Blake Hodge: What the Future Holds
2019 was a crazy year. I have been busier than ever before with school, work, and events. On top of everything I already had going on, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to participate in the Shurtape Mission. The mission was a great experience and really gave me the chance to reflect on my decision to enter the HVAC field.
I remember the day I received the email that I was chosen to be a participant in the mission. I was so excited and honored to be given this opportunity. Now that the mission is coming to an end, I can say that it did not disappoint in the slightest bit. The articles written each month gave us students a great chance to be able to look deeper into the HVAC field and really think about our future in the workforce. Although some articles were more difficult than others to write, they all were a great task to complete. During the past ten months I did not have any doubts or regrets about participating in the mission. Every month I was excited to receive my next topic and begin working on it.
As for my future in the HVAC field, I will finish my third year of college at Ferris State University in the spring, with plans of achieving my bachelor’s degree in May of 2021. After I finish my third year in the spring, I will begin my internship over the summer working in the controls field. I am very excited and eager about the upcoming internship. It will be interesting to learn more about controls and to see if this is my fit in the HVAC field. Beyond this summer, I do not know what the future will hold. The one thing that I believe is certain about my future is that I will be working in HVAC.
Brenan Vogt: The Right Job for Me
My overall experience with this program has been great. Making these submissions has been great because it helps me to think about everything that I have done and accomplished over the past recent months. It also helps me realize just how much that I have learned already even though I’m just beginning my journey as an HVAC technician. What’s surprising to me is that no matter how long you be been in the field, there’s always something to be learned. One of my Co-Workers has been in the field for over 45 years and still sees things that he’s never come across before every day. I definitely feel that I made the right decision with my career choice and plan to grow each and every day as I learn more and more. My goal remains the same of becoming the owner of a company someday, but I definitely plan on staying in the field in the long term, I definitely think that this is the right job for me!
Michael Clemons: The Art of Comfort
Many people have different definitions of HVAC. I define it as the art of making people comfortable. I was recently asked why I chose to pursue a career in HVAC instead of business or another four-year program. I asked them if they wanted their house to be 100 degrees during the day. Their obvious answer was “no.” That’s why I believe HVAC is important: we are here to make people comfortable.
The first time I was exposed the HVAC field was when I helped a local contractor for a few weeks. We did a condensing unit replacement and a few no-cool calls. While doing this, I found it was different from other trades. Homeowners can’t really do our job as it’s specialized. Instead of going the apprentice route, I chose to go to a two-year trade school at DMACC to get a degree and a more diverse knowledge about this field. I believe this will help me get a better job and give me a head start compared to the apprenticeship route. One of the things I am really enjoying learning about is all the electrical components and how they work. For example, sequencers. I now know how they work and could diagnose one if it was bad. I believe going the school route helps to teach you the more in-depth about the parts of the HVAC system.