holy crap!!! I went to brownson technical school myself, ive been meaning to go by there and visit don and bill. i went to their school and never regret it. best thing to do is to finish your schooling first and then apply, or start applying like a month before. Actually the school also starts faxing your resume and i was picked up like a week before getting my certificate. If i could do it all over again i would start with a supermarket refrigeration company, this is where all the work is at, i went with a commercial air conditioning company and it was great during the summer but come winter you were always broke and barely surviving. If i were you at your age i would not mess with the small penny pinching companies, apply with such companies as southwest, accutherm, source, market refrigeration inc, and a couple others i cant remember right now. these companies are large enough that there is plenty of work or advancement potential into management or whatever you like. if i was 55 i would problaly want to get into ems work, well good luck and stay motivated.
I will take a bullet for my Veto LC tool bag!