When I was growing up I always knew that I didn’t want to work a typical nine-to-five job.
- I’m not meant to be in an office or cubicle all day long.
I am not the sort who wants to punch in and out of a time clock based on some arbitrary rule made 50 years ago. That’s why I decided I was going to go into trade school so I could become a professional and control my own schedule every day. Well, that was a really good idea back in the day… But in actuality it means that I work longer and harder hours than I ever could have imagined. When I signed on to become a professional HVAC technician through the local trade schools’ heating and cooling certification program, I had no idea how demanding the job was going to be. I was immediately hired straight out of school and given the freedom to work as a heating and cooling intern with several residential HVAC experts. The first thing they told me was buckle up for a wild ride. Apparently, the HVAC shop makes sure that you are earning your keep by paying you based on commission. This means, for every heating and cooling repair job you go to, you earn a certain percentage of the repair fees and parts sales. Unfortunately, it means that you only make as much money as you can repair HVAC equipment. In order to make a livable wage, I have to constantly run from one HVAC appointment to the next. If I waste my time chit chatting with clients or performing extra HVAC services, I’m losing money. I don’t work a 9-5 job, instead I work 6-6.