Why should you consider a career in the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) sector? Well, for one, job growth continues to be strong for skilled trades – especially for air conditioning specialists with the summer months upon us. Another is that new technologies are making older units less efficient and in line for replacement. As skills advocate Mike Rowe often preaches: “The skills gap is real…and it’s getting wider.”
As a trained HVAC technician, you’ll find you have multiple choices…in the career paths you can take and the jobs open to you. Most HVAC graduates follow one of four paths in their HVAC career – working for an HVAC company that offers stability and a variety of employee benefits; working for the government in areas from state to local agencies or the armed forces; joining one in 10 HVAC technicians as an independent contractor; or living the “American Dream” by starting your own HVAC business and being your own boss. Along each of these paths you also could transition from being a service technician or installer to becoming an HVAC engineer, refrigeration tech, or a manager in the field or distribution.
As mentioned, one reason for the job growth and variety of opportunities is the influx of new technology entering the field. The technological advances are leading to an increase in new installations and maintenance needs. As a result, it’s expected that HVAC specialists will be busier than ever in coming years.
Not only does the HVAC profession offer a relatively secure professional life, it is a career that provides a variety of paths and good opportunities for advancement. You can start as a field technician at an HVAC company and advance up the ladder to management…or, you could explore options within the government or as an HVAC business owner yourself. The opportunities are there; it’s just up to you to choose the one that’s right for you.
The HVAC industry is a good one for starting a rewarding career. A good place to start investigating industry requirements and opportunities is on our HVAC program page . If you enjoy working with both your hands and your brain, and decide HVAC would be a good career path for you, Fortis offers HVAC/R programs at more than two dozen campuses across the country that can help prepare you to enter the field.
