2/3/11 new member- hello- southern california

[PAULB909]

hello

i am a new member from souther california.

i am 25 new to hvac, but am enrolled in a vocational school that has a tons of hands on. saw a few other schools but they didnt have much hands on,(i learn better from hands on) i was a it tech for a small warehouse. i did the usual, computer repairs, and trouble shoot, install programs. but the company packed up and moved to china. so i figured might as well get some training while i am still young and able.

so, any tips or advice for a new guy, i know you dont learn nearly enough in school or books and you learn more on the job with exp. can some of you guys describe your hvac career path. thanks

[CraziFuzzy]

There are a LOT of different ways to end up in this field (especially as the field is expanding over the years). Me, I started in the Navy of all places, as an electronics tech operating a nuclear reactor. From there, got out and got a job as a plant operator at a hydrogen plant. Ended up doing more maintenance than operations at the plant. got sick of the 65 mile commute i had to the plant, and found a more local job as an 'Engineer' at the local hospital. Engineer here means a LOT. Plumber, electrician, general handyman, hvac, plant operator, refrigerators/freezers/icemakers and pretty much whatever else breaks in this massive place. Got more involved in the building controls than most the other engineers would want to get into, and have since delved more and more into the design/tuning of the extremely diverse selection of systems we've got.

At least this job never leaves me bored.

[Tech23]

Welcome Paul,

You sound like you are on your way and your troubleshooting background will help. My brother got me into it 12 yrs ago, started in maintenance and then service. Love it and learn new things everday.

Enjoy the site...learn all you can and good luck.

[acwizard]

hello

i am a new member from souther california.

i am 25 new to hvac, but am enrolled in a vocational school that has a tons of hands on. saw a few other schools but they didnt have much hands on,(i learn better from hands on) i was a it tech for a small warehouse. i did the usual, computer repairs, and trouble shoot, install programs. but the company packed up and moved to china. so i figured might as well get some training while i am still young and able.

so, any tips or advice for a new guy, i know you dont learn nearly enough in school or books and you learn more on the job with exp. can some of you guys describe your hvac career path. thanks

I would recommend that you sign-up for any and all mfg. training that is available from the wholesalers, ask a lot of questions even if you believe the questions may be a little dumb (there are no dumb Questions),read the trade magazines, come to this site, and just listen when working around others. Do not assume that everyone knows what they are talking about. Work smart, wear your safety glasses and lift objects correctly. This industry is hard on the back. There is a lot to know and don't think you can ever stop learning. As far as my path, I started in my 20's , went to a trade school, got hired by a very small refrigeration service company. I worked on you name it , everything from ice-cream trucks, refrigerated acid baths for anodizing helicopter blades, walk-ins, reach-ins, a/c units. It was a great learning experience. I then got hired as a take-off grunt for an engineer. I would gather all the info for doing load calculations. My next step was an assistant estimator for a very large union contractor, there I would do the take-offs for materials, ductwork, etc., and put together bids which the owner would then check my numbers before letting the bid out. Thank God , I made a math error with some zeros while transferring some numbers,a $ 100,000.00 error. I learned quickly after that.] On to the next adventure, went back to being a mechanic, got into the local union,and learned a whole other side of the hvac industry. I was exposed to solar energy system , where I then became a foreman,learned everything I could. Moved on to help a couple companies start up their businesses. Left there and started my own contracting business and 24 years later still at it.

[PAULB909]

thanks guys, i am a bit nervous because i know that once i get all my certs from the school i will still be a tech with no experience , and i think it would be hard to get into the field without exp. hopefully some one will take a chance on me when the time comes.

the more i learn at school the more i want to learn about the ins and outs of hvac. once again thanks guys. i hope i dont have a problem landing a job once i am done with my training in a 5 more months.

i have been trouble shooting comercial units at school and already fixed 2. i am loving this field, i love working with my hands.

[Tech23]

thanks guys, i am a bit nervous because i know that once i get all my certs from the school i will still be a tech with no experience , and i think it would be hard to get into the field without exp. hopefully some one will take a chance on me when the time comes.

the more i learn at school the more i want to learn about the ins and outs of hvac. once again thanks guys. i hope i dont have a problem landing a job once i am done with my training in a 5 more months.

i have been trouble shooting comercial units at school and already fixed 2. i am loving this field, i love working with my hands.

I interview guys fresh out school all the time and can tell you this: So many of them can't answer the basic of questions...which tells me either the school sucks or they were not paying attention or able to retain the info. These guys get sent packing.

So my advice is to pay attention, ask questions and learn all you can...this will make a difference in your interviews.

[AC-GIRL]

Hi Paulb909
I have been in the field for over 15 years and I have trained a few guys coming out for school.
All you need to do is lesson and learn and the stories you hear will help to, but most of all is hands on and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you have them. Good luck, you will love this field.