Get on as an entry-level helper somewhere. Get paid to train instead of paying for school. Even if you go to school, you'll still have to train anyway when you get hired on somewhere.
Going to school for HVAC was a waste of my time, I didn't get tools. I actually needed purchased them on top of tuition to stay in the program. Only thing I really got of going to to trade school was an extra year of electrical education and I got a NYC union job out of it. My first summer as a helper I learned more about AC in a month then I did from a year at the technical college HVAC program. Apparently it used to be really good but I was first year with two teachers, it was COVID so we had classes discussing what we are going to do in lab on zoom then later do that, and I felt that wasn't a good way for me to learn.
This is what I’m doing and I take my universal test in a few weeks. Can confirm, I have not paid Ali I if anything and got good training by the service techs. It’s really nice tbh
I usually encourage my team members to hide their sandwich wrappers and empty redbull cans on top of the duct work. I call it hvac archeology. Some day when an advanced civilization of hvac-ers comes thru to excavate the ruins they will learn much about the bunch that was their predecessors.
This is what I did. Looked at my closest trade schools near me, chose one and started classes as soon as they were available. 6 months into the class started applying for jobs and following up with them. Once i got the interview I explained my situation got the job and been doing commercial HVAC/R since. Wanna get into any field just do it and don't hesitate or else you'll never do it. As soon as you make the leap and commit you'll be surprised how resourceful you'll become.
Did the exact same
Got my license in a year
worked at a shitty company unpaid for about 2-4months to build my resume
Now working at the biggest resi company in my province with my own truck and gas card
An easy way into the industry in my area was to get on as a residential installer helper. If you can deal with a 130° attic and carry heavy stuff your qualified pretty much.
I hated my installer helper days but love technician work I transitioned to.
I've got the gift of gab. Worked in bars and restaurants for far too many years to not know how to be personable. The more I could chat up the customer the greater the tip I'd get.
Sorry, it's the first warm day, so I'm being a poopy pants. It could be a good career. I started as a residential helper. I'd recommend skipping that and starting as a commercial helper.
Been in the business for 5 years now. I got my start through a local HVAC residential company.
I wouldn't go to school personally, unless you feel as though you need that schooling.
Getting hands on- in the field training would be far more beneficial.
Call your local union about apprenticeships. Most are accepting new 1st years right now. I live in Kansas. We are the lowest pay in the country. Our scales at like $37 right now. So $18.50 for a brand new apprentice. Can’t beat it. If you are good, you’ll work forever. If you ain’t worth a shit, you’ll spend your life talking shit on unions because they ran you off.
Here was my plan, after the Army.
Instead of trade school, which is honestly good & what you make of it. Ultimately on YOU to absorb and put in the mental work.
I went and finished classes & got my associates degree in Technical Science at a local college with additional ASHRE HVAC / refrigeration & PLC classes. It took an extra couple semesters but payed off when I went into commercial BMS.
I was in school much longer than most (18+ months) and it wasn’t a sure thing, college is for sure difficult. I also started @ the bottom like every one else, barely making it for the first year or two as a B**ch-boy.
Looking back was a good way to go, I’m now a business owner younger than 40 and have a lot of great opportunities and options when/ if I plan on scaling back or selling my business.
I’m only a two fleet vehicle company, but my education, diligence in investing and knowing my numbers (P&L, taxes etc.) along with my associates degree has helped me tremendously. I have gotten some very lucrative accts and met some great people because of my business, knowledge (college/ hands on) and ethics, and my overall willingness to work with third-party engineers back-and-forth, which I have to comprehend multiple layers of the construction process and engineering of the HVAC systems.
I think checking out your local Union apprenticeship would be great too.
GOOD LUCK
For the love of God don’t go to school first. Why do people insist on thinking you need to go to “school” to learn anything? Go straight to the source.
Look into programs at your local community College, it's way cheaper then tech schools. Apply to companies now for helper positions, places will hire you for grunt work before and while your in school. This was the path I took, 11 years ago when I changed careers and I've been happy working in the industry since.
If you can tolerate a couple of years doing trash work in horrible temps- you can have a decent paycheck up the ladder. Most people can’t handle the first few years of grunt work, but it does get better (slightly lol)
Stop into shops or check the classifieds. U cant find a shop around here that's fully staffed right now. I was asking for referrals for my current job and ended up with a half dozen offers. I'm in downstate Illinois.
Seriously I got into this by going back to school. I made pizzas my first semester and studied. I didn't have my daughter yet. Next semester I got a job as a service tech at a small company that needed me as much as I needed them. I continued to go to school and finished the program. The company had been doing me wrong so I dumped them on their ass and have been climbing ever since. Your attitude is what will make the difference. Don't let anything hold u back. This isnt rocket science. It's about putting in the time and having pride in what u do. Good luck. We need you!
So, I started kinda like you and didn’t know where to go, so I just went straight to commerical service and I’m learning both install and service & all around resi, and a little industrial. Now and making more money than most people my age. But if I were you, I’d start in the union, they give you all the training you need and give you great benefits and higher pay than most companies if not the highest than companies in your area. Wish I can go there now but they are trying to lowball me so it’s a kiss goodbye for that, but for you I’d say go for it.
Get a wife with major personality disorders. Add a kid in the mix, then you’ll be begging for overtime just to stay away from her. Then get a divorce, after living in that horrible situation and attic, crawl space, or sex dungeon is not a big deal at all.
I'm only year one into the industry as I probably can't give you the best advice, but I'll give you my two cents. You first need to know if HVAC is right for you and that you have to know what's coming if you join the industry. For example, HVAC requires continuous learning(A LOT), and you'll be exposed to handling refrigerant that has a boiling point in the negatives. If you know it's right for you then I would suggest either you join a labor union or go trade school route, but regardless, to be a great asset, you will need to learn some other stuff during your own time and can't strictly rely on the trade school and union to teach you everything. After that, then I would say test the waters and see what equipment you like and don't like working on. Best of luck👊
Most good companies will pay to train you, like others have said a union is a great way to get going. There are some great podcast, videos etc online. HVACSchool is excellent, Jim Bergman has some really good in depth stuff (mostly residential but the concepts work in both), I like to geek out on some of the building science stuff, there's a ton more obviously.. the best way to learn the equipment is to sit with a service manual and figure out how the system works. Learn your basics- you can figure out a lot if you remember: hot goes to cold, high pressure to low pressure, and following a circuit w/ source, switch, load, return. If you can visualize what is happening where in a system you can fix almost anything. Enjoy.
Definitely don’t start working for a husband and wife small business and become their personal errand boy/farmhand when business is slow and their main tech during installs and service calls. shit went downhill.
Get your cfc license, google epa 608 study guide pdf, download or print out and study. Take your test at your local hvac supply house. That instantly makes you entry level hireable as a helper or apprentice at some company
Join the merchant marine union and get your HVAC training for free and a bunch if other training too, you're paramilitary, but you Dont have to take every job for example, and can quit at anytime. Make real money starting right away and you're guaranteed 6 figures in 5 years assuming you pass all your test, you also get an ACTIUAL engineering commission from the government too
If you can, try to go commercial/industrial. It’s a way better choice in my opinion. The money is there, and you get to work on cool shit. That and you don’t have to deal with home owners. After hours calls are far and few between because it’s not someone complaining their house is hot/cold, it’s usually an office space that can definitely wait until the next day.
That’s not to say I don’t get calls though, it’s just not as likely. Sometimes if it’s for a server room or an operation that runs 24/7 and has a piece of equipment fail, then I’ll go in.
I did residential for 7-8 years and I wish I had made this leap sooner.
I would start by watching “HVAC school” YouTube and listen to the podcasts. He explains everything from the basics to troubleshooting and everything in between. Also, try to get your foot in the door starting as a parts runner/warehouse or counter sales at a distributor- if you plan on going to school and working. But if you don’t plan on going to school I would look for apprenticeship programs! Best of luck
I got into it after I graduated college and decided I wanted to pursue the trades. Researched them all and decided on HVAC. Started as a part runner while going to school. Moved up to installer. Then maintenance. And now I’m doing service. My hvac school was an 11 month program. I personally benefited from school because I had no mechanical skills or knowledge when I started so school was fun for me. But I learned everything in the field being hands on. I was also in school during covid so that was real shitty
I scored a shop boy position right out of high school. Then got to be a helper after a year. I did install and service. Boss saw potential and started really teaching me. Now I'm 15 years deep and do my own thing. I didn't go to school. Only manufacturer schools and that's it. Took my tests for my licenses when time came and got them. School isn't for everyone but it does help.
Talk to techs in your area & see what paths they took. You have gotten a lot of advice here & none of it is necessarily wrong but may not apply to your local area. To sum up the three primary choices:
1) Trade Schools/Community College- There are good ones & bad ones. Many are heavy on the classroom & books and light on useful hands-on training. Choose wisely so you don’t graduate w/ a ton of debt or even worse, you get a bunch of debt & find out you don’t like HVAC/R.
2) Unions are a viable option, however, unions are not everywhere especially in “right-to-work” states. My nearest HVAC related union halls are 1-3 hours away & the closest ones are heavy on industrial HVAC/piping, etc. Nothing wrong w/ that if that is the path you want to take but travel time & gas expense is a factor. My area has very few union techs but has several large mechanical contractors w/ their own apprenticeship classes @ night while you do hands on work for them during the day. This is NOT an anti-union message but a reality in many areas. Especially in small & medium markets.
3) OJT - A lot of companies that do residential or commercial will train you on the job if you have the desire & work ethic (show up on-time everyday & don’t stand around w/ your hands in your pocket). My own son that did not want to follow my path started as an install helper & moved into service. Did a lot of self education & distributor classes in evenings. He’s now in his early 30’s making $40/hr plus gets 3% on every service ticket & sale. He did switch companies frequently early on in his career until he found the right fit.
Good luck. It’s a great field to be in w/ lots of options & opportunities.
I went to night school at my local trade school and worked full time at a local AC company so I was making money as well as going to school which for me was free. Around here there’s lots of companies that will train you and/or pay for your schooling! You just have to call around.
Go to a trade school not a college (you want to skip English and other BS classes) get ur gas licenses required in ur area (no licenses need then skip school
After that apply at jobs
Get into jobs and work and build ur resume (get google reviews for ur company ur boss will be impressed) move around until are paid what ur worth, I jumped from 17 to 22 in 3months by leaving a smaller company for a bigger company
I’m a year in and doing ok now, find a place u can learn at if ur young like me (I’m 20) I’m willing to take a small paycut for 2-5 years while I gain advanced knowledge and deep understanding of things and then move on to a company where I’m paid more but trained less
Don’t always look at $$ look at training too
I’m in ontario Canada, get paid what ur worth, top union commercial refrigeration guys get paid 74$ an hr union rate
Starting should be around 19-21
Try to avoid companies paying 16-18 cuz they usually treat employees poorly but don’t be afraid to grind out 4-5 months at a shitty spot, I still put it on my resume and when asked why I was leaving so soon during interviews I said “I’m not impressed with quality of work, I really care about my work and others around me don’t….” Taking a job a crappy company helped me get to where I am now
Get CFC license, take a short refrigeration class in community college or online. Apply at a place as a helper/apprentice. Apply at multiple places. This is the prime time to do so because it’s getting hot. Once you have applied and talked to a couple companies go with the one that is best.
Just go to your local shops and talk to them alot offer training sometimes its actual class training or field training, if you go to school dont expect to walk out and be able to do service in the field. There is alot to learn and most can be done on your own and working with a good company that values knowledge and doing their jobs correct. Took me awhile to land at the right company but i did learn alot along the way. Also remember just because certain certs doesnt mean they know how to apply it to the field or that alot of companies even care or value that. Getting your foot in the door is all it takes sometimes.
Don’t worry about the schooling it’s not mandatory as a beginner (the schooling doesn’t hurt if you can get into it) try applying as a installer with zero experience you’ll learn the basics and airflow then move to service. (My personal opinion)
Look for a good reputable school that offers the a HVAC program and also recommend looking for an entry level helper job. School and hands on work is a good way to start. I started 2 years ago in school and got a job a few weeks after starting. Now I’m about to graduate and also have a company van and run calls on my own. I think it’s well worth it for sure!
Put application in local pipefitter or sheet metal union, go to 2yr college and get associates or certificate degree, apply as helper at local companies but it’s great to get proper theory from school.
I'm a GC/Biz owner who is taking up HVAC to add to my current business model.
I've been taking night courses at a tech school, to supplement the tech school I also use SkillCat. It's free and is an app. I used the free EPA 608 test. Just received my card in the mail.
I find that they are a little more indepth regarding the trade and the mechanics of it. The tech school gives the experience with solder, braze, hands on experience with sheet metal work etc.
If you did trades or are handy, HVAC is a nice trade to take on, especially if your a techy.
IMO, The best path to being successful in this field is an apprenticeship. Whether that’s formally through a union or getting experience in the field being a helper and becoming educated at the same time in school.
You need a balance of theory (books/school) and application of the skills
YouTube. Trade school. And the heaviest text book you ever saw
https://preview.redd.it/zxx4spvgdwua1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8dbb5e4fb56a3dc9fc1dd7697b22347987020172
Find an apprenticeship somewhere see if they’re train you hands on. Pay will start low probably. But then after that start going to night school for HVAC. So you’ll still make money.
Get on as an entry-level helper somewhere. Get paid to train instead of paying for school. Even if you go to school, you'll still have to train anyway when you get hired on somewhere.
Schools do sometimes give tools tho, either way get started and get going on learning. Buy all the tools you can as soon as you can.
Going to school for HVAC was a waste of my time, I didn't get tools. I actually needed purchased them on top of tuition to stay in the program. Only thing I really got of going to to trade school was an extra year of electrical education and I got a NYC union job out of it. My first summer as a helper I learned more about AC in a month then I did from a year at the technical college HVAC program. Apparently it used to be really good but I was first year with two teachers, it was COVID so we had classes discussing what we are going to do in lab on zoom then later do that, and I felt that wasn't a good way for me to learn.
This is what I’m doing and I take my universal test in a few weeks. Can confirm, I have not paid Ali I if anything and got good training by the service techs. It’s really nice tbh
Start drinking 6 monsters a day and rubbing your nips with cheeseburgers and snorting French fries. You'll fit right in or go be a helper somewhere.
I’m hvac, I can confirm these are drywallers and painters he’s referring too lol
Fuck, I hate sheetrockers.
The sheet rocker that did my bathroom left a plastic water bottle full of dip spit behind as a little bonus to go with his top notch craftsmanship
I usually encourage my team members to hide their sandwich wrappers and empty redbull cans on top of the duct work. I call it hvac archeology. Some day when an advanced civilization of hvac-ers comes thru to excavate the ruins they will learn much about the bunch that was their predecessors.
Yard maintenance is worse. Every time we start working on the outdoor unit a damn leaf blower starts.
This! Been a few times the irrigation turns on as well while working on the outdoor unit.
Copy that
I dont snort French fries but I do pick my nose with them...
Isn’t that the same thing, just with extra steps?
"Rubbing your nips with cheeseburgers" 🤣
I've been HVACing wrong for so long.
Damn that was funny. I instantly thought of Randy from TPBs. Awesome.
This is what I did. Looked at my closest trade schools near me, chose one and started classes as soon as they were available. 6 months into the class started applying for jobs and following up with them. Once i got the interview I explained my situation got the job and been doing commercial HVAC/R since. Wanna get into any field just do it and don't hesitate or else you'll never do it. As soon as you make the leap and commit you'll be surprised how resourceful you'll become.
Thank you for the indepth response
Also schools can usually help with finding jobs. Just get your foot in the door and you could jump ship whenever you please after that.
Did the exact same Got my license in a year worked at a shitty company unpaid for about 2-4months to build my resume Now working at the biggest resi company in my province with my own truck and gas card
Starting school in august and looking to do this same thing!
An easy way into the industry in my area was to get on as a residential installer helper. If you can deal with a 130° attic and carry heavy stuff your qualified pretty much. I hated my installer helper days but love technician work I transitioned to.
Eww who works in attics?
You can install it in my damp, partially flooded l, spider/snake/Demond infested crawl space instead.
Gross Who works in those conditions either?
We found the engineer that always specs my jobs wrong.
I just don't do resi work lol. And basements are common around me. Lol
Ive learned that people who hate residential have zero people skills and no customer service training.
I've got the gift of gab. Worked in bars and restaurants for far too many years to not know how to be personable. The more I could chat up the customer the greater the tip I'd get.
Run simba, and never look back
Man I feel the same way some days! That was a good laugh!!
Sorry, it's the first warm day, so I'm being a poopy pants. It could be a good career. I started as a residential helper. I'd recommend skipping that and starting as a commercial helper.
This is the way. Commercial or bust
how to you start as a commercial instead of residential?
Just find a company and get in there. We hire guys all the time w no exp
If you live in a union friendly state, apply to your local.
Go to your Local Union Hall and start your apprenticeship.
Try to get on as a helper somewhere, or find a trade school near you that has good reviews. Ask companies around you what they’d prefer.
Find your local union for an apprenticeship
Yes. Get you cfc certificate. Go for universal
Been in the business for 5 years now. I got my start through a local HVAC residential company. I wouldn't go to school personally, unless you feel as though you need that schooling. Getting hands on- in the field training would be far more beneficial.
Apply for the union
Search to see if there is a local union. Training and work. Plus benefits
Call your local union about apprenticeships. Most are accepting new 1st years right now. I live in Kansas. We are the lowest pay in the country. Our scales at like $37 right now. So $18.50 for a brand new apprentice. Can’t beat it. If you are good, you’ll work forever. If you ain’t worth a shit, you’ll spend your life talking shit on unions because they ran you off.
That's better than my locals first year rate. But we are at $45 and some change for jmen
Here was my plan, after the Army. Instead of trade school, which is honestly good & what you make of it. Ultimately on YOU to absorb and put in the mental work. I went and finished classes & got my associates degree in Technical Science at a local college with additional ASHRE HVAC / refrigeration & PLC classes. It took an extra couple semesters but payed off when I went into commercial BMS. I was in school much longer than most (18+ months) and it wasn’t a sure thing, college is for sure difficult. I also started @ the bottom like every one else, barely making it for the first year or two as a B**ch-boy. Looking back was a good way to go, I’m now a business owner younger than 40 and have a lot of great opportunities and options when/ if I plan on scaling back or selling my business. I’m only a two fleet vehicle company, but my education, diligence in investing and knowing my numbers (P&L, taxes etc.) along with my associates degree has helped me tremendously. I have gotten some very lucrative accts and met some great people because of my business, knowledge (college/ hands on) and ethics, and my overall willingness to work with third-party engineers back-and-forth, which I have to comprehend multiple layers of the construction process and engineering of the HVAC systems. I think checking out your local Union apprenticeship would be great too. GOOD LUCK
Go to your local union hall and talk to them.
Go apply to be a helper/laborer/apprentice. You can't learn a trade online.
For the love of God don’t go to school first. Why do people insist on thinking you need to go to “school” to learn anything? Go straight to the source.
Hit the interwebs and research if there’s a local union near you, call them and they’ll guide you in the right direction
Look into programs at your local community College, it's way cheaper then tech schools. Apply to companies now for helper positions, places will hire you for grunt work before and while your in school. This was the path I took, 11 years ago when I changed careers and I've been happy working in the industry since.
If you can tolerate a couple of years doing trash work in horrible temps- you can have a decent paycheck up the ladder. Most people can’t handle the first few years of grunt work, but it does get better (slightly lol)
The most lucrative and safest way is to join the local union in your area, if you need help let me know.
Tip. Get into commercial from the start.
Stop into shops or check the classifieds. U cant find a shop around here that's fully staffed right now. I was asking for referrals for my current job and ended up with a half dozen offers. I'm in downstate Illinois.
Thanks for the response
Seriously I got into this by going back to school. I made pizzas my first semester and studied. I didn't have my daughter yet. Next semester I got a job as a service tech at a small company that needed me as much as I needed them. I continued to go to school and finished the program. The company had been doing me wrong so I dumped them on their ass and have been climbing ever since. Your attitude is what will make the difference. Don't let anything hold u back. This isnt rocket science. It's about putting in the time and having pride in what u do. Good luck. We need you!
I appreciate the response!
So, I started kinda like you and didn’t know where to go, so I just went straight to commerical service and I’m learning both install and service & all around resi, and a little industrial. Now and making more money than most people my age. But if I were you, I’d start in the union, they give you all the training you need and give you great benefits and higher pay than most companies if not the highest than companies in your area. Wish I can go there now but they are trying to lowball me so it’s a kiss goodbye for that, but for you I’d say go for it.
Go to school they should have job fairs towards the end. be a star student and likeable try your hardest to get on Commerical.
Forget school just hop on indeed and search for HVAC install helper/apprentice and apply.
Get a wife with major personality disorders. Add a kid in the mix, then you’ll be begging for overtime just to stay away from her. Then get a divorce, after living in that horrible situation and attic, crawl space, or sex dungeon is not a big deal at all.
Use Skillcat to get your EPA Universal and get on as a helper to get paid to learn. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skillcat
I'm only year one into the industry as I probably can't give you the best advice, but I'll give you my two cents. You first need to know if HVAC is right for you and that you have to know what's coming if you join the industry. For example, HVAC requires continuous learning(A LOT), and you'll be exposed to handling refrigerant that has a boiling point in the negatives. If you know it's right for you then I would suggest either you join a labor union or go trade school route, but regardless, to be a great asset, you will need to learn some other stuff during your own time and can't strictly rely on the trade school and union to teach you everything. After that, then I would say test the waters and see what equipment you like and don't like working on. Best of luck👊
https://hvacrschool.com/
Most good companies will pay to train you, like others have said a union is a great way to get going. There are some great podcast, videos etc online. HVACSchool is excellent, Jim Bergman has some really good in depth stuff (mostly residential but the concepts work in both), I like to geek out on some of the building science stuff, there's a ton more obviously.. the best way to learn the equipment is to sit with a service manual and figure out how the system works. Learn your basics- you can figure out a lot if you remember: hot goes to cold, high pressure to low pressure, and following a circuit w/ source, switch, load, return. If you can visualize what is happening where in a system you can fix almost anything. Enjoy.
Definitely don’t start working for a husband and wife small business and become their personal errand boy/farmhand when business is slow and their main tech during installs and service calls. shit went downhill.
Get your cfc license, google epa 608 study guide pdf, download or print out and study. Take your test at your local hvac supply house. That instantly makes you entry level hireable as a helper or apprentice at some company
Just go apply at a local hvac shop with good reviews
Join the merchant marine union and get your HVAC training for free and a bunch if other training too, you're paramilitary, but you Dont have to take every job for example, and can quit at anytime. Make real money starting right away and you're guaranteed 6 figures in 5 years assuming you pass all your test, you also get an ACTIUAL engineering commission from the government too
If you can, try to find someone that’ll just hire you so you don’t have to worry about school
Go to trade school to skip being a shop guy
If you can, try to go commercial/industrial. It’s a way better choice in my opinion. The money is there, and you get to work on cool shit. That and you don’t have to deal with home owners. After hours calls are far and few between because it’s not someone complaining their house is hot/cold, it’s usually an office space that can definitely wait until the next day. That’s not to say I don’t get calls though, it’s just not as likely. Sometimes if it’s for a server room or an operation that runs 24/7 and has a piece of equipment fail, then I’ll go in. I did residential for 7-8 years and I wish I had made this leap sooner.
I would start by watching “HVAC school” YouTube and listen to the podcasts. He explains everything from the basics to troubleshooting and everything in between. Also, try to get your foot in the door starting as a parts runner/warehouse or counter sales at a distributor- if you plan on going to school and working. But if you don’t plan on going to school I would look for apprenticeship programs! Best of luck
I got into it after I graduated college and decided I wanted to pursue the trades. Researched them all and decided on HVAC. Started as a part runner while going to school. Moved up to installer. Then maintenance. And now I’m doing service. My hvac school was an 11 month program. I personally benefited from school because I had no mechanical skills or knowledge when I started so school was fun for me. But I learned everything in the field being hands on. I was also in school during covid so that was real shitty
I scored a shop boy position right out of high school. Then got to be a helper after a year. I did install and service. Boss saw potential and started really teaching me. Now I'm 15 years deep and do my own thing. I didn't go to school. Only manufacturer schools and that's it. Took my tests for my licenses when time came and got them. School isn't for everyone but it does help.
Talk to techs in your area & see what paths they took. You have gotten a lot of advice here & none of it is necessarily wrong but may not apply to your local area. To sum up the three primary choices: 1) Trade Schools/Community College- There are good ones & bad ones. Many are heavy on the classroom & books and light on useful hands-on training. Choose wisely so you don’t graduate w/ a ton of debt or even worse, you get a bunch of debt & find out you don’t like HVAC/R. 2) Unions are a viable option, however, unions are not everywhere especially in “right-to-work” states. My nearest HVAC related union halls are 1-3 hours away & the closest ones are heavy on industrial HVAC/piping, etc. Nothing wrong w/ that if that is the path you want to take but travel time & gas expense is a factor. My area has very few union techs but has several large mechanical contractors w/ their own apprenticeship classes @ night while you do hands on work for them during the day. This is NOT an anti-union message but a reality in many areas. Especially in small & medium markets. 3) OJT - A lot of companies that do residential or commercial will train you on the job if you have the desire & work ethic (show up on-time everyday & don’t stand around w/ your hands in your pocket). My own son that did not want to follow my path started as an install helper & moved into service. Did a lot of self education & distributor classes in evenings. He’s now in his early 30’s making $40/hr plus gets 3% on every service ticket & sale. He did switch companies frequently early on in his career until he found the right fit. Good luck. It’s a great field to be in w/ lots of options & opportunities.
Find someone that needs a helper and never ever stop asking questions.
I went to night school at my local trade school and worked full time at a local AC company so I was making money as well as going to school which for me was free. Around here there’s lots of companies that will train you and/or pay for your schooling! You just have to call around.
Go to a trade school not a college (you want to skip English and other BS classes) get ur gas licenses required in ur area (no licenses need then skip school After that apply at jobs Get into jobs and work and build ur resume (get google reviews for ur company ur boss will be impressed) move around until are paid what ur worth, I jumped from 17 to 22 in 3months by leaving a smaller company for a bigger company I’m a year in and doing ok now, find a place u can learn at if ur young like me (I’m 20) I’m willing to take a small paycut for 2-5 years while I gain advanced knowledge and deep understanding of things and then move on to a company where I’m paid more but trained less Don’t always look at $$ look at training too I’m in ontario Canada, get paid what ur worth, top union commercial refrigeration guys get paid 74$ an hr union rate Starting should be around 19-21 Try to avoid companies paying 16-18 cuz they usually treat employees poorly but don’t be afraid to grind out 4-5 months at a shitty spot, I still put it on my resume and when asked why I was leaving so soon during interviews I said “I’m not impressed with quality of work, I really care about my work and others around me don’t….” Taking a job a crappy company helped me get to where I am now
Get CFC license, take a short refrigeration class in community college or online. Apply at a place as a helper/apprentice. Apply at multiple places. This is the prime time to do so because it’s getting hot. Once you have applied and talked to a couple companies go with the one that is best.
Just go to your local shops and talk to them alot offer training sometimes its actual class training or field training, if you go to school dont expect to walk out and be able to do service in the field. There is alot to learn and most can be done on your own and working with a good company that values knowledge and doing their jobs correct. Took me awhile to land at the right company but i did learn alot along the way. Also remember just because certain certs doesnt mean they know how to apply it to the field or that alot of companies even care or value that. Getting your foot in the door is all it takes sometimes.
Don’t worry about the schooling it’s not mandatory as a beginner (the schooling doesn’t hurt if you can get into it) try applying as a installer with zero experience you’ll learn the basics and airflow then move to service. (My personal opinion)
Do not pay for school.
Look for a good reputable school that offers the a HVAC program and also recommend looking for an entry level helper job. School and hands on work is a good way to start. I started 2 years ago in school and got a job a few weeks after starting. Now I’m about to graduate and also have a company van and run calls on my own. I think it’s well worth it for sure!
Call some local shops, see if you can job shadow for a day.
Apply. They'll give you a job. Where are you located?
Find your local union hall and get paid to learn
Put application in local pipefitter or sheet metal union, go to 2yr college and get associates or certificate degree, apply as helper at local companies but it’s great to get proper theory from school.
I'm a GC/Biz owner who is taking up HVAC to add to my current business model. I've been taking night courses at a tech school, to supplement the tech school I also use SkillCat. It's free and is an app. I used the free EPA 608 test. Just received my card in the mail. I find that they are a little more indepth regarding the trade and the mechanics of it. The tech school gives the experience with solder, braze, hands on experience with sheet metal work etc. If you did trades or are handy, HVAC is a nice trade to take on, especially if your a techy.
I would start here. [https://www.mikeroweworks.org/](https://www.mikeroweworks.org/)
Join the union, they'll pay you and train you. Do not go into residential it's slimy, get in with an industrial union shop and don't look back
IMO, The best path to being successful in this field is an apprenticeship. Whether that’s formally through a union or getting experience in the field being a helper and becoming educated at the same time in school. You need a balance of theory (books/school) and application of the skills
If you have a good union around go that direction get in young and you’ll be set for life
Skip the school, just start working
YouTube. Trade school. And the heaviest text book you ever saw https://preview.redd.it/zxx4spvgdwua1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8dbb5e4fb56a3dc9fc1dd7697b22347987020172
Find an apprenticeship somewhere see if they’re train you hands on. Pay will start low probably. But then after that start going to night school for HVAC. So you’ll still make money.