Before you jump into going back to school for a skilled trades education and begin a new career in the HVAC industry in Ontario, you need to consider whether you’re ready to take on this new and exciting journey. Just like any career, there are things you need to be prepared for when you enter into the workplace, but these job ready skills take on a whole new meaning when you go into the skilled trades industry.
Ask yourself: Am I ready to…
...Be punctual?
One thing you need to ask yourself before you start your career in the skilled trades is whether you’re prepared to be on time every day. Whether you’re a gas tech or an HVAC tech, you’re likely being called to someone’s home to fix something that’s broken, and it’s usually a time sensitive matter. If you’re called to someone’s home in the middle of winter to perform maintenance on a furnace that isn’t giving them heat, the more punctual the better.
...Focus and concentrate?
When you’re working in this industry, the jobs you’ll be doing require all of your work and focus. When you’re working with gas lines you can’t afford to not give it your entire focus - concentrate on doing your best work, and make sure it’s work that you can walk away from and be proud of.
If you’re unsure of whether you’re ready, ask yourself if you’ll be able to focus for 8 hours a day completely on the task at hand. Doing a great job installing or maintaining an HVAC system for a customer results in less worry for the customer, and a better reputation for you as a gas technician.
...Use your people skills?
To be ready to start your career in the skilled trades, you need to be ready to interact well with people. For the most part you’ll be working independently on your own, but you’ll be coming into someone’s home or business, so you need to be friendly, polite, and inviting. You also need to keep in mind, you’ll probably be dealing with people in a high stress situation. More often than not, something has just broken for them. They’ll probably be stressed out, and you’ll need to be as personable as you can and put them at ease knowing that you can fix the problem for them.
...Be a professional?
Professionalism can come in the form of politeness and people skills. You’ll need to be professional and polite to customers when entering their homes or businesses. However, being professional also comes in the form of knowing what you’re doing once you get to the job, and showing up prepared and ready to do what they’re asking (and doing it well the first time).
...Be as knowledgeable as you can?
Customers are going to expect you to be an expert in your field. Odds are, if they’ve called you, they probably don’t know a whole lot about gas lines or HVAC systems. You’ll leave your gas fitting course an expert, but it’s up to you to keep up to date once you’re out in the field. Do your best to stay knowledgeable about new systems, and if you have the option to go through further training with your employer, jump at those opportunities.
If you’ve answered yes to these questions, you’re ready to take the next steps to begin your career in the HVAC industry! And if you're unsure, we’d love to connect with you to help you realize you are more ready than you think!
