[Chillerman]

Originally Posted by nordic97mist

My uncle keeps telling me to go into HVAC but i never really wanted to be a heating/ac guy lol. Kind of a long story as always but starting to take him up on his advice about getting into that field. Im having knee problems right now so im looking at insurances to find out whats wrong with it blah blah. Once its all ready to go im thinking about going into the Army Reserves and go into their 91C mos which would cover HVAC training. Anybody know what the pay is like on the civilian side? I've done some research but figured i'd ask some local guys what they might know about it. Thanks again for any help

I've been doing HVAC now for over 26 years. I started in residential, moved to light commercial with the same company, then moved into heavy commercial/industrial. I work on anything from a 1 ton mini-split to a 2000 ton centrifugal chillers. Screw machines and absorption along with VFD's are in the mix as well. Cooling towers, controls and pumps, and the list goes on.

If you cant stand tight hot places, this trade is not for you. You will work very hard to be successful. Once you get 7-10 years under your belt, get with a good company, then the sky is the limit on income. An HVAC tech can make anywhere from 30K to 100K a year depending on their level of experience, and their willingness to work.

If you can get with a company that sticks with commercial/industrial work, then the highs and lows of the seasonal crap that the residential companies deal with is alot less. Work load is generally more steady through out the year. Overtime is generally more predictable, however you will work your butt off in the summer months no matter who you work for.

I do have bad knees from the years of residential I did, which is one reason I moved to the area I work in now. The trade has been good to me, but I have worked my ass off to get where I am today.