best way to find a job in hvac

[haleyann]

hey everyone, I'm a 16 year old HVAC student attending a technical highschool in CT that offers a work based learning program. What would be the best way to find and secure a job in my trade? thankyou

[blitz]

a secure job? there's not such thing boy. this is not the 1950s. even if you're good at what you do, have great customer base/PM plan, and the weather won't cooperate with you, it still be a slim time. if eqp not working nothing gonna break.

[kit352]

stay in school till you graduate to start. Try to sell yourself out as a helper to a good company even if you do it for free. Maybe get a summer internship so you can learn out of school. Try not to screw up with the law too. I see alot of good techs sitting at home because they have a criminal record which is becoming more and more of an issue no matter what type of job you want.
The best way to a secure job is to make sure your someone that can be trusted, works hard, knows his stuff, has a good attendence record (im 35 and just last year i had to prove to an employer that i had good attendence in high school), and has a good attitude. What you do and how you act now can follow you for the rest of your life.
Also make sure you have decent driving record. Helps to actually be able to get to the calls.

[Achicagoperator]

I agree that staying in school is a good start.If your passionate about this trade you'll learn and doors will open eventually.Knowing a politician may help also.

[Mnfreeze]

Knowing a politician may help also.

[lovetowork]

Do some research on hvac/r companies in your area. Create a resume, obviously you don't have much experience in anything , but put down any extra curricular activities or even why you are taking hvac courses. Go IN PERSON to apply to any jobs with your resume in hand. If no boss is there go back the next week, do not just give your resume to a secretary and hope for the best. Talk to the boss, in person!!

Tell them exactly why you are applying for a company that specializes in what they do; "I have decided that I want to get into heating because of the amount of work with natural gas conversions and installs in the next 20 years." , "I'm hoping to get into commercial refrigeration because I want to work on large and technical systems."

I'm assuming that you get school credit for working for an hvac company a couple weeks at a time(shop time?), make sure they know that. If a company shows any interest in you and says they will get back to you when they have more work; be annoying!!!! Call once a week and tell them you are just curious if they have enough work for you to work part time, you need to be the first person in their mind when looking for apprentices!!

[timebuilder]

hey everyone, I'm a 16 year old HVAC student attending a technical highschool in CT that offers a work based learning program. What would be the best way to find and secure a job in my trade? thankyou

First, as noted, "secure" jobs were already disappearing when I was 16. Today, there is no such thing. More than 60% of doctors say this year that if they had to do it all over again, they would NOT go into medicine!!! We also have a glut of lawyers.

Second, may I take it that "haleyann" indicates you are a young woman? This introduces a host of new variables into the mix. I tell you this frankly, because a school (which is a predominantly politically correct institution) will not tell you ALL of the facts.

HVACR is "hard" work. It leaves men with good upper body strength tired. Are you athletic and toned? No? That alone should give you great pause, despite the rosy, "I am woman, hear me roar" BS that people push toward young folks.

How have you scored on spatial relations tests? Ask your guidance counselor, as it should be in your record. You need to be in the 90th percentile or above.

Regardless of gender issues, before entering any technical trade, you have to ask yourself, "does mechanical and electrical work seem to come naturally and comfortably to me?" In other words:

1) were you the kid who was always taking things apart to find out how they worked?

2) did you never miss an opportunity to ask questions about a device, system, or unit? In other words, mom or dad takes the car in for service. Do you ask "what does it mean when the check engine light comes on" or does it not enter your mind?

These are the kind of things that should be a part of the life experience of a kid who will be happy in a technical trade. If you are NOT that kid, make another choice. NOW.

[DLZ Dan]

1) were you the kid who was always taking things apart to find out how they worked?
.

Funny you say that. I think back to when i was a kid and took apart old film projectors and tv's and clocks and stuff...then wasnt able to put them back together.

I'm just glad i got into school and learned not only how to put things back together, but make it look like it was never taken apart in the first place.

[timebuilder]

Yes, lol, the "putting it back together" often comes many years later.

What I'm pointing out is the necessity of being that kid that has the thirst, that curiosity about "how stuff works." Without that, there is little hope for a successful career, because it is not "in your blood."

[prorefco]

Were you the kid who stuck a bobby pin in the wall outlet thinking you could "start the house" like mom & dad started the car?

I did when I was 3. Little did I know then, instead of starting the house, that's when I started my career...

[timebuilder]

Were you the kid who stuck a bobby pin in the wall outlet thinking you could "start the house" like mom & dad started the car?

I did when I was 3. Little did I know then, instead of starting the house, that's when I started my career...

That reminds me...

I had an erector set when I was small. For our young guys here:

an Erector set was a box of pressed steel parts that were meant to resemble steel girders, but they were flat, not I-beams. There ware also larger plates and accessories, sometimes formed into elaborate parts. They even had steel wheels, pulleys, shafts, etc. The deluxe set had an electric motor, with a reversible gearbox. You would put stuff together to make cranes, wagons, etc. There were a million little screws and nuts to do that. So, I had a screwdriver and a little wrench for the square nuts.

My dad had a friend of his wire in an in-line switch to turn the motor on and off, instead of me pulling the plug out of the wall to stop the motor.

One day, I got curious about how the switch worked. I think I was six.

So, I got out my screwdriver and took the switch apart.

I never thought to unplug the thing from the wall.

I got it open, and saw the shiny copper stranded wire of the lamp cord used for the motor. I touched the wires. Luckily, I was not well grounded, but it was enough to teach me to not do that!!!!!

[timebuilder]

The OP has not visited since Thursday evening. Interesting.

[prorefco]

Gee, I hope he/she didn't try the bobby pin in the outlet trick...

[Mnfreeze]

As a youngster, I almost cause my mom and dad to sell the house. I would wait until everyone went to bed. I would pull out anything electrical found in the neighborhood. Get a screwdriver and probe until I saw sparks or felt my arm go numb. We, kept a box of fresh fuses. Mom and dad sworn it was bad wiring in the home. God bless them. They left here not knowing it was me. Now, I confess. Now, I probe around 480v.

[haleyann]

My shop experiences have been far from politically correct being the only girl in an all male shop. I have already dealt with sexism, but I have and will continue to prove myself. I've been doing MMA since i was 4 years old so I'm pretty strong. I also have one of the highest grades in my class in addition to being a Skills USA state champion. HVAC is what I want to do &it’s what I’m good at but thank you.

[timebuilder]

My shop experiences have been far from politically correct being the only girl in an all male shop. I have already dealt with sexism, but I have and will continue to prove myself. I've been doing MMA since i was 4 years old so I'm pretty strong. I also have one of the highest grades in my class in addition to being a Skills USA state champion. HVAC is what I want to do &it’s what I’m good at but thank you.

As a former Judoka, you're welcome.

I would caution you against believing that you will be free from injury in this environment, unless you condition constantly. You will be asked to do the same strength feats as someone with 30% greater muscle mass.

I'm not sure what it means to be a "state champion" in "USA Skills," but if it is anything like public schools standards, I would take a wait and see attitude. No offense. We have been dumbing down standards and giving trophies just for showing up for a couple of decades now, and we are 25th in math worldwide.

I hope you are as exceptional as you apparently think you are.

[haleyann]

I didn't mean to come off as condescending; I respect your opinion since you obviously have lots of experience in this field while I only have a couple of years of production under my belt and I'm sorry if I seem that way but that's really not me.

[timebuilder]

Let me give you one small piece of advice that I gave my niece. She's a little bit older than you are.

Try not to use words you learned in school like "sexism." If you were born after 1980, you have NO idea what sexism is. Trust me.

[dsprice]

Don't forget that besides being a technical expert, you are providing a quality product. The last thing on a job is cleanliness. How does the job site look when your done? Why will the homeowner remember you?

I have 3 women on my crew, each fresh out of trade school. I'll tell you what I've told each of them: you are working in a male dominated industry and you are going to have to work harder than them to prove you are just as good as they are. Now each one is respected for her abilities.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

[DLZ Dan]

There are a few companies around here that have female techs. You see them in the supply houses and the first couple times, it is a unusual sight. Once you see theyre willing to get in the trenches and kneel on the same nasty kitchen floors you do, theyre respected just as every other tech.

Frankly, Haley, as a business owner, I would definitely pick up a female tech who may be physically weaker than a male tech. Why? Because of the same attitude you exibited so far-because of what you call "sexism", you pride yourself in learning and striving to prove you are on the same level as everyone else. What that boils down to me is that youve conditioned your learning process to get into new material and master it. That is a trait that every good tech has.

Continue and excel, Haley, and good luck to you!