Many people wonder how easy it is to get a job when they finish an accredited trade school, such as ones that provide proper Hvac training. The good news is that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning business is booming and there is always going to be a demand for it. Hvac companies are growing and there is always going to be a need for more employees to bring on.
Someone that has had around 2 years of Hvac training from an reputable school could possibly start off as an Hvac apprentice under an apprenticeship program. This all depends on where you are living in the United States though. You could also take the route of starting off as an Hvac maintenance technician, where you will be mostly just running maintenance calls all day and occasionally aid senior technicians in major repairs such as compressor change outs and evaporator coil replacements.
Before you know it if you show enough initiative you will eventually get into running service calls, taking emergency on call, and getting tons of overtime, which is where the big money in this industry is made.
How can Hvac Certification help you?
As a certified technician you have a big jump over those that are in line competing for that job. By taking part in a 2 year Hvac school you are already more qualified than the person that just has the EPA license, which really only means that you are able to handle refrigerant. All Hvac schools that I know about this is part of the curriculum and a certification that you will have upon graduation.
While on the other hand if you have more than just the Universal EPA certification, such as completion of 2 year school, employers know that you are going to have general knowledge of the refrigeration cycle, reading blue prints, electricity, system components and controls, along with hands on experience in trouble shooting and brazing of copper. Something that the EPA exam is not going to teach you.
So if you are someone that wants to get a career in the Hvac industry, getting into a school is the quickest and most reliable way of doing so. Sure you can get a job as an apprentice without schooling, and sure you will learn when you are out in the field, but those that have had the prior Hvac training are going to pick up on things a lot faster and will actually be able to apply the many things that they were taught while attending school.
Hi Dave!
Thanks for the info. I have a quick question I would love to get your take on.
Which certifications do you feel like are most relevant in the industry? There are so many different types out there that I am struggling to decide which one I should pursue first (excluding EPA in this discussions obviously). Also, is it worth it to get a variety of different ones?
Thanks Dave!
Bill
Bill, whichever one a school offers. If you have been in the field for a year or more then work on getting NATE certified and specialize in something that you work on most of the time. For instance if you are a service tech in Florida or Georgia you may want to pursue Heat Pump/ Residential installation Nate certification. NATE certification looks good to other employers too when you are job searching, but nothing out there beats in the field experience.
I just graduated from fscj hvac program I was wondering what type of job should I apply for because all the hvac tech jobs want experience and the only kind I have is at school.