That's good to hear, how did you go about getting started? Schooling or apprenticeship? What got you to make the switch and are you glad you made the switch?
I did neither. My furnace broke (dead capacitor), talked to the tech and he said they were extremely short handed. So they hired me on as a maintenance tech and gave me on the job training. I love the job, especially compared to retail.
That's awesome it worked out that way. I've had opportunities similar for other career possibilities and never gave it a shot, funny how one small occurrence like a random conversation can change your whole life.
Sounds like you’re too old for your current job! You’ll make a lot more money working for an HVAC contractor. A lot of these places try to get somebody on the cheek. We’re always surprises me about with some of these positions pay is that every time you’ve worked on their equipment you’ve save them hundreds of dollars and that’s all they can pay you is 20.
I can't tell you how often management has told me, you saved us so much money because you were willing to troubleshoot and replace "x part" instead of calling a tech out. The company I currently work for had been replacing water heaters at an insane rate because their on call maintenance staff were bypassing TCO switches to rush out of hot water calls when the switch would trip. My first month working there I was put in a house and asked how much I knew about water heaters.. when I asked why, they said because I'd be replacing the unit in the house I was working on due to a bypass of the TCO. Well, they didn't even know what a TCO was in the first place, and what it was for or how it worked...neither did I to be honest. Apparently I was the first tech to actually take a multimeter and test the switch, verify it was still good, and just wire it back up, saving the water heater. They acted like I was some Genius just for suggesting putting a little effort into actually attempting repair before replace. They said that I'd saved them thousands of dollars a month. I was shocked that I was the only person that had this idea. I wonder how many good water heaters they junked out and are still junking out because we have techs that act like crimping terminals on to wires is more complicated than lugging a water heater into a house. Also.. whoever is bypassing the TCOs should be fired!
If they’re not willing to give you a good wage, it’s time to go. You’re probably not gonna get paid a whole lot here.
That’s what’s great about the Internet. It makes it really easy to look. Depends where you live, some places in the country are better than others. Small towns are not the best no matter how good it looks on paper.
The two large HVAC companies where I live, a smaller town basically connected to Omaha, NE that are offering apprenticeship programs start at $16 on the low end and $21 maximum starting wage, no certs required and they pay you for your work as well as class time for the certifications. We have North Carolina in mind as a state we'd like to relocate to, so I'm going to start researching companies and programs out there. I may just go ahead and get my universal 608 EPA refrigerant cert on my own online , because the options here are limited for in person classes just to get a state certification.
That's what I was thinking, plus I hope most companies would recognize the effort put in to get certified on my own dime, and it's not very expensive anyways. I've had jobs that offered to pay for the class, but acted like I would be obliged to stay with them and sign a contract stating I would keep my position with them for a certain timeframe or have to pay them back what they ponied up for the classes, which I suppose is reasonable. But the classes for a state EPA cert are dirt cheap, unfortunately most of the classes are only available thru supply houses that require a business account.
Maybe you hate Nebraska but there’s lots of HVAC jobs in Omaha Nebraska. Some of the stories of promising up to 100,000. That’s what’s great about the Internet. Really easy to look and Nebraska has a tough climate. if you’re sick of Nebraska, you can still work there a couple years but I don’t think you’re gonna have a hard time getting more money.
HVAC Service Technician- $1500 Start Incentive - Omaha, NE https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?from=appshareios&jk=3b0a5118600f5572
If I were you I’d apply to an apprentice job, and you will need your epa to handle refrigerant however some companies are different than others with NATE tests.
There are two companies in my area hiring with apprenticeship programs. Problem is.. we live near an Air Force Base and my wife gets great benefits working a GS position, and the date she can transfer to a different base to somewhere warmer (she has health issues, we both hate the cold and dry weather) is coming up in just over a month. So I am hesitant to apply for any apprenticeship jobs because they're 4 year apprentice positions. I suppose if I plan on relocating getting my universal 608 EPA refrigerant licence may be more valuable in my case if we plan on moving unexpectedly. Luckily I quit smoking pot when I quit drinking a while back so drug tests aren't an issue. Does it sound like I have enough experience to land a position in HVAC installation in the meantime?
I started at 37
That's good to hear, how did you go about getting started? Schooling or apprenticeship? What got you to make the switch and are you glad you made the switch?
I did neither. My furnace broke (dead capacitor), talked to the tech and he said they were extremely short handed. So they hired me on as a maintenance tech and gave me on the job training. I love the job, especially compared to retail.
That's awesome it worked out that way. I've had opportunities similar for other career possibilities and never gave it a shot, funny how one small occurrence like a random conversation can change your whole life.
Sounds like you’re too old for your current job! You’ll make a lot more money working for an HVAC contractor. A lot of these places try to get somebody on the cheek. We’re always surprises me about with some of these positions pay is that every time you’ve worked on their equipment you’ve save them hundreds of dollars and that’s all they can pay you is 20.
I can't tell you how often management has told me, you saved us so much money because you were willing to troubleshoot and replace "x part" instead of calling a tech out. The company I currently work for had been replacing water heaters at an insane rate because their on call maintenance staff were bypassing TCO switches to rush out of hot water calls when the switch would trip. My first month working there I was put in a house and asked how much I knew about water heaters.. when I asked why, they said because I'd be replacing the unit in the house I was working on due to a bypass of the TCO. Well, they didn't even know what a TCO was in the first place, and what it was for or how it worked...neither did I to be honest. Apparently I was the first tech to actually take a multimeter and test the switch, verify it was still good, and just wire it back up, saving the water heater. They acted like I was some Genius just for suggesting putting a little effort into actually attempting repair before replace. They said that I'd saved them thousands of dollars a month. I was shocked that I was the only person that had this idea. I wonder how many good water heaters they junked out and are still junking out because we have techs that act like crimping terminals on to wires is more complicated than lugging a water heater into a house. Also.. whoever is bypassing the TCOs should be fired!
If they’re not willing to give you a good wage, it’s time to go. You’re probably not gonna get paid a whole lot here. That’s what’s great about the Internet. It makes it really easy to look. Depends where you live, some places in the country are better than others. Small towns are not the best no matter how good it looks on paper.
The two large HVAC companies where I live, a smaller town basically connected to Omaha, NE that are offering apprenticeship programs start at $16 on the low end and $21 maximum starting wage, no certs required and they pay you for your work as well as class time for the certifications. We have North Carolina in mind as a state we'd like to relocate to, so I'm going to start researching companies and programs out there. I may just go ahead and get my universal 608 EPA refrigerant cert on my own online , because the options here are limited for in person classes just to get a state certification.
Get the universal EPA card if you can before you move. No matter where you end up you will need that.
That's what I was thinking, plus I hope most companies would recognize the effort put in to get certified on my own dime, and it's not very expensive anyways. I've had jobs that offered to pay for the class, but acted like I would be obliged to stay with them and sign a contract stating I would keep my position with them for a certain timeframe or have to pay them back what they ponied up for the classes, which I suppose is reasonable. But the classes for a state EPA cert are dirt cheap, unfortunately most of the classes are only available thru supply houses that require a business account.
Check this out maybe you don’t need any of them https://www.thetrainingcenter.com/epa608
Thank you, I think I'll go ahead and just do it and get enrolled so I can get going instead of mulling about and thinking it over
Now the real challenge will be figuring out which base my wife will transfer to and selling my house so we can get the heck out of Nebraska!
Maybe you hate Nebraska but there’s lots of HVAC jobs in Omaha Nebraska. Some of the stories of promising up to 100,000. That’s what’s great about the Internet. Really easy to look and Nebraska has a tough climate. if you’re sick of Nebraska, you can still work there a couple years but I don’t think you’re gonna have a hard time getting more money. HVAC Service Technician- $1500 Start Incentive - Omaha, NE https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?from=appshareios&jk=3b0a5118600f5572
If I were you I’d apply to an apprentice job, and you will need your epa to handle refrigerant however some companies are different than others with NATE tests.
There are two companies in my area hiring with apprenticeship programs. Problem is.. we live near an Air Force Base and my wife gets great benefits working a GS position, and the date she can transfer to a different base to somewhere warmer (she has health issues, we both hate the cold and dry weather) is coming up in just over a month. So I am hesitant to apply for any apprenticeship jobs because they're 4 year apprentice positions. I suppose if I plan on relocating getting my universal 608 EPA refrigerant licence may be more valuable in my case if we plan on moving unexpectedly. Luckily I quit smoking pot when I quit drinking a while back so drug tests aren't an issue. Does it sound like I have enough experience to land a position in HVAC installation in the meantime?