How Did You Get Your Start In HVAC?

[ACFIXR]

As somebody who went to a trade school and can't seem to find a company who will hire me without experience, I'm really curious to hear how you guys got your start in HVAC. Some stories should help inspire us trying to enter the field that it can be done as a newbie. Did you go to school for it or start out as a helper or installer or something? How did you hear about the job opening? It's almost like you have to be a family member to get your foot in the door the way I feel right now. So tell us your stories...How did you get your foot in the door?

The best way to get started is to "Know somebody".

Or you can get started like I did. In building maintenance.Doing menial tasks such as changing filters, oiling motors- we used to do that back in the day.Cleaning coils, flushing condensate lines, replacing motors the real tech 86'd,draining the water out of the compressor tank, adjusting the belts in air handlers,and doing the job that no self respecting tech would be caught dead doing...............servicing the evaporative coolers. There is a property out there somewhere that needs somebody to fix their stuff. The fastest track to becoming a tech is lots of work.

[marter]

the market is saturated with low ballers and dreamers looking for cheap help, demanding all sort of qualifications but only willing to pay couple of bucks more than burger king.

truth.

before my current gig, went to one interview.. he said "we pay $12.50 a hour" i walked out. been doing this for far too long, to not know that your going to pay me 12.50 a hour and bill out $100.

i make almost 2x that

[Bigpapi08]

Got hired straight out of school as a service tech there is places that will hire you just keep applying dont give uo

[ironpit]

I was a petty thief, High School dropout who broke into a van that had a bunch of sheet metal tools. Since they weren't worth anything at the pawn shops, I started using them.

I WANT MY TOOLS BACK YOU !@##$$$ THIEF!

[DNMechanical]

Went to trade school. No one seem to interest on hiring me due to no experience and slow season (January). Found a job as an independent contractor for appliance's contractor, worked for him 5 weeks then got hired by an ac/appliances company. Started out as appliance Tech, now working on appliances, residential ac and commercial ac

[dlove]

The best way to get started is to "Know somebody".

Or you can get started like I did. In building maintenance.Doing menial tasks such as changing filters, oiling motors- we used to do that back in the day.Cleaning coils, flushing condensate lines, replacing motors the real tech 86'd,draining the water out of the compressor tank, adjusting the belts in air handlers,and doing the job that no self respecting tech would be caught dead doing...............servicing the evaporative coolers. There is a property out there somewhere that needs somebody to fix their stuff. The fastest track to becoming a tech is lots of work.

that's a said statement about Maintenance techs. Working as a Stationary engineer most of my carrier i received some of the best training working in Buildings. No other place will you get the fast track to learn DDC controls. If you apply yourself you could learn just about every trade out there, Electrical, plumbing, chillers, boilers, HVAC design The list goes on. good companies will pay for you to take courses, help get you your CFC ticket. In the worst of times the work is steady, pays good, when its hot out your cool inside, when its cold out its warm inside. I'm surprised of how many service techs out there that don't know how to do some of those menial task, I cant tell you have many times i had to go behind a Tech and fix the screw ups. But like in any trade you have the good, the bad and the ugly. you should be ashamed of yourself for saying that.

[supertek65]

dlove are you related to klove???????????????

[dlove]

dlove are you related to klove???????????????

haha NO

[supertek65]

just checkin!!!!!!!!!!!!

haha NO

[Gignacmechanic]

Was a exec chef for 10 years and was always interested when we called the refrigeration service tech to fix fridges or freezers or rooftop units then one day i said to myself ( im gonna look what it would take to go back to school in refrigeration ) well after an 8 months stint at school i went job hunting while still at school and got picked up by trane and been with them ever since and so far i am really enjoying myself . Great boss and awesome journeypersons to work with. I hope the economy picks up for you guys in the state cause here in canada making 90 to 105k a year as a service tech is fairly common to be honest

[hvac wiz 79]

Was a exec chef for 10 years and was always interested when we called the refrigeration service tech to fix fridges or freezers or rooftop units then one day i said to myself ( im gonna look what it would take to go back to school in refrigeration ) well after an 8 months stint at school i went job hunting while still at school and got picked up by trane and been with them ever since and so far i am really enjoying myself . Great boss and awesome journeypersons to work with. I hope the economy picks up for you guys in the state cause here in canada making 90 to 105k a year as a service tech is fairly common to be honest

thats a pretty damn good living as a service tech ... but what type of tech ? resi, light commercial, industrial, supermarkets, controls ?? ... also what is the cost of living up that way ?

[dlove]

[QUOTE=Gignacmechanic;12836301]Was a exec chef for 10 years and was always interested when we called the refrigeration service tech to fix fridges or freezers or rooftop units then one day i said to myself ( im gonna look what it would take to go back to school in refrigeration ) well after an 8 months stint at school i went job hunting while still at school and got picked up by trane and been with them ever since and so far i am really enjoying myself . Great boss and awesome journeypersons to work with. I hope the economy picks up for you guys in the state cause here in canada making 90 to 105k a year as a service tech is fairly common to be honest[/QUOTE

100k. 18 hr days and weekends. their ain't no one handing out that on an 8 hr day! not impossible but make it while your young.

[Gignacmechanic]

Well the average wage up here is between 36 to 42 an hour plus a little overtime here and there and you get to 90 to 100 k pretty quick . Now dont get me wrong i dont wanna imply that every single mechanic make that but i know that most resi guys that do oncalls and supermarket guys make that commonly in my line of work industrial ot is a bit more scarce ( government buildings dont have much going on after 5 pm or on the weekends hahahha )