My father owned a local HVAC company, and ever since I was little, I wanted to be a heating and cooling systems specialist, just like him.
I cherished watching my dad work. I appreciated how he took such care of the elements in these specialized systems. He wanted to make sure his clients weren’t just happy with their systems, but with his work, and a. He had some personality issues; he never wanted someone to say he did a good job. This is exactly the type of person I wanted to be, and the type of HVAC contractor I aspired to become. For years, I followed my dad around, cleaning an air conditioner machine or furnace, when no other help was available. I wasn’t ready to go back to school after graduation, and I thought my dad would let me come back to work with him. You’re 18, he said, so unless you get your heating and cooling systems certification, you can’t work for me. I was so angry I almost cried. I thought I could use my past as life credits, but he refused. He said I had to go to HVAC technical school, and I had to take the classes to get my certification. When I asked if he would help me pay for the schooling, he patted me on the back and reminded me that was what parents did for their teenagers. Six months later, I was working for my dad as a certified HVAC contractor!