by Nosferatu 16 Replies latest jw friends
My brother was recently downsized from General Motors. His union will pay for two years of retraining into a field that is on the US Government's list of jobs with potential growth in the next decade. Guess what he's getting trained for? HVAC. The US Government thinks it's a growing field, if that helps any.
Personally, I'd want to be trained in installing solar and geo-thermal as well. It seems there will be lots of growth there, too.
StAnn
Just as a side note, this was my 4th interview for an HVAC related job. One of the guys who interviewed me also came from the electronics field. He said that they've been having a difficult time keeping people because of the job market, so my 10 year stay at my current job made me desirable. He also talked about two people who left and regretted leaving the company (one of them came back).
They already had me fill out an application form and the form for the background check. Takes 4 days to come back, so it'll either be Friday or Monday.
But I'm looking forward to having a vehicle as my office. I never had an office window before, and the scenery will always be changing! And free transportation to and from work! That's a savings right there :)
I've been in Electronics for 50 years. Sad to see repair taking a hit, but I got out of that eons ago; though I dabble in it ocassionlly.
When I worked in aerospace, one of our Engineers invented something major in HVAC; I never got the details on that. He went out and formed a small company. He came back and recruited all the techs he could: "I can train E-Techs HVAC easy, a lot easier than the other way around".
I would say, yes and it's a good path. You will be more advanced than the other HVAC's: electronic controls are everywhere. And it's better if you know what the insides are up to than just 'black box' everything in sight.
I know a military guy that is a HVAC specialist, but knows electronics and general mechanics: he is in demand, goes everywhere and is in lead roles.
Your Dad reminds me of my Sig-Other: she is never in the proper lane driving and is always setting up to turn the wrong direction. If I'm not paying attention and look up to find her in the left lane, I know that we need to turn right
So, I would say 'shine him on' and invert his his advice as a sanity check
Mustang
Sounds like you've got LOTS of support here on JWD.
Best of Luck to you.
-Aude.
Sounds more perfect all the time! Your current overlords sound more "yuck" and your new prospects sound more "yea!" This is exciting and I am happy for you!
Love,
Baba.
My brother-in-law's younger brother worked in HVAC and is licensed as an electrician as well. He currently works in a management position for a large Toronto hospital, and he sells and installs furnaces on the side. He got a great deal for a new mid efficiency gas furnace for my sister, and did the installation. He'll be doing mine next year.
Canadians will always need to heat their homes and businesses in winter, cool the air in summer, and ventilate buildings. With all the emphasis on "going green" I assume there will be a lot of technical advances in HVAC in the coming years. I don't see how you can go wrong.
W
Thanks for the support all, and mustang: thanks for relating that experience! It just confirms that this will be a good move if I get hired - at this point, I don't see why I won't get hired. I just need to wait for the background check to come back clear. Hey, I've never been in trouble and my driving record is pretty good.
Also, my dad isn't a JW. He just seems to know what's best for me as usual. All the things he's told me not to do, I did them and I don't regret any of it. I remember how unhappy he was when I moved out. Turned out to be the best thing for me! I was so happy being independent and free from his control (and of course away from the JW influence of my mother).
So, if they call and ask if I still want the job, you'd better believe that I'll go for it! :)
