Given the strong demand for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) technicians you might be tempted to dive in and teach yourself the basics of HVAC. Replacing filters and monitoring proper condensate drainage are skills that can save time and money for a homeowner. However, for beginners looking to go professional, it’s important to remember this is a serious craft, requiring training.
The combination of electrical systems, high-tech components, and complicated refrigerant systems means that untrained workers can hurt themselves and do real damage to a homeowner’s equipment. If you are contemplating becoming a professional HVAC technician, here are five questions to consider:
Question #1: What Does an HVAC Technician Do?
HVAC mechanics and installers establish, maintain, test, and repair heating, ventilation, cooling, and refrigeration systems. There is a wide range of work to be done in the field. You might find yourself doing any of the following:
- Installing ductwork on a large apartment building under construction
- Troubleshooting a malfunctioning system at an office or warehouse
- Replacing compressors
- Cleaning cooling towers
- Guiding a crane to set a large AC unit on a roof
- Analyzing electronic thermostats
- Brazing and soldering wiring
- Fixing a grocery store’s broken freezers
The list is long. Heat pumps, AC units, ductwork, and thermostats all need to be installed, tested, maintained, and often replaced. Every home, office, apartment, warehouse, and grocery store has some sort of HVAC system that will need work, growing the demand for HVAC technicians.
Question #2: Can I Teach Myself HVAC?
While it’s possible to absorb some of the basics through YouTube videos and textbooks, you may learn just enough to get yourself into trouble. The combination of refrigerant, electrical, and mechanical systems presents complexity in diagnosing and repairing.
Safety. All HVAC systems are connected to the building’s electrical systems. Commercial units can have high enough voltages to injure a worker. Highly specific training and supervised field experience will keep you and your coworkers safe.
Liability. Most states require certification and have strict licensing requirements. If anything goes wrong on a job site, the consequences range from getting personally sued to criminal prosecution.
Knowledge. Ask any veteran HVAC tech if you can learn what you need on your own and most will give the same answer: Nothing can replace up-to-date training and working alongside experienced techs. The field is just too diverse with a vast array of specialized knowledge required. You’ll risk gaps in your education that could prove costly.
Question #3: How Do I Become an HVAC Technician?
An easy and direct method is to attend a trade school that offers an HVAC program.
These programs typically take as little as 11 months of study to earn a diploma. After completion, you can work toward licensing with an apprenticeship and then passing the licensing exam.
Question #4: What are the Benefits of a Formal Education?
Setting aside some time in your life to learn through a formal program has many benefits.
Creates focus. Trade school lasts a finite length of time and keeps you moving toward completion on a structured timeline. When you learn on your own, life tends to take over. Other projects pop up and soon your goal of becoming an HVAC takes a back seat and gets pushed out to next year.
Enrolling in a program helps your dream take shape. You’ll have a clear beginning and end point. Your journey will include other beginners, encouraging you to stick with it.
Borrowing expertise. Learning under experienced industry veterans shouldn’t be seen as a shortcut. These professionals have made all the mistakes, worked in every conceivable situation, and know what skills are needed to be successful in the real world. Take advantage of their hard-earned wisdom, and in 11 months, you can reach a skill level that would have taken five or more on your own.
Correct mix of hands-on and class time. The HVAC industry requires a mix of technical and mechanical skills that demand both book learning and field experience. A formal education will give you just enough classroom time so that you’re prepared for supervised field work.
Compare this to working on your own, sitting next to an AC unit scrolling through YouTube videos for help. Getting trained in a controlled setting helps you avoid wasted time and frustration. Perhaps more importantly, it speeds up the learning process, turning you into a professional as fast as possible.
Safety first. You don’t know what you don’t know. A formal HVAC education will ground you in working safely and efficiently around large mechanical systems. Working with electricity without proper training can be deadly. Working on rooftops, crawl spaces, and on ladders is made more dangerous by inexperience.
Employers want to know that you are skilled, but they also want employees who are trained in operating in the safest manner possible. Getting a trade school diploma is a strong indication that you won’t be a liability on the job.
Getting your first job. A formal education makes you a more desirable hire. Getting a diploma sends a signal that you can work well with others, have a grounding in the basics, and are capable of sticking with something for an extended period of time.
Trade schools also come with formal and informal job placements. Career services are standard, and you’ll get help with job applications and matching with employers looking for people just like you. You’ll also benefit from the loose network of people that your instructors and fellow classmates bring with them.
Question #5: What Will I Learn During an HVAC Technician Program?
HVAC techs need to be competent in a broad range of abilities. A good training program will include these technical skills:
- Refrigeration mechanics
- Basic electricity
- Brazing and soldering
- Sheet metal fabrication and duct systems
- Commercial refrigeration systems
- Electrical and fluid dynamics
- Combustion properties
- Climate control systems
- Electrical controls
- Air quality
- Reading blueprints
Soft skill training will include shop and safety practices, supervisory skills, and crew leadership.
HVAC Technician Diploma
Ready to start a rewarding career as an HVAC technician? With more than two decades of success in the medical, health, and IT sectors, we added an HVAC course to our curriculum. We are proud to announce that we have flexible day and evening classes for the HVAC program.
CyberTex’s HVAC program can be completed in as little as 11-month attending full-time with the flexibility of day and evening classes. You will be eligible to take the EPA – 608 certification from the US Environmental Protection Agency with our training. Contact us today to learn more.
