Every establishment in the United States has a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, commonly known as the HVAC system.
If you empower yourself with the skill of ensuring excellent air quality, you can make a secure career out of it since most indoor settings thrive on having effective cooling and heating systems.
On top of that, anyone looking out for a profession with job security is nothing less than a gold mine, as even the most sophisticated HVAC systems need servicing now and then.
Let’s look at what the job entails and how you can enter this industry as a technician.
What is an HVAC Technician’s job?
A Heating and Air Conditioning Technician is typically responsible for testing, installing, maintaining, and servicing an HVAC system. Another crucial aspect of this job, however, is troubleshooting and repair work. Not only does this entail having technical knowledge, but it also requires having a knack for customer relationship management.
Some of the basic responsibilities of an HVAC Technician are:
- Reading and interpreting mechanical drawings.
- Performing facility inspections and identifying any irregularities in the procedures.
- Familiarized with various items of equipment, and the client satisfactory methods to use them properly.
- Ensuring that HVAC systems comply with the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) policies of safe storage, usage, and disposal of hazardous materials.
- Design, modify, and fabricate sheet fittings as needed per installation.
- Cleaning/replacing malfunctioning parts.
- Perform miscellaneous troubleshooting and repairs.
- Attention to detail regarding mechanical knowledge.
- Respond to emergency maintenance requests and perform routine preventive measures.
- Problem solving communication ability with clients as well as material suppliers.
As the years of experience keep adding to this line of work, the physicality of this job tends to become more of a force of habit.
Besides, further time given to this profession, like any other, surely provides a ton of intangible skills that contribute to your career growth as an HVAC Technician looking to expand their professional capabilities.
What Job Roles do HVAC Technicians have?
If you’re working in the HVAC industry, there are different paths you can choose depending on the 3 E’s (Experience, Expertise, and Education).
Your past experiences and the department in which you gained your expertise will play a vital role in deciding your route onwards as an HVAC Technician. Along with that having relevant education also impacts your professional pathway significantly.
Some of the titles in the heating and air conditioning field are as follows:
- HVAC Installer
- Heating and Air Conditioning Service Technician
- HVAC Plumbing
- HVAC Repair Technician
- Maintenance HVAC
- HVAC Foreman
- Facilities HVAC Tech
- Lead HVAC Technician
- HVAC Controls Technician
- Commercial/Residential HVAC Installer
Pathway to becoming an HVAC Technician?
Although becoming an HVAC Technician does not require a degree, getting a postsecondary non-degree education can raise your chances of making it big in this industry.
All things considered, landing a job as an HVAC Technician might not have education-specific requirements, but it does involve having comprehensive knowledge of the capabilities this job generally demands.
For this exact reason, there are numerous HVAC Trade Schools that enable you with specialized skills. Henceforth, enrolling in a non-degree program/course at an HVAC Trade School would be recommended.
In such a demanding era, a course can go a long way to make you a standout candidate for an HVAC Technician’s job.
1. Get a High School Diploma
Your high school diploma is merely a means of entrance into the job market in the HVAC industry.
It just makes it easier for hiring authorities to opt for applicants with an educational background since HVAC Technician is a competitive profession.
Lest we forget that this is not an obligation but only our humble recommendation to strive in this profession.
2. Get Enrolled at an HVAC Trade School
Investing in a course or program at an HVAC Trade School can be the key to making a name for yourself as a heating and air conditioning technician.
Trade school usually takes ten months to 2 years to complete depending on your area and the course/program you go for. These courses equip you with the necessary skills to excel at your job.
These programs can also be subject-oriented in various departments, such as gas heat, commercial refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pumps. This approach can help you lead towards a specific pathway into an HVAC Technician.
Apart from all the technical and mechanical knowledge, completing a course at an HVAC Trade School shows you are committed to this profession. Moreover, trade schools can be helpful in landing job placements and internships as well.
NOTE: Although HVAC Licensing laws and policies vary from state to state, we highly suggest clearing the exam and getting a license as it portrays a commanding impression of your skills and knowledge base.
3. Gain Experience
As soon as you’re done with the trade school, start putting in hours into the job without worrying about the job title as long as it is HVAC related.
The more hours you put in, the more chances you have to land the dream HVAC Technician job you’ve been working for.
Moreover, trade schools can be helpful in landing job placements and internships as well.
How much do HVAC Technicians earn?
The average of HVAC Technicians in the US is $48,600 annually.
However, as the years of experience keep adding, so does the range. It can usually go up to $90,000 per year, depending on the type of expertise and the responsibilities entailed around the job.
The heating and air conditioning technicians employed by workshops are offered lower wages. Though, corporations having contracts of whole HVAC systems in residential or commercial establishments offer a comfortable pay scale with additional perks and medical benefits.
What is the Job Outlook of an HVAC Technician?
The HVAC industry is considered recession-proof, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLI also forecasted a 5% increase in the job outlook from 2021-2031.
Furthermore, as we previously discussed, HVAC systems are an integral part of every building in the United States, and their demand is going nowhere in the foreseeable future.
Another exciting aspect of having a career in the HVAC industry is that every day you’ll be faced with a new challenge.
If you are a keen problem solver, when you sum up all your experiences and expertise in a few years, your value in the job market will reflect accordingly.
HVAC Black Organizations & Resources
- National Black Contractors Association https://www.nationalbca.org/
- Regional Black Contractors Association https://blackcontractors.org/
- Women in HVACR https://www.womeninhvacr.org/
- National Association of Minority Contractors https://namcnational.org/
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