What to Expect with an HVAC Career
Have you thought about starting a new career? Do you want to continue or advance your career in HVAC? Just like any other profession, there are advantages and disadvantages to pursuing a career as HVAC technician. Here’s what you can expect.
HVAC Salaries
Let’s not beat around the bush, salary is one of the most important aspects to any career decision. HVAC technicians’ salaries reflect the demand for skilled HVAC workers. BLS.gov statistics show that techs have comparatively high earning potential. In 2016 techs made over $48,000 a year on average. The top 10% HVAC earners had salaries that topped out at around 70K.
As with any industry, the more experience and technical knowledge you have, the more you can earn. For HVAC technicians, this means that salaries can fluctuate between 40-70K depending on experience.
Job Outlook
As the baby boomer generation comes into retirement age, there is an immense opportunity to start a career in the HVAC industry. With an expected 100,000 new jobs to open in the industry in the next 5 years, it has never been a better time to start a career in HVAC. Since HVAC jobs can never be outsourced and by nature always have to be done on site, technicians and other HVAC professionals are almost guaranteed long-term job security.
Since the HVAC industry deals directly with home and business infrastructure, there will never be a time where this profession is not needed. Not only that, but since technology has been increasing at such a steady pace, old systems are constantly being switched out for newer, high efficiency models. All of these factors combine to make the HVAC industry as strong and stable as it has ever been.
A Typical Day as an HVAC Technician
A typical day in the life of an HVAC technician can vary greatly depending on what type of company a technician works for. The work schedule may start whenever the repair is needed. If you are working with a home building company, you might have a regular 9-5 schedule.
The beginning of the day for an HVAC tech starts out by going to the workplace to prepare for the job ahead of them. After learning about the schedule for the day, the necessary equipment will get loaded into the company vehicle. Then the techs will head out to the job site.
A tech might work for a company that is appointment-based, going from home to home installing and maintaining cooling systems. This kind of job might suit someone who enjoys variety and working closely with the public.
For techs that work in industrial or commercial settings, it is possible they will be at the same job site all day long for weeks at a time. There might be an HVAC manager that is dealing directly with the client. This might be a better fit for someone who likes to work on bigger projects for a longer period of time without having customer service responsibilities.
The Downsides of a Career in HVAC
Like any career, there are difficulties that come with the territory, but we are here to show you how easily those can be overcome.
1. A Need for Experience
Like many industries, your initial hire is going to be one of the most difficult. An education can help immensely with this issue, and you can also check your local union for apprentice opportunities. There are also a great many companies and resources you can tap, like myHVACjobs.com to help you learn the ropes and get started.
2. Physically Demanding
As with any job where you are working on your feet, a career in HVAC requires a certain level of physicality. In your young age this is probably considered an immense positive, you get to interact with people on a regular basis and get some great exercise while you work. This is really only to be considered a negative in the later stages of your career.
3. A Need to Learn
Learning about the newest technologies, systems and skills you need takes time. Luckily, you are not expected to be a master upon entry. As long as you have a basic foundation and a thirst to learn, an apprenticeship can clear this issue right up.
All in all, it has never been a better time to jump into a career in HVAC. With more and more jobs opening up in the industry and strong job stability, HVAC is one of the best industries to grow into. Click here if you would like to learn more or apply for a new job or career opportunity.