ReplyQuickly...go ahead and become "self employed" while you still know everything!! It may be your only hope
Professional Member
I am now leaning that the college diploma course I took for HVAC is a waste of time here in Iowa. The way the Iowa law is set up is one sided. It is more set up for people coming off the street with no working knowledge to get into this industry which I fully support. The college route is not for everyone. On the other hand, those of us who would like to make this their career and made the monetary and time investment should get something. I filed a petition for a waiver with the state just this past Monday and got a call today saying they would not grant the waiver. I know I can pass the journey level test but the only thing I am lacking is the OJT. I know classroom work and field work are two different animals all together but why should I be required to take all the same classroom work with the OJT requirements? Most of the companies around here are requiring all new hires with the exception of master's to ride along with seasoned techs for at least a year. The only way around this stupidity I found is to get a job, have the employer join a trade organization if not already a member(not cheap), enroll employee in their program which the employer pays for(not cheap), test to see if they can bypass 3 of the 4 years required(not cheap either), and then after the 1 or more years with "official" apprentice papers in hand, file to take journey test. I really love how you can test out of up to 3 years but not all. WTF!!!!!! Nothing but a money grubbing scam steup by the "trade" organizations to line their own pockets and not to advance our trade. Sorry for the ranting but I dont see how pigeonholing people in this industry is helping to create jobs or opportunities for younger people.
Professional Member*
Quickly...go ahead and become "self employed" while you still know everything!! It may be your only hope
Professional Member
Thought about that route but there is a lot I dont know yet. I have a decent working knowledge but I will be the first to say I dont know it all. Never will but I will learn till the day I die. I just dont think it is fair to shell out money for college then have to shell out even more to take the same classes again to satisfy the classroom portion on the apprenticeship. The state will not allow you to only take one portion of the program ie: the ojt part. Not fair to the employees or the employers who are forced to join these scams or run their own programs. Most dont want to do their own, too much red tape involved.Originally Posted by wahoo
Quickly...go ahead and become "self employed" while you still know everything!! It may be your only hope
Regular Guest
You could move out of state and take your education with you. Not every state is as strict.
In MA there are no real requirements to work. Education would help you here.
Professional Member
Thought about going out of state but Iowa does not have reciprocity with any other state. They hand a grandfathering program that ended in 2010 with people who had no business getting their license getting one. Last job I had the master did not know how to wire anything including the t-stat and the journey couldnt tell you how to set an anticipator never the less what it was in the first place. All they had to prove was their years worked and not their knowledge. What a scam. Sorry if I seem bitter but I would like to make this my career, not just another job.
Regular Guest
Going to another state doesnt really mean you need to take your education with you. Just saying you have an education goes along way towards getting the job, most dont care about credits.
If you go to a state that doesnt have tiered trades youll be good to go id think. I know Florida doesnt care what you have as long as you sit for a contractors license. Imagine what a collage education to stand behind would do for your job prospects as well.
Professional Member
Going out of state is not an option. My wife and I just bought a house last fall. I believe an education is something that is never finished. Most of the contractors around my area dont feel the same. They just want warm bodies and an education is just a piece of paper they dont feel too stongley about. My last job I was doing replacements, new installs, and service work while the other helper could only manage to hand duct work. All for the same pay. It has been maddening trying to get into this field. weather it be the hurdles from the government or the lack of support from the contractors around here.
Professional Member
I will be heading down to the state capitol thismonth to address the mechanical board and to have them explain to me how they came to their conclusion to deny my petition. Then I will also talk to my elected representitives to explain this mess also.
Professional Member*
Gotta pay your dues hawkeye, we all got scars
Professional Member
I hear ya. I want to pay my dues but no body wants to take on an apprentice. Too many fricken hoops to jump through. Most only want helpers and dont want anything more than that. I want to be more than a helper. I know you have to start at the bottom and work your way up but I would like there to be at little glimmer of the light at the end of the tunnel.
Professional Member
Get a job as a helper. Better than sitting on your duffle bag. If you are worth your weight in salt you'll move up quickly. One thing trade schools, college and union classes do not teach is work ethics.
Professional Member
Working on that right now. Last two companies said right off the bat they were looking for helpers only. Would not invest into the apprenticeship. Kind of a double edge sword, do I go there and bust my a
Professional Member*
We have the opposite problem in Texas.
Anybody with 3 years' field experience and good library skills can get licensed by the state to be a contractor.
Lotsa guys running around with their own company, that couldn't diagnose their way out of a wet paper bag.
Service techs need only to "register" at this point, for $20 bucks.
Texas now has in the neighborhood of Forty THOUSAND licensed contractors, but beyond an EPA card and twenty bucks, employees need nothing.
That being said.....education is never a "waste of time"...
Technical incompetence is NOT a sales tool....
Professional Member
::sarcasm engage::
I know it's preposterous to think that the title Journeyman means anything aside from the fact that you can pass a test. How ridiculous of the state to require people who are testing for a professional license or certification to actually have experience in the field they will be licensed in! What a bunch of money grubbing greedy bureaucrats!
On a serious note, it is hard to find a small business owner who will invest in training for his or her employees right now. Most of them are in self-preservation mode (some of them are in this mode permanently) and are not interested in anything that will not immediately improve their bottom line. This is not a good way to grow a business, IMO... As they say, it takes money to make money. Employers are worried about the risk of training their employees only to have them turn around and become their competition.
If you're not working right now, any job is better than no job. To turn a job down because you percieve that there's "no light at the end of the tunnel" sounds like excuses, ego, and pride getting in the way of practicality. I apologize if I misunderstood the situation.
Don't pick the fly crap out of the pepper.
Professional Member
That's basically what I came in here to say. I agree that both the classroom and the field are two different things but, I think having a formal education goes a long way and I also think there needs to be a balance. 'All' of my hvac knowledge came from OJT and I'm not even satisfied with that which is why I'm going to school for this. I can't really help you on the political side of your issue but, thought It'd be important to let you know what you did was NOT a waste, imo of course.That being said.....education is never a "waste of time"...
Professional Member
Tech Rob, I hear what your saying. The last guy I worked for took full advantage of my schooling with out investing in me in return. I believe the employee needs to invest in the employer and the other way also. I worked my a
Professional Member*
Find a decent employer, put in a full year without problems or complaints (on both parts) and then approach the owner with your wishes. Feeling "taken advantage of" after only five months tells me that you have some "patience" issues. I'm sure you want to "better" yourself and being a Vet. should help with handling the stupid crap that comes with being a new employee. Go out and start with the helper job, do it well, have some patience and you'll make your own "light at the end". We always hire every person as a helper, and if they can't or won't "help", then they won't survive. We've got employees with 20 plus years experience and lots of training and certification, but they started as helpers many years ago. Just remember, patience is a virtue. Good luck!
P.S. I do admit that most contractors in this trade right now are in the "survival mode", so it'll be tough!
Professional Member*
In this industry an hvac course is not a waste of time if you learned fundamentals from it, and can apply what you learned.....
It is a waste of time if you think they are going to hire you as their lead tech only on the basis of having college courses. You need to prove yourself...
I wish I had a $1.00 for every response I deleted.....
"Decidedly Superior in a twisted pathetic way".....
Professional Member
NO TRAINING is a waste of time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it will all pay in the end!
Professional Member
Anything you do to increase your skills will pay dividends if you know how to apply it.
Don't pick the fly crap out of the pepper.
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