Becoming a master tech

Before you may become a tech master little grasshopper, you must pay your dues. You can start by first admitting you are a grasshopper. When you can say it and believe, we will teach you how to become a tech master. :cool:

Holy crap, many D's, did you see the lenght of R-12's post. Wow. I bet you wish you had one that long. :)

[Edited by benncool on 05-23-2004 at 09:53 PM]

My advice is invest your time and money in manuf training classes instead of tech school. Go get a 8 hour training in York heat pumps for example, then get a certificate in icemakers, then one in zone controls.....etc etc....

Take these certs to a company and show you want to work and learn more and they will hold much more meaning than a trade school.

I dont know that many words. LOL :D R12 rules

"Knowledge is what you get when you read the instructions. Experience is what you get when you don't."

Now, I don't know who said this, but there is some good truth in it. Namely, that experience (on its own) is not necessarily the best teacher. Now, yes, if you screw up royally, you might be less likely to do it again, but who wants to screw up to learn well.
People who are illiterate can recognize letter patterns and "get by" and even do quite well in life. You might not even be able to recognize that they can't read. The same thing goes for some technicians. They haven't got the slightest understanding of superheat, but they can take the reading, and even do somehting about what they find. They have learned these things by asking and observing other folks (or by trial and error).
I had a helper who could do many things, and do them well. He could even troubleshoot a little, but only based on experience. He did not know why certain things happened, but he knew that they did. He watched me, observed what I did in certain situations, and replicated it.
I guess where I am going with all this is to say that promoting experience over formal training is misguided. Earlier in this thread someone, in an effort to show that experience is more important than knowledge, asked whether you would rather have someone operate on you who was fresh out of med school or someone who had done over 10,000 operations do it. This is a ridiculous comparison of apples to oranges. For the first thing, you don't do 10,000 operations until you have first been through med school. Secondly, we aren't doctors! Here is the better question: All things being equal (such as personal motivation, physical/mental ability, character, and attitude) who would you rather hire, someone who has graduated from a two year tech school, or someone who has been riding on a service van and learning in the field for the past two years (and two years only). I'd hire the successful student any day, because I know that he will move up in ability faster and in a more fundamentally sound manner than the other tech.
Now, I recognize the desire of many of you to take this message and hack away at my assertions, but I want you to understand that I, in no way, am trying to say that experience is not extremely valuable. I am just saying that some experience can be had while in tech school, and likewise, some knowledge can be obtained while out in the field. However, the most efficient, and quickest path to being a master technician, is through a tech school first.
Of course, if you are insecure about your ability, go ahead and hack.

The true question....R12, how many words do you type a minute?

Quote:

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Originally posted by senior tech
The true question....R12, how many words do you type a minute?

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I type slow. I just keep typing. I try to put it down how I see the thought or expression in my mind's eye.

Then as I see the expression being developed in front of me, I type on.
If I feel there is need for MORE WORDS so as to avoid misunderstanding ... I type on.


As I sense someone is sincere and asking for advice on making a decision which will affect the rest of their lives... I give em' both barrels!!!
Cause nobody gave me diddly squat as far as carreer advice goes when I was getting into this industry!


How many words do I type you asked .... "as many as I need to...."

And sometimes I even get to "do the Dow". :D

Thanks for all the replies, I've read plenty of good ways to advance in this field. And thanks R12 for taking the time to write such a indepth post. You've taken more time out of your life to explain how to learn hvac than any of the teachers I've ever had in school. Thanks bks

bks, you forgot to admit that you're a "grasshopper!" I wish I could be a grasshopper again.:D Nice post R12!