I went to get my HVAC certification at a trade school.
I didn’t do it to start a business, I just wanted to be able to repair my own HVAC system without requiring professional assistance.
I’ll tell you, I learned so much in the trade school and I pretty much consider myself a professional HVAC worker now. You can’t tell me that I’m not because I have the certification to prove it. I didn’t want a lot of people to know about it though, but the word got out. When I had friends asking me to repair their HVAC systems, I became a little bit agitated. They thought that I wanted to make money and didn’t see what the big deal was. I told them why I got my HVAC certification and how I just wanted to work on my own HVAC only. They left me alone about it for a little while, but later on people asked me again for help, especially during emergency situations. I ended up helping friends who I thought really needed it, and they actually paid me well for helping. I helped my buddy Tony and his family during a winter storm once. I actually felt really good about helping them out. Then there was this time when my grandfather had his cooling system break down during a heatwave. I was quick to help him out. I believe I might have saved his life. I don’t mind helping in these instances, but honestly, this isn’t what I do for a living. It’s just a valuable skill to have.