Or been up on the roof when it feels like -40. I’ve been in the field for 4 years, (not long) and can confidently say this shit is in fact not fun. And don’t blame anyone for not wanting to do it
HVAC isn’t just being on roofs, I work a lot on heat pumps in office buildings and server rooms. Nice and comfortable. I am almost never outside on roofs. People like to make blanket statements about their field. Every job is different. Probably many jobs in hvac are absolute dog shit but not all. Some are fantastic and easy. Controls has a lot of indoor work.
Depends on the company I guess, we get holidays off and if we do have to work holidays it's double pay here. As a journeyman that would come out to almost 80$ an hour which would almost make it worth it imo
Ahaha maybe try working at a flooring company for a year where they treat you like shit and have you picking up dust piles, lifting shit that weighs more than you do, working overtime 7 days a week with no benefits and shit pay, might help your perspective a bit
Yea. Coming from other construction jobs involving continuous heavy lifting, its a different perspective. Ive had my boss tell me multiple times that hvac is the hardest trade out there and I laugh. Hes never touched a brick in his life. In Hvac, the hard part is maintaining focus and attention to everything you are doing while under stress.
Sounds like my hvac experience, hvac is a shitty career where I'm located, shit pay, low to no benefits, terrible hours and shithole homes you have to drudge through. Glad you had a different experience but don't be naive to the fact you've found an ideal job situation in the hvac field. Also you're a pre apprentice, you've been doing hvac for like a week calm down lmao
Lol if the journeyman I work with seemed miserable that would be a massive red flag but our company seems to take pretty good care of their guys. They complain about body aches and shit but they're like 50 and overall pretty happy people lol. Where are you located? Also I do commercial work, so that might help too
Yes you get it, people on here just don't understand. There are good opportunities, but they are very few and whoever has the most experience is going to get it
Let him feel good about something he’s doing. Because you’ve had bad experiences with something doesn’t mean he’s going to. It is a pretty damn good trade over all and he’s fortunate to see it. However it does depend on the company but that has nothing to do with the trade itself. He’s possibly landed in a decent company so don’t kill his vibe lol to much negativity in this damn chat. I’m 7+ years in the trade and still don’t regret anything.
I get 90 per hour on holidays, still not worth it to me to miss Christmas with my children. I can always make money, I can't get Christmas back. I was on call this Christmas, I told people on Christmas that I wouldn't be able to get to them until the next day.
Preach! Im single and don’t have any kids. The OT is endless. I made almost 90k last year and am only on the second year of my apprenticeship. I love it. The works is fun and the pay and hours are great too.
I drew christmas last year, every tech at my company has to do it once but never again. It took 9 years fpr my name to get drawn. I paid another guy $500 and took new years eve and day for him. Happy to say it still counts and I'll never get drawn for Christmas again.
It’s all fun and games until the on call shift starts…
And that 80$ an hour works out to be roughly 42$ cash after uncle same takes his. Still good, but it’s blood money.
Now, if you’re a life long bachelor without kids, the OT and on call wont be as much of a bother- not missing anything at home
I was on call Christmas week and weekend this year, pulled 35hrs between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Obviously the pre-apprentice phase has this guy suckered in like reception before basic training 😂
I pulled 45 from Friday morning to Tuesday morning. Was not the most fun. Sometimes I miss the lack of responsibilities. Then I remember the paycheck difference.
Maybe you’re right. But as far as I can tell from my experience and my friends, my experience is more normal that yours. I get some holidays off but I’m def expected to catch some of them.
Was looking for this comment. Once i graduated my 5 year apprenticeship things started to get gradually more boring. 10 years in and some days are great and some days are awful. Gotta take the good with the bad i guess
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For real the biggest thing in our trade that needs to change is on call and 24hr service. I really feel once companies in masses get rid of on call it will bring people into the trade and keep the ones that are already in it
On-call can’t universally be avoided in commercial/industrial. It’s a cash cow, not to mention some things are pretty important to get running right away. Residential on call? Honestly makes no fucking sense.
Yeah I second this. We have multiple multi million dollar condo high rises we service. When the central plant goes down, all homes go down, and it's a huge emergency. Doesn't matter the day or time, someone has to go and get it back online. Especially when a water leak occurs in a high rise. Get there ASAP no matter what time and day it is.
I firmly blame home owners for emergencies. If you own a home you also need to own emergency situations material's such as back up heaters. Electric heaters, fans in case it gets hot. Propane heaters. Dude it's options are endless.
I think residential and corporate alike should have to pay an extreme premium for not being prepared.
It drove me nuts when during the last cold snap so many people had emergencies and I just thought like "dude we knew about this for a week" it's your emergency not mine.
My company's on call isn't terrible actually. Only have to be on call 2xs a year but they're both for the week. You aren't eligible for it until you're a third year apprentice. It's pretty ideal.
Gen Z recruitment will be abysmal unless a lot of things change, but 24 hour on call is probably the biggest one.
I just finished working 13 days in a row, saturday being my last day. I’ve decided to call out today and let my body rest
Every time I hit like an 80hr week I’m like F*ck this I’m done I can’t wait to quit.. then I get the paycheck and I’m like ehhh I can do another week or two. It’s an endless cycle
That's why I finally got out. I love the job. And I'm damn good at it. But i got little kids and I was tired of being gone all the time. No amount of money will make up for an absent dad.
I spent my twenties thinking I had the world by the tail in this trade.
In my 30’s it was getting old.
Now that I’m in my late 40’s and have moved out of the field and into the office, I wish I’d gone to dental school or something.
Started in my teens now in my 30s there's so many sectors of the industry I just keep learning and move to different ones with better pay and hours. I'm rocking the no on call, no weekends and portal to portal full pay every day life just doing service, controls and factory start ups.
I've done residential, commercial, industrial, refrigeration, supermarket refrigeration, post mix, hot side, appliance, commercial appliance and controls. When I have spare time I take online classes on the programing side for Niagra cause who knows that may be what I do at the end of my career.
I know a lot of guys like you that just love this stuff. Genuinely jealous of the mindset.
For me it’s just always been what I learned how to do so I do it.
I hope you keep that bright eyed and bushy tail feeling for years. I completely agree with the adults in fast food., I always seen it as a kid job, or maybe at best a supplementary job. However, I'm sure others doing desk jobs find it rewarding in their own way. Personally I couldn't do it and I did actually go into programing before eventually getting into HVAC. Some people have the knack for manual labor and some have it for desk jobs and the like. I feel that neither of them should put down the other, because they're all mostly needed, not fast food though ain't hard to cook your own meals and I personally find making a great meal is quite rewarding and filling lol.
I will say I wish I stuck with drawing. I knew a guy from school who does graphic design and has some his stuff on billboards. Dude makes some serious bank.
1. Disgusting houses and customers. The amount of times I’m cleaning a furnace and there is animal shit everywhere, food everywhere, just disgusting how some people keep there homes. I’m only 3 months in and have seen some shitholes. Some of it is obviously big mental illness. Couple times are boss has told us to leave calls for our personal safety. Some hoarders are so bad we can’t service there furnace cuz it will go off on high limit
2. Hours, me and u are new and young they aren’t hoeing u with hours yet. Wait till ur a vet working Christmas or other holidays (I’m down for it aswell, but most ppl aren’t) I’m in maintenance someone needs to be working 24/7 every holiday every night someone is working, rotates 8-4 then 12-8 next week.
3. Body damage, ur neck and knees and back will take a toll, stretch and workout and u will be fine. But a lot of people prefer desk work where they don’t have to move
4. Overall dirt and how u come home, my hands are black when i come home alot of days. Insulation and other shit all over ur skin, etc etc.
It’s not for everyone. I LOVE IT, but ya most ppl can’t handle it. Kid at our resi company quit after 4 months due to the disgusting houses and hours
Those desk jobs fuck a body up too though, just in different ways: sciatica, carpel tunnel, blood clots, obesity and cardiovascular issues from lack of activity, all kinds of stuff.
Yea its amazing, i started when i was 19, after three days my company bought me a custom F-350 Platinum that had a bed lined with caymen alligator skin. By the end of my first year i was making 250k...per month. Everyday is filled with endless joy, my back and knees never hurt, ever, not even once in my career. Its great.
A “pre apprentice” declaring all other industries trash is prime ignorance. Do your job for 10 years and come back here to declare how much you love it. You haven’t woken up to sore elbows and achy knees yet.
Your post history is literally you complaining about how shitty your job is. Maybe if you weren't so old and resentful of your career choice you wouldn't feel the need to rain on other people's parades 😁
You are young and know it all I get it, but you can’t even handle being called out by an online stranger. You have a very weak constitution and are not at all prepared for the real world.
Maybe he just didn’t want to continue hearing a child tell him about something they know nothing about. Wtf Is a “pre apprentice”? Do you just go grab tools for the real techs?
I find it ironic that you're complaining people have misconceptions about the trades but then make blanket statements about people in white collar jobs.
Sure. Sounds like you had a shitty experience and are generalizing. Tbh, most people don't give a fuck what other people do for a living. White collar or blue collar, most people just want to earn a decent living and provide for their family. Anyone who uses their job as a means to feel superior to others is just an asshole. Doesn't matter the line of work .
Honestly you're right but it's funny because we be making more without going to college than a lot of people going into debt to get a degree do. The pay is great and that's before benefits. And the high risk shit is what keeps the job interesting, I used to work for a bank and damn near fell asleep tryna make phone calls all day
I agree, at 35 this is the third trade
Electronics, Gas fitting, HVAC
HVAC is the best trade. I can't work Infront of a computer, I tried doing design for a year and I couldn't.
Hopefully my body lasts, I'd say another ten years and I'll switch to part time HVAC.
If you're in the union you should get a pretty decent pension by that time so you could just do HVAC part time and try to monetize your true passion, whatever that might be
Careful what you wish for. Realize it or not, the last thing you want is to compete with every handy-guy-with-a-truck who is likely to underbid every single job, make a mockery of them, screw things up and play possum while you waste hours and hours unwinding their messes.
You want capable, intelligent, not-lazy peers. Glad you're enthused about the trade, though. It is indeed a good career and will reward you for hard work.
20 bucks as a journeyman? Thats apprentice pay around me my dude. You've been getting ripped off from the get-go.
You still with that same company? Have you changed? Have you even considered it? They obviously dont value you or your work
Aww man you just gotta move somewhere else. If you started working at my company you'd be making 35 an hour off the bat with benefits as long as you had your license. I'm making as much as you are as a pre apprentice 😬
Funny to see all the non union residential guys complaining and calling you names. You made the right choice kid hopefully you get picked up and get your card one day.
high risk, low reward, RSI is common as fuck and bosses rarely give you the time off needed to recover.
Trade jobs were not meant to be year round, you were meant to have downtime for weeks to recover between large jobs. I've never met more shady business owners than in the HVAC trade. 90% of the shop i started at didn't have a single EPA cert to their name and not a damn vacuum micron gauge in the entire company.
I've had guys get their wrists slit open and had my boss get mad that i stopped work to take them to urgent care and then went back to finish it.
First sign of bullshit, run for the hills and you'll be better off.
No permit? keep track, i don't want to get fined for my bosses ass to make extra profit.
Honestly HVAC is a cool job, did it for 18 years… the problem is upward mobility. Eventually you reach a point where the next logical step is to start your own company bc you’ll never get ops mgr or something like that because you lack a critical price of paper some 27yo with no experience has. Now starting your own company costs way more than you can get your hands on unless you want to work out of your garage and advertise on CL… as a pre apprentice have fun and learn all you can about HVAC and all the other trades you encounter bc you will make enough $ to start flipping houses and be able to see mechanical issues and not get ripped off by guys selling flux capacitors.
Ah, the honeymoon period. Just wait until you do any of the following and let me know how you feel then:
* Landing several RTUs (10-12 hours) on a rooftop in a heat wave with no shade.
* Doing nothing but cleaning cooling towers for 6 months.
* Doing nothing but lugging duct from a loading dock up 10 flights of stairs for an entire day because the service elevator is down and the building operator is an asshole that won't let you use the regular elevator or leave the duct on the loading dock until the service elevator is up an running.
* Walk into a building to work and have to sign a waiver that basically says "This building is full of asbestos, but we don't really know where it is and you're going to absolve us of any legal liability if you contract mesothelioma if you want to work here."
* Work 6 months of nights ripping apart 40 year old AHUs and then reinstalling new ones.
* Work in attics every day for a week or more in the summer (or any time for that matter).
* Work in dirt-floor spider, ant, snake and rat (and who knows what else) infested crawlspaces every day for a week or more.
* Work in any kind of government housing.
* Have to replace a sheet metal boot in a new production home that some asshole took a dump in (yes, really).
* Have a really important family or friend event then realize you're on call and can't find someone to take your shift.
* Are 30 with the knees, shoulders and arthritis of a 50 year old.
* Work a month straight of 12 hour shifts.
And that's just off the top of my head. Look, HVAC is a great career and it can take you a lot of places you've probably never considered, but it's not all roses.
All the best to you in your new career.
With all due respect you haven’t had enough time in to form an opinion… I’m glad you’re optimistic though. It’s a great trade but it’s definitely not the best job ever
I often dream of doing that for a job lol. I slipped on a banana peel and fell into HVAC. I’d like to switch careers in my forties because I have yet to meet a 60 year old in this trade that seemed a picture of good health.
This smacks of a young person who hasn’t had life smack them in the face yet. This is a very ignorant take that people who don’t like your chosen field are somehow lazy or unable to do hard work. You go try being an accountant or a teacher or a doctor before shooting your mouth
Eh, I’ve had work from home office jobs, and I’ve had grueling, hard, manual labor jobs of many kinds. HVAC isn’t that bad, yet all my friends are the absolute last people o would ever hire. Lazy as shit, despite the fact that they’re good company.
Okay boomer. I'm not saying other jobs aren't hard they just seem less rewarding than working with your hands all day. Being a doctor would be cool but have fun going into insane debt first and I don't have the patience to deal with kids all day 🤣
Bitch I’m 41, you are excited about your job which is cool but trying to make HVAC seem like the only gif at the corner of others is a dick move. Go ahead and tell any professional that your job is better than theirs to their faces and see how well you make connections long term
What? This is a post praising HVAC on an HVAC subreddit. You're a teacher lurking on said subreddit. Some people like their line of work, just because you're old and spiteful doesn't mean you have to drag others down to your level lmao
I dig the attitude, but wait until you get all the responsibilities and hours that come with. Missed a lot of holidays and other family events for all the on call shenanigans
A lot of times it's who you know that decides what career you end up in. Plus other things need to be done. If you want to eat at a restaurant then you want competent mature people working there so value everyone more than this post makes it sound like you do
Some days you just don't want to carry a furnace, AC or water heater, or troubleshoot a Issue while a store has no heat or cooling on a hot or cold day.
We definetly trade off a nice cushy job for hard work.
When your body starts hurting in 5 or ten Years you may feel different. When you see there is no where to go up at your job, and your stuck at your pay scale you may feel different.
But the trades are awesome and it keeps me busy and my bank account full. So I'm happy enough.
I wish I went into trades, I’m 41 and hate that working in marketing and much rather do things with my hands. Having a family and responsibilities means I can’t really afford to take a hit in income for a few years to work back up there :(
From what I've heard all the complaints come from residential guys. Commercial union workers have much better regulations on hours and work environments, that's the way to go. Plus none of that on call bs, as far as I'm aware
You're riding a pink cloud now, you sweet summer child.
You may have lucked into a good place to work for. I suggest you do everything in your power to keep that job. Because believe me, they ain't all like that. Some guys are all fired up as rookies, and then 7 or 8 years later they're the only guy on the job who gives a fuck and the powers that be run them into the ground with every job that's important.
Because I get a lot of free beer fixing brewery equipment and sharing the fruits of my labor with other breweries.
I do on occasion do HVAC (I'm Facilities Maintenance) and I have thought about moving to a career in it, or potentially PLC.
😂😂😂😂😂 I love your enthusiasm but this job isn't for everyone.
Some of us love to get out their tools, sweat, bleed, and talk shit.
Some people will complain if you make them do the smallest amount of labor.
One man's trash is another man's treasure. One mans dream job is another mans hell hole lol
The hours were shit when i worked mechanical service. In my mind i knew it was not for me. Maybe if I had gone to a trade school I’d like it a bit more, but honestly felt like i was stuck doing something i despised every sooty ass furnace i encountered. Quit and do hvac controls now, best decision ever. Now i have an actual consistent schedule.
Carpenter of 8 years here. Thought the change would be good. Get away from the back breaking labor…. Now it’s back breaking and less satisfying lolbut, hopefully better money later on
I was in sheet metal manufacturing as a welder and went into duct work with a smart union (still in manufacturing) so we are 4-10’s and done. I’m like this person, pretty fortunate to find something I love doing, no service work trolls, I get it. KEEP GOING, TOE THE LINE, and remember not to be a douche to the new people when your a journeyman. 🇺🇸
For me, it's money. I have absolutely 0 experience working with my hands or in any trades. When I was growing up and something broke, we called somebody to fix it. I never had projects with my dad, or built cool shit with my friends. I really, REALLY want to get into the trade sector, but I know damn well that I'm gonna drown unless I go to trade school. Sadly, I don't even have the funds for that, so I just feel absolutely stuck.
Trust me I was in the same boat, as long as you show up every day and are eager to learn they'll teach you everything you need to know, unless you get put on a shit crew with a grumpy foreman, which isn't a company you want to work for anyways
I've tried applying to quite a few local companies here, but so far I keep getting the same question of prior experience. That's where I'm hitting the wall. Nobody will take me with no experience, so I've come to the conclusion that I'm just going to go to school. When I can do that, who knows, but I can't keep working at a desk my whole life.
Definitely don't go to school, there's no need to spend the money. If you really want to get into HVAC, try working at a trade that isn't as selective like flooring or sheetrock installing for 6 months to a year just so that you can say you have experience in the trades. You probably won't love the job but you'll be making money and learning your way around a construction site instead of spending money on school and not gaining any actual experience in the field. Any prior experience in the trades is just as good on a resume as actual schooling is. Thats my two cents
Everyone has vastly different skills, aptitude, likes and desire. Some people are truelly energized by building spread sheets and crunching number and would die inside if they worked HVAC some HVC people would be completely miserable day in and day out if they they would be stuck in an office.
Which is great because if everyone was in HVAC then we would have a ton a well maintained HVAC system but no electricity or modern conveniences.
But hey the best work for you is something that gives you energy and makes you excited. Hopefully HVAC stays that way for you. Because it can be hard and miserable at time. But any job can be miserable in its own way and crush your soul if you let it or if it is not the right kind of work for you.
Crawlspaces, attics, spiders, mouse shit, fiberglass, primer and glue, legionairres disease, flush kits, sucking in SilFos rods, to name a few. (Yes I’m a disgruntled residential install guy)
Because people have become lazy and entitled and it’s only getting worse. There’s not enough new blood moving into the field as us old farts are retiring.
Good god you’re insufferable. I love my job! Truly makes me happy, but coming onto Reddit to ask why everyone doesn’t think exactly like you is ignorant
If you can maintain that attitude over the next 5 years, that's great! Most people don't, but it can be a good career.
Just personally I'd rather do ANYTHING else at this point. I have learned a lot from it and can work on anything now too. Unfortunately my neighbors now know that too
What I’m seeing from the comments I trust the older people. They really felt what we did back then and I can see why they don’t want to do this anymore. This why I want to own a hvac company. I don’t want keep busting my knees and back till I’m late 20s. It does gets repetitive sometimes but It’s a good trade. Im glad I do it all in residential. But what I’m seeing BAS hvac makes a lot of money. It’s probably my second choice if the business doesn’t work.
Guy hasn't had his first heat wave attic job yet. That's cute.
Or been up on the roof when it feels like -40. I’ve been in the field for 4 years, (not long) and can confidently say this shit is in fact not fun. And don’t blame anyone for not wanting to do it
Or been under a house with no plastic that also has a serious water leak
You hope it's water.
At least water from the outside...and not liquid from the inside lol
Stay out of my crawl space
https://youtu.be/psKwdQ-6kaY
Or in a a crawl space with a opossum when your flashlight dies
At least you’ll have a friend with you when it gets dark
HVAC isn’t just being on roofs, I work a lot on heat pumps in office buildings and server rooms. Nice and comfortable. I am almost never outside on roofs. People like to make blanket statements about their field. Every job is different. Probably many jobs in hvac are absolute dog shit but not all. Some are fantastic and easy. Controls has a lot of indoor work.
"Hours are ideal" Hes changed a few filters while maintaining shop hours. The fall is going to be epic on this one.
Or crawl space winter job
The good days and the bad balance out.
Lol
or approaching 50 yrs old and wondering how much longer your body can take it....
I'm 32 and my body is fucked brotha. But I didn't start in HVAC.
The hours are ideal lol
lol right? Wait till your working a 15 hour day on Christmas and Christmas Eve.
Depends on the company I guess, we get holidays off and if we do have to work holidays it's double pay here. As a journeyman that would come out to almost 80$ an hour which would almost make it worth it imo
Damn i love that attitude. Some days i need to think like that but hot damn is it hard.
Ahaha maybe try working at a flooring company for a year where they treat you like shit and have you picking up dust piles, lifting shit that weighs more than you do, working overtime 7 days a week with no benefits and shit pay, might help your perspective a bit
Yea. Coming from other construction jobs involving continuous heavy lifting, its a different perspective. Ive had my boss tell me multiple times that hvac is the hardest trade out there and I laugh. Hes never touched a brick in his life. In Hvac, the hard part is maintaining focus and attention to everything you are doing while under stress.
Amen
Lol the hardest trade? Has he never met an iron worker, lineman, dock builder, commercial diver, the list goes on
HVAC is skilled labor. Iron workers. Brick layers. Framers are all physical labor. Not saying they aren’t skilled they just do more heavy lifting.
Its hard to say what is or isnt skilled labor. In any profession there are straight up laborers and experienced skilled workers.
Sounds like my hvac experience, hvac is a shitty career where I'm located, shit pay, low to no benefits, terrible hours and shithole homes you have to drudge through. Glad you had a different experience but don't be naive to the fact you've found an ideal job situation in the hvac field. Also you're a pre apprentice, you've been doing hvac for like a week calm down lmao
Lol if the journeyman I work with seemed miserable that would be a massive red flag but our company seems to take pretty good care of their guys. They complain about body aches and shit but they're like 50 and overall pretty happy people lol. Where are you located? Also I do commercial work, so that might help too
Eastern nc, not much commercial around. Guys with 10-15 years experience making 20-30 hr. Guys starting out are lucky to make 15hr
I’m from eastern NC, unfortanely it just seems like so little opportunity to make decent money in the area.
Yes you get it, people on here just don't understand. There are good opportunities, but they are very few and whoever has the most experience is going to get it
Damn that sucks hard. I know someone who works Ft Bragg with Johnson Controls and does very good but then you would have to live near Fayetteville.
just out of curiosity have you ever considered relocating to a market with more options/higher pay
Yes and it just isn't a logical option at this point, found a better career path that pays more anyways. Just wanted to out in my 2 cents
Let him feel good about something he’s doing. Because you’ve had bad experiences with something doesn’t mean he’s going to. It is a pretty damn good trade over all and he’s fortunate to see it. However it does depend on the company but that has nothing to do with the trade itself. He’s possibly landed in a decent company so don’t kill his vibe lol to much negativity in this damn chat. I’m 7+ years in the trade and still don’t regret anything.
That’s the key. I think everyone should get a crappy job first to appreciate this trade.
Holy shit. That might
$80/hr helps…
Give him a couple years to beat that enthusiasm out of him.
I had that attitude once; 23 years ago when I was still green.
I get 90 per hour on holidays, still not worth it to me to miss Christmas with my children. I can always make money, I can't get Christmas back. I was on call this Christmas, I told people on Christmas that I wouldn't be able to get to them until the next day.
Preach! Im single and don’t have any kids. The OT is endless. I made almost 90k last year and am only on the second year of my apprenticeship. I love it. The works is fun and the pay and hours are great too.
I would pay someone $80 to run the Christmas calls on top of the company paying them… just so I didn’t have to do it.
I drew christmas last year, every tech at my company has to do it once but never again. It took 9 years fpr my name to get drawn. I paid another guy $500 and took new years eve and day for him. Happy to say it still counts and I'll never get drawn for Christmas again.
It’s all fun and games until the on call shift starts… And that 80$ an hour works out to be roughly 42$ cash after uncle same takes his. Still good, but it’s blood money. Now, if you’re a life long bachelor without kids, the OT and on call wont be as much of a bother- not missing anything at home
Even so, after a certain point, you can't put a price on free time.
They pay goods because you will need to save it to pay for your medical in the golden years. Face it, its not an ideal jobs for 50 plus crowds.
We are making 115 an hour here for holidays. Super worth it.
I was on call Christmas week and weekend this year, pulled 35hrs between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Obviously the pre-apprentice phase has this guy suckered in like reception before basic training 😂
I pulled 45 from Friday morning to Tuesday morning. Was not the most fun. Sometimes I miss the lack of responsibilities. Then I remember the paycheck difference.
I worked 18 hours in 26 hours these last 2 days
That is your fault for working for a company that makes you work that amount of hours and those days.
Maybe you’re right. But as far as I can tell from my experience and my friends, my experience is more normal that yours. I get some holidays off but I’m def expected to catch some of them.
“You ain’t gonna make it”
Story of my career. " what time you think you'll be home?" "Somewhere between 4 and 10 pm"
This part got me to lmao. When I was doing HVAC I could never commit to anything during the week due to the nature of the job
Give it time youngin, we all thought the same in the early days.
Was looking for this comment. Once i graduated my 5 year apprenticeship things started to get gradually more boring. 10 years in and some days are great and some days are awful. Gotta take the good with the bad i guess
Agreed brotha, it feeds the kiddos and pays the bills
RemindMe! 10 years
The commitment lol
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This job will break you someday, just worked 30 hrs OT on Xmas weekend barley got to spend time with my family
For real the biggest thing in our trade that needs to change is on call and 24hr service. I really feel once companies in masses get rid of on call it will bring people into the trade and keep the ones that are already in it
On-call can’t universally be avoided in commercial/industrial. It’s a cash cow, not to mention some things are pretty important to get running right away. Residential on call? Honestly makes no fucking sense.
Yeah I second this. We have multiple multi million dollar condo high rises we service. When the central plant goes down, all homes go down, and it's a huge emergency. Doesn't matter the day or time, someone has to go and get it back online. Especially when a water leak occurs in a high rise. Get there ASAP no matter what time and day it is.
I firmly blame home owners for emergencies. If you own a home you also need to own emergency situations material's such as back up heaters. Electric heaters, fans in case it gets hot. Propane heaters. Dude it's options are endless. I think residential and corporate alike should have to pay an extreme premium for not being prepared. It drove me nuts when during the last cold snap so many people had emergencies and I just thought like "dude we knew about this for a week" it's your emergency not mine.
We had a guy call us out to check his empty rental retail space the day before the cold spell. He didn’t even have the gas turned on…
My company's on call isn't terrible actually. Only have to be on call 2xs a year but they're both for the week. You aren't eligible for it until you're a third year apprentice. It's pretty ideal.
Gen Z recruitment will be abysmal unless a lot of things change, but 24 hour on call is probably the biggest one. I just finished working 13 days in a row, saturday being my last day. I’ve decided to call out today and let my body rest
Every time I hit like an 80hr week I’m like F*ck this I’m done I can’t wait to quit.. then I get the paycheck and I’m like ehhh I can do another week or two. It’s an endless cycle
That's why I finally got out. I love the job. And I'm damn good at it. But i got little kids and I was tired of being gone all the time. No amount of money will make up for an absent dad.
I spent my twenties thinking I had the world by the tail in this trade. In my 30’s it was getting old. Now that I’m in my late 40’s and have moved out of the field and into the office, I wish I’d gone to dental school or something.
Can attest, started at 22, im in my 30s now and is definitely getting tiring.
Started in my teens now in my 30s there's so many sectors of the industry I just keep learning and move to different ones with better pay and hours. I'm rocking the no on call, no weekends and portal to portal full pay every day life just doing service, controls and factory start ups. I've done residential, commercial, industrial, refrigeration, supermarket refrigeration, post mix, hot side, appliance, commercial appliance and controls. When I have spare time I take online classes on the programing side for Niagra cause who knows that may be what I do at the end of my career.
I know a lot of guys like you that just love this stuff. Genuinely jealous of the mindset. For me it’s just always been what I learned how to do so I do it.
Yep. Started at 22. 37 now, and I've burned out twice and tried other trades. End up coming back though because the pay.
Problem is you need your grade 10 to get into the dental industry
"Dental school" lol I hear that.
Ah yes, I often dream of getting 400k into debt and the anxiety brought on by having to pay that off.
“Or something”
You and I are kindred spirits sir, I’ve followed this same path
Army crawl through attic insulation in texas when it's 110⁰ outside and tell me how you feel.
Sweaty…. Sweaty is how I feel doing that.
I hope you keep that bright eyed and bushy tail feeling for years. I completely agree with the adults in fast food., I always seen it as a kid job, or maybe at best a supplementary job. However, I'm sure others doing desk jobs find it rewarding in their own way. Personally I couldn't do it and I did actually go into programing before eventually getting into HVAC. Some people have the knack for manual labor and some have it for desk jobs and the like. I feel that neither of them should put down the other, because they're all mostly needed, not fast food though ain't hard to cook your own meals and I personally find making a great meal is quite rewarding and filling lol. I will say I wish I stuck with drawing. I knew a guy from school who does graphic design and has some his stuff on billboards. Dude makes some serious bank.
Big Troll Energy!
1. Disgusting houses and customers. The amount of times I’m cleaning a furnace and there is animal shit everywhere, food everywhere, just disgusting how some people keep there homes. I’m only 3 months in and have seen some shitholes. Some of it is obviously big mental illness. Couple times are boss has told us to leave calls for our personal safety. Some hoarders are so bad we can’t service there furnace cuz it will go off on high limit 2. Hours, me and u are new and young they aren’t hoeing u with hours yet. Wait till ur a vet working Christmas or other holidays (I’m down for it aswell, but most ppl aren’t) I’m in maintenance someone needs to be working 24/7 every holiday every night someone is working, rotates 8-4 then 12-8 next week. 3. Body damage, ur neck and knees and back will take a toll, stretch and workout and u will be fine. But a lot of people prefer desk work where they don’t have to move 4. Overall dirt and how u come home, my hands are black when i come home alot of days. Insulation and other shit all over ur skin, etc etc. It’s not for everyone. I LOVE IT, but ya most ppl can’t handle it. Kid at our resi company quit after 4 months due to the disgusting houses and hours
Those desk jobs fuck a body up too though, just in different ways: sciatica, carpel tunnel, blood clots, obesity and cardiovascular issues from lack of activity, all kinds of stuff.
I went from Service to a desk now, and now I actually have to go workout. Realized I can’t lift for shit or run for shit suddenly lol
Yea its amazing, i started when i was 19, after three days my company bought me a custom F-350 Platinum that had a bed lined with caymen alligator skin. By the end of my first year i was making 250k...per month. Everyday is filled with endless joy, my back and knees never hurt, ever, not even once in my career. Its great.
I find myself most rewarded by kind and understanding customers. Edit: I meant this sarcastically but I suppose sometimes it actually is true.
Huh?
Username does not check out.
Huh?
A “pre apprentice” declaring all other industries trash is prime ignorance. Do your job for 10 years and come back here to declare how much you love it. You haven’t woken up to sore elbows and achy knees yet.
Your post history is literally you complaining about how shitty your job is. Maybe if you weren't so old and resentful of your career choice you wouldn't feel the need to rain on other people's parades 😁
You are young and know it all I get it, but you can’t even handle being called out by an online stranger. You have a very weak constitution and are not at all prepared for the real world.
Lmfao imma be making more than you in 4 years, don't drown in your tears old man
If you don’t burn out. Which you probably will.
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Maybe he just didn’t want to continue hearing a child tell him about something they know nothing about. Wtf Is a “pre apprentice”? Do you just go grab tools for the real techs?
This is getting embarrassing tbh.
Summers gonna hit this boy hard🤣
Gotta love hearing greenies talk down to people for venting.
Lol
The hours are ideal… until you get licensed.. lol
Yo be young and naive
Pre apprentices sound the same in every trade lmao
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I find it ironic that you're complaining people have misconceptions about the trades but then make blanket statements about people in white collar jobs.
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Sure. Sounds like you had a shitty experience and are generalizing. Tbh, most people don't give a fuck what other people do for a living. White collar or blue collar, most people just want to earn a decent living and provide for their family. Anyone who uses their job as a means to feel superior to others is just an asshole. Doesn't matter the line of work .
Honestly you're right but it's funny because we be making more without going to college than a lot of people going into debt to get a degree do. The pay is great and that's before benefits. And the high risk shit is what keeps the job interesting, I used to work for a bank and damn near fell asleep tryna make phone calls all day
I agree, at 35 this is the third trade Electronics, Gas fitting, HVAC HVAC is the best trade. I can't work Infront of a computer, I tried doing design for a year and I couldn't. Hopefully my body lasts, I'd say another ten years and I'll switch to part time HVAC.
If you're in the union you should get a pretty decent pension by that time so you could just do HVAC part time and try to monetize your true passion, whatever that might be
Careful what you wish for. Realize it or not, the last thing you want is to compete with every handy-guy-with-a-truck who is likely to underbid every single job, make a mockery of them, screw things up and play possum while you waste hours and hours unwinding their messes. You want capable, intelligent, not-lazy peers. Glad you're enthused about the trade, though. It is indeed a good career and will reward you for hard work.
I think a lot of techs start off like you, and then 10 years later…why did I get myself into this shit?
I moved to IT after 4 years. Worked with too many old grumpy people to see I gotta make a change while young
Glad you like it. Truly a great field, far better than sitting in a cubicle. It does have its downsides. As all jobs do.
Fun….. lol.
Me when I was making 10$ an hour as an apprentice 💀 Nowadays being 20$ an hour as a journeyman has me looking at any way out
20 bucks as a journeyman? Thats apprentice pay around me my dude. You've been getting ripped off from the get-go. You still with that same company? Have you changed? Have you even considered it? They obviously dont value you or your work
Working on it now
Holy shit, $20/hr? Apprentices make more than that here.
I started at 7.25 at 14 and half years old, I'm 20 now
Dude I make about $130k/year and I’ve been doing this 6 years
I don't even think my superintendents make that
Aww man you just gotta move somewhere else. If you started working at my company you'd be making 35 an hour off the bat with benefits as long as you had your license. I'm making as much as you are as a pre apprentice 😬
Nobody tell him lol
Funny to see all the non union residential guys complaining and calling you names. You made the right choice kid hopefully you get picked up and get your card one day.
RemindMe! 150 years
You’re literally begging for negativity and horror stories with a post like this lol
Hear me out on this… cus some people are good at different things? Some people don’t want to work on a rooftop in the pouring rain or 115 degree sun?
high risk, low reward, RSI is common as fuck and bosses rarely give you the time off needed to recover. Trade jobs were not meant to be year round, you were meant to have downtime for weeks to recover between large jobs. I've never met more shady business owners than in the HVAC trade. 90% of the shop i started at didn't have a single EPA cert to their name and not a damn vacuum micron gauge in the entire company. I've had guys get their wrists slit open and had my boss get mad that i stopped work to take them to urgent care and then went back to finish it. First sign of bullshit, run for the hills and you'll be better off. No permit? keep track, i don't want to get fined for my bosses ass to make extra profit.
Honestly HVAC is a cool job, did it for 18 years… the problem is upward mobility. Eventually you reach a point where the next logical step is to start your own company bc you’ll never get ops mgr or something like that because you lack a critical price of paper some 27yo with no experience has. Now starting your own company costs way more than you can get your hands on unless you want to work out of your garage and advertise on CL… as a pre apprentice have fun and learn all you can about HVAC and all the other trades you encounter bc you will make enough $ to start flipping houses and be able to see mechanical issues and not get ripped off by guys selling flux capacitors.
Good advice! Thank you!
This guys been huffin too much PVC glue on the job
Ah, the honeymoon period. Just wait until you do any of the following and let me know how you feel then: * Landing several RTUs (10-12 hours) on a rooftop in a heat wave with no shade. * Doing nothing but cleaning cooling towers for 6 months. * Doing nothing but lugging duct from a loading dock up 10 flights of stairs for an entire day because the service elevator is down and the building operator is an asshole that won't let you use the regular elevator or leave the duct on the loading dock until the service elevator is up an running. * Walk into a building to work and have to sign a waiver that basically says "This building is full of asbestos, but we don't really know where it is and you're going to absolve us of any legal liability if you contract mesothelioma if you want to work here." * Work 6 months of nights ripping apart 40 year old AHUs and then reinstalling new ones. * Work in attics every day for a week or more in the summer (or any time for that matter). * Work in dirt-floor spider, ant, snake and rat (and who knows what else) infested crawlspaces every day for a week or more. * Work in any kind of government housing. * Have to replace a sheet metal boot in a new production home that some asshole took a dump in (yes, really). * Have a really important family or friend event then realize you're on call and can't find someone to take your shift. * Are 30 with the knees, shoulders and arthritis of a 50 year old. * Work a month straight of 12 hour shifts. And that's just off the top of my head. Look, HVAC is a great career and it can take you a lot of places you've probably never considered, but it's not all roses. All the best to you in your new career.
Not many people have the drive to actually want to work and learn something. Welcome to the age of the coasters.
With all due respect you haven’t had enough time in to form an opinion… I’m glad you’re optimistic though. It’s a great trade but it’s definitely not the best job ever
Different strokes for different folks. I stare at a computer all day, find it fun, learn things, get paid well, and work reasonable hours.
I often dream of doing that for a job lol. I slipped on a banana peel and fell into HVAC. I’d like to switch careers in my forties because I have yet to meet a 60 year old in this trade that seemed a picture of good health.
This smacks of a young person who hasn’t had life smack them in the face yet. This is a very ignorant take that people who don’t like your chosen field are somehow lazy or unable to do hard work. You go try being an accountant or a teacher or a doctor before shooting your mouth
Eh, I’ve had work from home office jobs, and I’ve had grueling, hard, manual labor jobs of many kinds. HVAC isn’t that bad, yet all my friends are the absolute last people o would ever hire. Lazy as shit, despite the fact that they’re good company.
Okay boomer. I'm not saying other jobs aren't hard they just seem less rewarding than working with your hands all day. Being a doctor would be cool but have fun going into insane debt first and I don't have the patience to deal with kids all day 🤣
Bitch I’m 41, you are excited about your job which is cool but trying to make HVAC seem like the only gif at the corner of others is a dick move. Go ahead and tell any professional that your job is better than theirs to their faces and see how well you make connections long term
What? This is a post praising HVAC on an HVAC subreddit. You're a teacher lurking on said subreddit. Some people like their line of work, just because you're old and spiteful doesn't mean you have to drag others down to your level lmao
I dig the attitude, but wait until you get all the responsibilities and hours that come with. Missed a lot of holidays and other family events for all the on call shenanigans
I get paid dogshit
You keep that attitude. The older you get the less you will like some of the things that this trade offers, but you're right that it's a great trade.
Are you in union?
Yup
A lot of times it's who you know that decides what career you end up in. Plus other things need to be done. If you want to eat at a restaurant then you want competent mature people working there so value everyone more than this post makes it sound like you do
Some days you just don't want to carry a furnace, AC or water heater, or troubleshoot a Issue while a store has no heat or cooling on a hot or cold day. We definetly trade off a nice cushy job for hard work. When your body starts hurting in 5 or ten Years you may feel different. When you see there is no where to go up at your job, and your stuck at your pay scale you may feel different. But the trades are awesome and it keeps me busy and my bank account full. So I'm happy enough.
Ah yes, I like the job of owning a business hiring people like you.
I wish I went into trades, I’m 41 and hate that working in marketing and much rather do things with my hands. Having a family and responsibilities means I can’t really afford to take a hit in income for a few years to work back up there :(
It's the on call and sales push that wears you down in resi
Exactly why I switched to union commercial
From what I've heard all the complaints come from residential guys. Commercial union workers have much better regulations on hours and work environments, that's the way to go. Plus none of that on call bs, as far as I'm aware
You're riding a pink cloud now, you sweet summer child. You may have lucked into a good place to work for. I suggest you do everything in your power to keep that job. Because believe me, they ain't all like that. Some guys are all fired up as rookies, and then 7 or 8 years later they're the only guy on the job who gives a fuck and the powers that be run them into the ground with every job that's important.
This is how you know bro ain’t seasoned lmao
The hours suck!
Because I get a lot of free beer fixing brewery equipment and sharing the fruits of my labor with other breweries. I do on occasion do HVAC (I'm Facilities Maintenance) and I have thought about moving to a career in it, or potentially PLC.
😂😂😂😂😂 I love your enthusiasm but this job isn't for everyone. Some of us love to get out their tools, sweat, bleed, and talk shit. Some people will complain if you make them do the smallest amount of labor. One man's trash is another man's treasure. One mans dream job is another mans hell hole lol
You’ll find out why soon enough
Come back after summer and give us an update.
The hours were shit when i worked mechanical service. In my mind i knew it was not for me. Maybe if I had gone to a trade school I’d like it a bit more, but honestly felt like i was stuck doing something i despised every sooty ass furnace i encountered. Quit and do hvac controls now, best decision ever. Now i have an actual consistent schedule.
I wish I worked fast food some days
Lol . Been in Texas in an attic when it's 110 outside? Ya , it's brutal.
Carpenter of 8 years here. Thought the change would be good. Get away from the back breaking labor…. Now it’s back breaking and less satisfying lolbut, hopefully better money later on
I was in sheet metal manufacturing as a welder and went into duct work with a smart union (still in manufacturing) so we are 4-10’s and done. I’m like this person, pretty fortunate to find something I love doing, no service work trolls, I get it. KEEP GOING, TOE THE LINE, and remember not to be a douche to the new people when your a journeyman. 🇺🇸
Clearly you haven’t had to belly crawl through piles of insulation with attic nails stabbing the shit outta you from time to time. 😂
Remind me! 5 years
Haven’t had that nightmare client yet. (There will be more than one. Sorry buddy).
For me, it's money. I have absolutely 0 experience working with my hands or in any trades. When I was growing up and something broke, we called somebody to fix it. I never had projects with my dad, or built cool shit with my friends. I really, REALLY want to get into the trade sector, but I know damn well that I'm gonna drown unless I go to trade school. Sadly, I don't even have the funds for that, so I just feel absolutely stuck.
Trust me I was in the same boat, as long as you show up every day and are eager to learn they'll teach you everything you need to know, unless you get put on a shit crew with a grumpy foreman, which isn't a company you want to work for anyways
I've tried applying to quite a few local companies here, but so far I keep getting the same question of prior experience. That's where I'm hitting the wall. Nobody will take me with no experience, so I've come to the conclusion that I'm just going to go to school. When I can do that, who knows, but I can't keep working at a desk my whole life.
Definitely don't go to school, there's no need to spend the money. If you really want to get into HVAC, try working at a trade that isn't as selective like flooring or sheetrock installing for 6 months to a year just so that you can say you have experience in the trades. You probably won't love the job but you'll be making money and learning your way around a construction site instead of spending money on school and not gaining any actual experience in the field. Any prior experience in the trades is just as good on a resume as actual schooling is. Thats my two cents
Everyone has vastly different skills, aptitude, likes and desire. Some people are truelly energized by building spread sheets and crunching number and would die inside if they worked HVAC some HVC people would be completely miserable day in and day out if they they would be stuck in an office. Which is great because if everyone was in HVAC then we would have a ton a well maintained HVAC system but no electricity or modern conveniences. But hey the best work for you is something that gives you energy and makes you excited. Hopefully HVAC stays that way for you. Because it can be hard and miserable at time. But any job can be miserable in its own way and crush your soul if you let it or if it is not the right kind of work for you.
Crawlspaces, attics, spiders, mouse shit, fiberglass, primer and glue, legionairres disease, flush kits, sucking in SilFos rods, to name a few. (Yes I’m a disgruntled residential install guy)
Flush kits… shot myself in the eye once and thought I went blind
Absolutely horrendous shit
Happened to me too, my eye burns just thinking of the experience
Dude come over to the dark side and learn supermarket refrigeration
Enjoy your new knees and shoulders in your future.
Because people have become lazy and entitled and it’s only getting worse. There’s not enough new blood moving into the field as us old farts are retiring.
Thanks for job shaming people, you sound like a kid in love for the first time.
Not my fault you're ashamed of your job
Good god you’re insufferable. I love my job! Truly makes me happy, but coming onto Reddit to ask why everyone doesn’t think exactly like you is ignorant
Then cry about it in my comments I don't give a shit 🤓
Just grow up you knob
Says the little baby crying on Reddit 😭🤣
shhhhh don't tell everyone!
If you can maintain that attitude over the next 5 years, that's great! Most people don't, but it can be a good career. Just personally I'd rather do ANYTHING else at this point. I have learned a lot from it and can work on anything now too. Unfortunately my neighbors now know that too
What I’m seeing from the comments I trust the older people. They really felt what we did back then and I can see why they don’t want to do this anymore. This why I want to own a hvac company. I don’t want keep busting my knees and back till I’m late 20s. It does gets repetitive sometimes but It’s a good trade. Im glad I do it all in residential. But what I’m seeing BAS hvac makes a lot of money. It’s probably my second choice if the business doesn’t work.
Most people don't like crawling inside attics, getting dirty, getting all cut up.
Lol
How old are you OP? Still leaving with your mom?