Sunday, May 01, 2005

HVAC Master

As of May 15th, 2006 I will be able to take the Master HVAC test for the state of Maryland. That may not seem like a big deal to many of you, and others may tend to think "that's all he's managed to do with his life?

It is for me quite a big deal. I have a skeleton's closet full of unfinished projects, degrees, books, etc. and I will finally have accomplished something substantial. Not much will change once I have passed the test, but one thing will- I will have finally mastered something.

HVAC was one of the first things I realized I couldn't BS and charm my way through. No matter how nice you are, or how funny, or how smart, if you are an HVAC tech you will at some point find yourself on a roof with a bag of tools and a machine that refuses to run. It is here that I find that I am most focused, challenged, and most fulfilled when the job is done.

HVAC is hands-on. There's nothing "virtual" about it. It is math, and engineering, and technical, and heavy lifting, and reading and studying, and thinking and (sometimes) swearing and sweating, and customer service and staying on top of the latest technology, and working on some of the most antiquated technologies around. It involves chemistry, and design, and algebra and geometry, physics and microbiology. You really have to know your stuff to make it in this field.

I am an HVAC mechanic. I am proud of that. I could have been a professional writer, a journalist, an artist, a pastor, a desk jockey, a network administrator, or any number of things, but HVAC is where I find myself at home. I can hang with plumbers, electricians, steamfitters, intellectuals, geeks, engineers, and find commonality with all of them- because of what I have learned and what I have been allowed to see as an HVAC mechanic.

HVAC has broadened my horizons. The Washington area might be unique in that my trade has brought me in contact with senators, TV personalities, diplomats, presidential cabinet members and the foods! Oh my gosh, the foods... I know the DC area like the back of my hand. I have learned problem solving to the nth degree. I understand logic and process of elimination.

My life has taken a lot of twists and turns, and there have been times where I thought I wanted to try other things, but I have enjoyed working with HVAC systems up until this point, and my hope is that with licensing will come legitimacy, and the chance to impart my understanding of the trade to a new group of young men and women after me.