Getting Dumber

[surenuff]

I have always loved my field. But I sware, the more I learn, the dumber I feel. There is so much to understand in this field that I do not believe you could ever understand it all. It has always made it challenging, and that is why I have never gotten bored with it. But It does make a body feel pretty stupid when learning something new only shows you how much you still do not know.

[m-cooling]

Read

[surenuff]

Read

I spend many hours a day doing HVAC/R work, and even more time reading and learning about it. Each night I am up very late doing paper work of some kind, and online. It is the reading I do that makes me realize so clearly that there is so much more to learn.

[Mr Chesapeake]

I actually feel like I've started to forget stuff ever since I began working on oil burners.

[hvacker]

A lot of techs go through this process. It's like all confusion until the 5th year, then about 3 months of thinking they made it, then they are humbled again. Around 10 years they get comfy until someone shows them ASHRAE Fundamentals book then it starts again.
I encourage techs to spend some time here and listen to the guys exchange ideas.

I read this in Monday's paper. It's a quote from Muhammad Ali:
"I hated every minute of training, but I said "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."

[midhvac]

There's no end to it. We have numerous people here who've studied one specific part of it for years, and therefore know more than the rest of us about that part. That's what makes this site so great. There's always somebody like that for each part.
If you study the fundamentals long enough, you'll discover that what we're taught in tech school is a simplified version of what physicists and engineers work with on a daily basis.

[surenuff]

A lot of techs go through this process. It's like all confusion until the 5th year, then about 3 months of thinking they made it, then they are humbled again. Around 10 years they get comfy until someone shows them ASHRAE Fundamentals book then it starts again.
I encourage techs to spend some time here and listen to the guys exchange ideas.

I read this in Monday's paper. It's a quote from Muhammad Ali:
"I hated every minute of training, but I said "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."

I guess it would not bother me too much if I had not been involved with HVAC/R for twenyfive years now. I hear ya on the ASHRAE fundamentals books and the like, I read those too. It just seems sometimes, like you thought you knew or understood something, then a new revelation will show you how wrong you were, or how little you really understand about the subject matter. Like I said, I am not upset about this I guess, because it keeps me hungry for more, and has never been boring to me. I have learned a lot from other pro's on here too.

[mark beiser]

The more you learn, the more you realize you don't know!

[ryan1088]

I know exactly what you are talking about. I just hope that I can know as much as some of the guys on this site have forgotten.

[Retread]

I was in this trade for 10yrs then took a break for 20 yrs. Now I have been back for 9 months and trying to remember all I need is wracking my brain for sure. This site has been a great help.