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OP Hasn't posted for a few weeks but on the chance he is lurking,



This trade is really only worthwhile if you are good at it. It is not one where you can set you aspirations low enough to just grab your 40 hours and knock out. Even as just a service tech, there is a tremendous amount on continuing education that must be done to keep up with changes in technology, design and practices. However, those worth their salt are the ones who make the figures that trade school admissions rep pitch to potential recruits.

Those who don't are the are often the guys, who after 20 years, are only doing maintenance, humping compressors and motors up stairs so someone else can do the start-up and commissioning and cry that they don't make any money.

Being competent in this trade can make for a potentially easier transition into other positions and fields as well should you decide to later on. You can develop a very large understanding of mechanical/electrical engineering principals, building science, automation, indoor air quality, technical sales, and maybe project management skills if you're around new construction long enough.

Let's say, for instance, you decide you want to get into the energy services field You work on the equipment that accounts for 30-60% of the energy consumed in many facilities, which share a synergistic relationship with the building envelope, involves enough knowledge of electricity and circuit function to understand VFD's, and automation systems.

I must be a bonehead because I only got 40 last week.

Same as the week before and before that....


Used to work a lot more hours and still get nothing done...

id say NO, stick with unskilled as a life long endeavor, that way the people who are pursuing a real career can work

"Skill" is the key. We have plenty of "bodies" in the trade, but a dearth of skill.

If you are truly skilled, you will always have work. Buying some tools and taking a 9 month course at a tech school or community college does not make you "skilled". It just makes you dangerous.

Don't believe it? Just ask a skilled and versatile guy how many hours he scored last week.

It depends. Recently on a commercial job we had a bunch of "electricians" Running line voltage to all of the components of the building off a Trane Tracer. Unfortunately hardly half of them could barely speak English. Same thing at another job, the guy was from Peru. They couldn't wire in motors, relays, etc. It just makes you wonder whether they're documented or not. I don't know if you could call that "skilled trade" work or not. I mean, with their lack of education I doubt that they could work in or part of the trade(as far as service was concerned).

But are kids such pussies now that they can't do any type of work with their hands? It's crazy

Originally Posted by John Markl

It's been my experience and observation...that the guys who truly succeed at this trade, are guys for whom the trade is also a "hobby" as much as it is a "trade" or "profession".

The guys who really do well, are the guys who eat, sleep, and breathe this stuff.

And no, I don't mean that you forgo your family and your "life"...but you gotta love and pursue this stuff as much as you do your hunting and fishing....if you REALLY want to seperate yourself from the pack....

X2

It's been my experience and observation...that the guys who truly succeed at this trade, are guys for whom the trade is also a "hobby" as much as it is a "trade" or "profession".

The guys who really do well, are the guys who eat, sleep, and breathe this stuff.

And no, I don't mean that you forgo your family and your "life"...but you gotta love and pursue this stuff as much as you do your hunting and fishing....if you REALLY want to seperate yourself from the pack....

That would be a negative. I prefer a red van

Originally Posted by kangaroogod

While many people's experiences are different I can share mine. I went to school originally to be an electrician and got bored quickly as it was not mentally challenging. From there I took 2yrs college for plumbing,hvac. I graduated and started with my current employer the following Monday. You learn very quickly that the service sector is quite a but different as 24/7 service means someone is working 24/7. 18hrs on, 8hrs off during peak winter and summer is not unusual. This is not for many people. In the hiring sector I find that people that are use to a 9-5 job generally do not adjust well. While the entry level pay rate is low, you can demand to be paid what your worth. Install position has hours more stable but tend to be feast or famine depending on the season while service work is typically more steady. Overtime and double time makes up for the slow time. Some companies offer commissions on service agreement sales and can vastly supplement your Income. It is a career that will never go away! We will always be heating And cooling homes. Many other careers cannot have that security. Family can be difficult due to the uncertainty of hours. We had a customer 2 Fridays ago in a high end home that wanted a pool heater installed at 3pm. The closest unit was 1.5hrs away. NO PROBLEM. 2 installers and a delivery person worked till 930pm To get the customer taken care of. That is not a typical day but is expected. If I was to make a suggestion to a new person it would be to get hooked ip with a large company that will pay you to learn the trade. When I was hired the owner I the company told me "your job is to learn as much as you can so you can compete against me,,,my job is to make it so you do not want to" fast forward 17yrs and I am still there and plan on retiring there.

if you work for Artic or Turnbull, I feel bad for you

While many people's experiences are different I can share mine. I went to school originally to be an electrician and got bored quickly as it was not mentally challenging. From there I took 2yrs college for plumbing,hvac. I graduated and started with my current employer the following Monday. You learn very quickly that the service sector is quite a but different as 24/7 service means someone is working 24/7. 18hrs on, 8hrs off during peak winter and summer is not unusual. This is not for many people. In the hiring sector I find that people that are use to a 9-5 job generally do not adjust well. While the entry level pay rate is low, you can demand to be paid what your worth. Install position has hours more stable but tend to be feast or famine depending on the season while service work is typically more steady. Overtime and double time makes up for the slow time. Some companies offer commissions on service agreement sales and can vastly supplement your Income. It is a career that will never go away! We will always be heating And cooling homes. Many other careers cannot have that security. Family can be difficult due to the uncertainty of hours. We had a customer 2 Fridays ago in a high end home that wanted a pool heater installed at 3pm. The closest unit was 1.5hrs away. NO PROBLEM. 2 installers and a delivery person worked till 930pm To get the customer taken care of. That is not a typical day but is expected. If I was to make a suggestion to a new person it would be to get hooked ip with a large company that will pay you to learn the trade. When I was hired the owner I the company told me "your job is to learn as much as you can so you can compete against me,,,my job is to make it so you do not want to" fast forward 17yrs and I am still there and plan on retiring there.

I wont recommend getting into the HVAC trade, its a back breaking job, we need to know a lot and the pay is kind of crappy.
My brother in law sells bearings for a living and makes twice more $$$ without getting dirt on his hands

Originally Posted by tuba

Learn all you can - especially REFRIGERATION. Once you know refrigeration, everything else falls into place. I went from working in lots of icky restaurants to a dreamy job where I only touch refrigeration about once a week. The company needed someone who knew refrigeration because some of the big contract customers demanded it. The rest of the guys were scared of it so they needed a go to guy on the team. I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Also - don't be afraid of something you have never worked on before. Learn it, make some phone calls if need be, get some help, but never tell your boss "I can't do it"

That's funny, a chiller rep called me the other day looking for somebody to work on a couple redundant chillers they sold to a manufacturing plant. I said sure we do, had no idea what I was gettin into. I've worked on plenty of smaller chillers 100tons and less. Get out there and they are used to cool a 30,000 gallon tank of cyclopentane or some highly flammable stuff with all kinds of crazy controls and networking cables hooked to them, luckily it was easy. One had a bad pressure differential switch and tge other had a discharge line leak. Changed switch on one, fixed leak on the other vacuum charge and I'm they're new go to guy.

Originally Posted by pgh-hvac

I understand you're frustrated it's hard to get a foothold when you're starting out in this type of work. Employers tend to make sure to keep there top people working when it's slow. It just makes sense, it's hard to find a good tech and sometimes it's even harder to keep him. With that being said I can share with you a couple of things I learned when I first got into the trades.
Take the cotton out of you're ears and put it in you're mouth. I don't say that trying to be mean but the older techs don't want to here it. If they send you down 10 flights of stiars 10 times a day do it with a smile on you're face and thay will train you. Even better when it's time to lay people off for the season that old tech will want to keep you around.
Invest in you're self and do you're best to make you're self indispensable to the co and you will always have a good job.
When you're starting out you have to put in you're time and remember that all those old techs had to do the same.

Amen, can't stand it when a helper moans and groans about doing the b**** work.

Kfred, if your looking for a career in this field send me an email and I can put you in touch with our HR dept.

NO!!!

Originally Posted by repz

I second the fact that some women like men with tools.

I second the fact that some women like men with tools. I am meeting someone tonight from a dating website and she loves the fact that i work in a dirty field. I sent her pics of me working and she gets excited, and its really me just holding a wrench and pulling a strainer. I dated a woman who does office work for an hvac supplier, and she usually dates men who work in technical trades, she finds them manly and useful. I also met one woman who only dated men in the field, she said her man better be good at fixing and labor because she was good at cooking and nurturing (which i find sexy on a woman, which i assume is what these women feel about men in the field).

I think if i was unemployed than i find any job that will help you in earning some money to meet your day to day expense like you start any online business that need no more money to invest in that.But you have some skill of that work.

Learn all you can - especially REFRIGERATION. Once you know refrigeration, everything else falls into place. I went from working in lots of icky restaurants to a dreamy job where I only touch refrigeration about once a week. The company needed someone who knew refrigeration because some of the big contract customers demanded it. The rest of the guys were scared of it so they needed a go to guy on the team. I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Also - don't be afraid of something you have never worked on before. Learn it, make some phone calls if need be, get some help, but never tell your boss "I can't do it"

Originally Posted by eeeVAC

Here in Canada, there is definitely a growing demand for skilled trades workers. There are many government incentives for both men and woman to pursue a career in a skilled trade, such as apprenticeship grants.

The truth be told, atleast with the younger generation, not many like to get their hands dirty anymore.

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Or do math or use their brains to solve problems in order to receive a paycheck