To all single Dads out there

[hvacrapprentice]

Ok heres the deal I'm going to school right now to gain entry-level knowledge of HVAC. My wife is about to divorce me within the near future and we have a 1 1/2 yr old who her mom is generously taking care of right now.( I see her every day) My wife is in the navy and as far as I know isnt in school learning anything and shes said many times she wants to retire in the military. Not only that she wants nothing but to party and be single basically.So this ultimatley means my daughter and I are going to be really close. So my question to you all is this, How do you manage working in this trade and raising a kid alone? Do you just find a company who doesnt do any 24/7 emergency work? or the boss has enough people he kindly doesnt put you as a 24/7 mechanic? It's just so hard if not impossible to find a babysitter at a 2am wakeup call.

-Father in distress

[beenthere]

I got lucky.
My mom would watch my son over night the weeks I was on call, when he was younger.
Then I also had good neighbors that would watch him on the mild weekends I didn't expect calls, if I got called.

Now he's old enough, that he can ride with me on some calls.
With a daughter, you might not want to take her with though. Good chance her mother will still want to watch her grandchild. Just because you and her split up, you don't have to be alienated from her mother.

Another important thing to remember to do, is file for support.
Cloths, babysitters, health care, etc, are expensive.

[McLurkavelli!]

It's cheaper to keep her.

[hvacrapprentice]

It's cheaper to keep who? my mom-in-law? Yes that would be correct, However i'm staying down here in the OC, ca with my mom which is where everyone lives. Theres many reasons I dont want to keep her. The #1 reason is I can't stand this area and would die before I force my baby girl to grow up in this hell hole. 2nd I dont like the junkfood she feeds her, dont like the trashy t.v. shows they watch in front of her, Dont like the fact that she doesnt listen to me, She teaches her to be bad, the list goes on. It's a blessing for right now dont get me wrong because shes so young and its great I can concentrate on school. But, unless she has some lifechanging experience with God I'm going to have to find a better person to watch her. She has her entire adulthood to be around morally less than good people I plan to protect her until then. Any help would be appreciated as to whether or not there are 9-5 type jobs in this trade? Or if im just dreaming?

[blackbelt3677]

You just do what you have to do. I raised my 2 kids for 4 years before I was remarried last summer. Get help from family. Friends and so on. And be straight with you're employer and they are usually will work with you. I know mine did. If you have to work construction or controls where you wont do after hours service. Just remember that you will find a way.

[beenthere]

Entry level 9 to 5 working in the field. Not really. Some companies may want you to talk specialty classes, after hours. Some job sites will be an hour or more drive home.

Talk to your relatives about care taking arrangements.

[hvacrapprentice]

ya, i'm sure I could find a babysitter that wouldnt mind an hour or 2 difference. They're getting paid after all.

[hvacrapprentice]

You just do what you have to do. I raised my 2 kids for 4 years before I was remarried last summer. Get help from family. Friends and so on. And be straight with you're employer and they are usually will work with you. I know mine did. If you have to work construction or controls where you wont do after hours service. Just remember that you will find a way.

thanks bro, it always helps to shine a light in a dark tunnel.

[HVAC Teacher]

Best of luck to you!

Welcome to the club!

By the way: IT'S NOT CHEAPER TO KEEP HER

I actually see my paycheck when I get home now!

[kruzer2001]

Try starting in the installation side. No oncall that I've ever heard about just some long days occasionally. This will also make you a better tech in the long run IMHO. Luck to you and your daughter

[jimmyhoffa]

Hey I'm from ther area what school are you going to? and have you been able to find a good company?

[hvacrapprentice]

I've found some people interested in me in washington(were I'm moving after school) and I found people who wanted me in LA but I turned it down. Not enough pay, too small a company no benefits too far from home and in the part of the world I despise. I could find a job here in LA easily, check out econo-air, they pay like 10-12 to start but also give commission and If i remember correctly they got all the benefits. A guy I know who works for them told me his average pay is 8-900per week, and he just got in the trade,not bad.

Okay so the companies I've talked to in washington said they dont do 24/7 emergency service and couldnt imagine sending a tech out at 2am, just your regular 9-5(sometimes 6-7). I said it once and I'll say it again, Jesus Christ is lord of all!!!!! and you guys are pretty cool too.

[hvacrapprentice]

About the school I'm attending an ROP class which is a 6month long course. Not the greatest but hey if it gets my foot in the door.

[chaard]

It's cheaper to keep who? my mom-in-law? Yes that would be correct, However i'm staying down here in the OC, ca with my mom which is where everyone lives. Theres many reasons I dont want to keep her. The #1 reason is I can't stand this area and would die before I force my baby girl to grow up in this hell hole. 2nd I dont like the junkfood she feeds her, dont like the trashy t.v. shows they watch in front of her, Dont like the fact that she doesnt listen to me, She teaches her to be bad, the list goes on. It's a blessing for right now dont get me wrong because shes so young and its great I can concentrate on school. But, unless she has some lifechanging experience with God I'm going to have to find a better person to watch her. She has her entire adulthood to be around morally less than good people I plan to protect her until then. Any help would be appreciated as to whether or not there are 9-5 type jobs in this trade? Or if im just dreaming?

My wife just went back to work after being home with the kids since our first was born. We found a good daycare at the local hospital were they can get good meals, interaction with other kids and learn while they are there, plus a lot of excercise. It's costing us $209 a week for 2, which I think is a very good price. They could stay there over 10 hours a day, but they don't, for that price. I would definately check into the hospitals for childcare.

To keep from working too many hours and being on call, your best bet is to do installs. Which is something you may not want to do. But if you are just now getting into this trade, it maybe your best and only option.

[hvacrapprentice]

Thats okay I have to start somewhere. Just curious whats so bad about installs? The employer I was talking to said he would start me in installation, than I can move up to servicework hopefully. So far so good he said nobody in his company does emergency calls(only weekend emergency, and they rotate between mechanics, which they only really get calls during summer for that) they have 12 mechanics and made 10million last year. Reemburse money for tools spent, own company truck, 401k,medical, dental, vision, bonuses, commission pay and 3 weeks paid vacation. If they like me then thats a lifer for me, I'll retire in this company.

[nettdawg]

new construction installs may be the way to go until your daughter gets older. having rode with me to do a few small jobs my 7 year old thinks she knows more about reading a gauge manifold than i do.

[citywide service]

Installation can be physically hard... working under a house in a cramped area trying to retrofit an old house, crawl holes not big enough to get through, wet nasty damp places.

Then there is new construction - throw it in as fast as you can cause it was bid too low so you could get your guys paid for the week - but it better look pristine whe your done cause they want top quality work! (bosses and customer).

And finally the killer! ATTICS: Almost always hot and always working on a surface that is 1 3/4" wide! you better be a good tightrope walker and have extremely good balance, one slip and you've just installed a new vent! Seriously though, attics require some real skill sometimes as they are in the 130 degree range in the summer and you just can't think! Your thinkin "how fast can I get out into the sun where it's cooler, and can you imagine 95 being cooler???

You'll get it just take your time and take care of you knees and back. In this trade those are like gold when you get older! Take care of them now and you will have a long ride on this rollercoaster we are in.


Good luck in all your endeavors!

CW.


PS:

just let me say two things; Heatpumps - master them! A really good heat pump tech is most times worth another dollar or two an hour!

[chaard]

Thats okay I have to start somewhere. Just curious whats so bad about installs? The employer I was talking to said he would start me in installation, than I can move up to servicework hopefully. So far so good he said nobody in his company does emergency calls(only weekend emergency, and they rotate between mechanics, which they only really get calls during summer for that) they have 12 mechanics and made 10million last year. Reemburse money for tools spent, own company truck, 401k,medical, dental, vision, bonuses, commission pay and 3 weeks paid vacation. If they like me then thats a lifer for me, I'll retire in this company.

Nothing bad about installs. Some people never move out of it. You have to start somewhere, installs is usually it.

[fv_tom]

The good thing about installs in no on-call work. There can be lots of long days, especially on residential retrofits. Usually it has to be finished that day, you can't leave a customer with no heat to come back tomorrow and finish it. There's usually at least one part of the install that is a major pain (usually running a new t-stat wire). And those attics and crawlspaces aren't too much fun. But it's a good place to start, and if you show aptitude they'll likely want you to branch out and do more.