HVAC Technician
Keep heating, ventilation and air conditioning units up and running.
A winter night spent snuggled up, a cup of hot cocoa in hand, takes a nasty turn if the heating unit in your home conks out. Likewise, summer heat waves become unbearable if your air conditioning unit breaks. Without an Air Conditioning Technician around to fix heat and air systems that slack off on the job, homeowners and businesses would soon find themselves stuck in a less than desirable, and potentially deadly, situation.
As an Air Conditioning Technician, you’re on call to install and repair heating and cooling units on the fritz. And it’s not just about keeping people comfortable. If the heating unit stopped working at a hospital in the middle of winter, for example, sick patients could get sicker or even die from the cold. In this case, it’s about saving lives.
When you head off to the workplace, you take along all of your tools, as well as spare parts needed for making repairs. You check for problems and make any necessary fixes, whether it’s tightening some loose nuts and bolts or installing all-new parts. When the system is up and running again, you double check to ensure it meets all required safety codes.
It’s a process of trial-and-error, but one that lets you take a hands-on approach to solving problems. Air Conditioning Technicians love tinkering with machines to see how they work and how they can be run more efficiently.
Persistent: You keep pushing through, even when faced with tough obstacles.
Team Player: You're able to listen, communicate, and work with tons of different people.
Reliable: You can always be counted on to do a good job.
Nationally: $26,000 – $67,000
Main education level: Certificate
source: US Dept of Labor