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I have been training in a new out of college older guy for a week now and boy did he waste his money. I can't understand how he knows almost nothing it's amazing. He is now finally doing some maintenance and on an oil furnace he somehow shorted something and blew a fuse, well he didn't know what happened. I had to leave a job to go bail him out because he had no clue, he didn't know enuf to check for voltage and trace it to the blown fuse. The next job had a bad fan limit so I replaced it and fired the unit and noticed a 10" long crack on HX. If I wasn't there who knows if he would have seen it.
I guess my whole point is I didn't go to school for HVAC and got thrown to the wolfs. I have been wondering how I got this far is a college grad can't even find a bad fuse. Sorry for the rant it just seems crazy.
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My tech school and seems like many others are what the student makes of them. They continue to turn them out even if they copy labs, fail tests, etc. Sadly the schooling gives them enough knowledge to be dangerous enough to kill themselves and/or someone else. I think we all hear sure you're coming from.....
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That's true, he was supposedly on the deans list, apparently that don't mean squat lol. I just don't see any real world knowledge out of him, I guess some schools are better than others.
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I also think there's a lot or complacency when you're in school. You get that "I know everything" until they are standing in front of a piece of equipment they aren't familiar with and don't know where to start. I told the guy that was a "co-op student" (he's on this site so maybe he'll comment) that the most important thing is to not know everything, but to know where to find the information you need. Phone, manuals, text, google, h-talk or whatever.
If the dude is fairly new then he probably deserves some guidance.
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I told him out of the gate use the Internet, study at home, that's how I learn also. I guess I'm not trying to make the guy sound bad, more of why did his training fail him? I think everyone needs a hand in the beginning and maybe it's partly my fault for going to help rather than guide him along. He left to a diff job and didn't see the process which would have been better also.
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It takes a long time to develop a knack for things. My guess is the next 4 weeks you will find out what he's really got and how fast he can pick things up. What do you guys predominantly do?
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I still struggle with two conflicting thoughts re: school - and it wasn't that long ago for me.
One: They actually taught me everything I needed to know to fix most common problems - I just didn't know it until confronted with it.
Two: There is no way school alone can teach you how to be a tech - it absolutely has to come from experienced techs and real world situations.
Guess it's both now that I read what I wrote. But dude should know how to chase power to a bad fuse after electricity 101.
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Mostly resi service and installs, light commercial also. Right now we are in our busy season and undermanned so I hope in a few weeks he gets comfortable and maybe will try some diagnosis. I know my first few calls were scary, my company thought I said I was a tech so they sent me on no heats right away lol.
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I don't expect him to trouble shoot much but I would expect him to check for voltage, he said he heard the "pop" and even shut the disconnect off with the fuse in it lol.Originally Posted by hurtinhvac
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Absolutely. In that case he should be able to get up to speed quickly from what it sounds like you guys do.
I've thought about making a flow chart for troubleshooting but most I don't think would understand how I attack things!
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Ya as long as he keeps plugging away and trying to learn on his own. He is like 50 so he better get the ball rolling lol, I'm training him. When we go in to a house I say this is my helper (I'm 26) they always give funny looks lol.
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Old doesnt make you smart!!
Trust me.
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FWIW, if one of my students can't recognize a blown fuse, they certainly aren't going to graduate. My question to you is, was his transcript verified and was his instructor listed or contacted as a reference? There are certain rules that prevent us as instructors from giving negative references for students. However, if an instructor chooses not to comment, that should be a red flag. Also, if the instructor/s are not listed as references, that should also raise some red flags. I've had students that dropped out of the program, only to apply at a contractor and tell them they took the program, and because of our reputation, received a job. Not soon after I get a call wondering what kind of program I am running, turning out a graduate like "Billy Bob". When asked about a transcript or instructor reference in cases like this, the normal reply is "They said they took your program". Hopefully you/your boss didn't just take his word for it.
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In your darkest hour, when the demons come, call on me brother and we shall fight them together.
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Well my boss took his word I'm sure, he is terrible at hiring guys, he is one of them that think you can pull someone off a bar stool and they will make you money. I'm glad for your students you give them quality training.
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