Are you one of those people who just has a hard time making decisions? Maybe you worry that what you are interested in now may not be quite so interesting in 10 years. So, you put off making the decision whether or not to go to school again to learn a new trade. This way of thinking won’t launch you into a new job. You can take action without regretting your decision to strengthen your education later. If you are mechanically inclined, even just a little bit, a diploma from a great heating and refrigeration (HVAC) technologies school could be just the career path you’ve been hoping to find.

Why would becoming an HVAC technician work for you? A diploma from an HVAC school gives you flexibility. With HVAC training, you can specialize in such areas as refrigeration or electrical work, but still have a significant background in heating and AC technologies. So, if you prefer one of these areas over another, you can work in that field or a broader field if you choose. You can work anywhere in the country from Phoenix, Arizona to Portland, Maine. You can go abroad and take your skills internationally, too. You can work for an organization or you can start your own business. With an education in HVAC technologies, you have all these options and more.

What will I learn in heating and AC school?

You will see how technicians repair and perform maintenance on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units and appliances. You will take courses where you learn by doing procedures yourself, rather than training from an educational textbook. You will also learn practical and applicable skills, so that once you complete your education, you know won’t have to wonder how to begin your career. You’ll be ready to jump right in.

No, seriously. Give me details. What will I learn in HVAC school?

Your class work will include both the overviews of how HVAC technology works and also the details of how to fix and maintain it. Your courses will include studying building codes, standards for air quality, and safety precautions when working with refrigerants. Training in HVAC structural design will also be a portion of your training and course work. You will learn many different types of heating, refrigeration, and air conditioning unit designs, giving you the ability to be flexible and ready to tackle any type of machinery you happen to encounter in your job. You will learn the skills for applying repair and maintenance techniques to these various designs. Your education will include the finer points of working with technical equipment like motors, pumps, fans, and compressors. Even work on the electrical aspects of the HVAC units will be included in your training.

While repairing equipment is a large part of the job, performing routine maintenance procedures should also be expected. This includes performing diagnostics checks, but also dealing with the issues as they come up in these checks. You will have an education in trouble-shooting, so to speak. This attention to details and potential problems is very useful in the HVAC industry. A malfunctioning ventilation system can be very hazardous to those with severe asthma. Having a deep understanding of HVAC technology now will prepare you with training in anticipation of the evolving technology into new and more environment-friendly equipment.

But why learn the technologies now if they’re going to change?

Evolving technologies are a reality of our modern society. How many new versions of the iPhone do you think Apple will introduce? These seemingly constant upgrades don’t stop people from using the practical skills they learned in using their old phones and applying them to the new version. People learn to adapt by using what they already know. The same principle applies to training in HVAC technology. Learning a piece of technology now doesn’t stop you from using a new version of it later. If anything, you are able to use new equipment better than others because you are familiar with the concepts and structure already. Some people make sure that they are up on the latest developments by attending seminars and going back for more classes in refrigeration school, just to brush up, but a good training program early on doesn’t make this absolutely necessary.

Don’t worry about studying HVAC now and losing interest later. People change jobs and careers more often than not these days. With an HVAC diploma though, you are allowing your future to be flexible. You will be prepared to change your focus if you want to, choose a different location to work in, or just find another job. HVAC training does not lock you in, but creates options for you.