8wks
rant over

Education is BIG BUSINESS!!!!! Just ask a rich tech school owner; they will show you with their lifestyle...

Thanks for all the advice guys. Nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy so I am not expecting this to be.

wtf

What the **** what does this thing cost. How can they even begin to claim this as education and claim to hvac service techs
hell basic trainig was 8wks
rant over

In Texas, you are right, A/C is a must. When I was in Waco though, we had "swamp cooler" air conditioning and it worked pretty good as long as you sprinkled the sheets too! Brazos River lots of fun, and the size of the place (Waco) is good too, plus between Dallas and San Antonio. Don't be looking for big money right off the bat though, everyone pays their dues...

Originally Posted by ga-hvac-tech

Folks can go to a 2 or 3 or 4 year tech school course... and STILL they hire on as beginners, at beginner wages.

There is NO substitution for lots of on the job experience in this field... and IMO no amount of schooling will teach one what a few years on the job will.

It is no surprise most states require 4 years of verifiable full time employment to qualify to test for a license in heating and AC. The reason: It takes that long to learn it...

Originally Posted by Tech Rob

If you have a strong mechanical aptitude, it will take at least 4-5 years to be "competent". 10 years to be "good", and 15 years to a lifetime to be "one of the best". Even then, only a select few actually qualify. There are also people with 30+ years in the trade who are barely "competent".

Originally Posted by keeplearnin

Whatever!!!! This stuff ain''t rocket science, get off the cross we need the wood.

In my sometimes not so humble opinion (IMNHO); we may have an example of the difference between someone that knows the basics well enough to get by... and someone that TRULY knows the details. (Nothing personal is intended by this post, simply making an example of attitudes towards the work).

Now which one would each of us want doing their service work, repairs, or installation... and why?

Originally Posted by WMG

Last September I went to an intensive 2 week school which was an awesome Experience. The school was Lindsay-Cooper in Irving, Texas. Anyhow, I am in refresher mode and reading my HVAC textbook everyday to get back up to speed and ready to tackle any job that comes my way. I am now in Colorado and moving to a city in Texas to get a real HVAC job and gain the experience that is necessary to be a seasoned HVAC Technician. The city I am thinking of Moving to is San Antonio or possibly Austin or Houston. I am getting my EPA Certification as soon as I get back to Texas. I have all my own tools. Does anyone have any advice on what cities are good to find a HVAC job? And what traits does an employer look for when hiring graduates? What would be a good entry-level wage?

Go out and do your best, I did just fine without any a/c schooling like nike says Just do it, if you are half way smart you should be able to land a good job in two years. Sure the big stuff takes special class training but you are not shooting for chiller tech of the year are you? Just go out and learn from the guys above you hit the book at night and build your confidence. All this talk about 15 yrs to be a good tech is just insecurity.

going to school two weeks is not going to kick it in thei trade. why you dont have the type of info you need to have as per say some one with 6-24 months of schooling textbooking trainning is not all handon count been there done that and as a mech you always learning sonething new everyday in life.

Originally Posted by Tech Rob

If you have a strong mechanical aptitude, it will take at least 4-5 years to be "competent". 10 years to be "good", and 15 years to a lifetime to be "one of the best". Even then, only a select few actually qualify. There are also people with 30+ years in the trade who are barely "competent".

Whatever!!!! This stuff ain''t rocket science, get off the cross we need the wood.

Originally Posted by ga-hvac-tech

It is no surprise most states require 4 years of verifiable full time employment to qualify to test for a license in heating and AC. The reason: It takes that long to learn it...

If you have a strong mechanical aptitude, it will take at least 4-5 years to be "competent". 10 years to be "good", and 15 years to a lifetime to be "one of the best". Even then, only a select few actually qualify. There are also people with 30+ years in the trade who are barely "competent".

Originally Posted by bmathews

I'm in Austin. So you're experience level is 2 weeks of school? Any field training? You will most likely start out as an installers helper making $10/hr or so and will get worked like a mule. It will test you mentally and physically. Mostly physically. 140 degrees in an attic for 2-3 changeouts a day physical, working til midnight. There are a million guys here who try the job out and get their asses kicked. That is where the mental toughness comes in . You gotta put up with the BS, keep a positive attitude and bust ass. If you're a good helper and pick up stuff quick and your leadman isn't a prick that just wants a grunt and actually teaches you something. If they don't lay you off when it starts cooling off in October. You gotta stand out. I don't want to burst your bubble, because it seems like you have a Tebow attitude. But you don't know squat and don't have much value with 2 weeks of schooling honestly. Good luck. You've got a hard 2-3 years in front of you. Stay out of San Antonio or Houston for reasons I won't go into here.

This guy hit it on the button. Before I started my own company i was a service manager for a commercial refrigeration company, and I interviewed guys like you all the time. That 2 week course is a joke, and it pisses me off that they actually tell you guys that you can get a good paying job by taking it. Its a complete lie. If you get an interview, dont be the guy who thinks he knows everything because you have some 2 week certificate. Be the guy who says I dont know **** but I want to learn and I will do anything it takes to be an asset to this company. and yes your pay will be small, but there is no one on this forum that started out at 18$ an hour, in Texas at least, especially in residential, with a 2 week course. Only the strong survive in this industry, thats why I love it. Good luck man.

Folks can go to a 2 or 3 or 4 year tech school course... and STILL they hire on as beginners, at beginner wages.

There is NO substitution for lots of on the job experience in this field... and IMO no amount of schooling will teach one what a few years on the job will.

It is no surprise most states require 4 years of verifiable full time employment to qualify to test for a license in heating and AC. The reason: It takes that long to learn it...

I'm in Austin. So you're experience level is 2 weeks of school? Any field training? You will most likely start out as an installers helper making $10/hr or so and will get worked like a mule. It will test you mentally and physically. Mostly physically. 140 degrees in an attic for 2-3 changeouts a day physical, working til midnight. Depending on who you work for. I hope you're in good shape and can put up with lots of crap. There are a million guys here who try the job out and get their asses kicked. That is where the mental toughness comes in . You gotta put up with the BS, keep a positive attitude and bust ass. If you're a good helper and pick up stuff quick and your leadman isn't a prick that just wants a grunt and actually teaches you something. You can move up to lead installer where you have to prove yourself once again and within 2 years or so maybe be a tech. If they don't lay you off when it starts cooling off in October. You gotta stand out. I don't want to burst your bubble, because it seems like you have a Tebow attitude. But you don't know squat and don't have much value with 2 weeks of schooling honestly. Good luck. You've got a hard 2-3 years in front of you. Stay out of San Antonio or Houston for reasons I won't go into here.

Yeah. That school is in high demand. When I was there they taught classes 7 days a week. English and Spanish.

San Antonio, Austin or Houston are all good choices. Dallas is full from the last 5 classes at Linsay-Cooper.

In the school I learned the basics so I have a clue about the refrigeration, electrical control system, charging and evacuating a system, etc. Im by no means a licensed technician but I am light years ahead of knowing what I knew before. And I do have the confidence to diagnose a system and troubleshoot components, etc. They say you can't go wrong with A/C in Texas during the summer. But it is definetly time to refresh my memory because it is my goal to gain serious HVAC experience this summer. All these terms like Superheat, subcool, pull a vacuum, ohms, phase, R-410 are lingering in my brain trying to remember what they said 6 months ago.