Starting a Career in HVAC
The decision to go to trade school rested on one fact for Emily Stelter. “I wanted a skill I can use all the time. It’s job security when there’s always a job to be done. I just never wanted to feel like I wouldn’t have a job.”
And the graduate of NCST’s Refrigeration and A/C Technology program got the skills and the job, finding employment even before she finished the program.She even thinks she could have gotten the job sooner had she tried.
Employers in the Trades Want to Hire Young Professionals
“People are very willing to hire young, ambitious professionals,” she said. “When they see your motivation, your drive, they’ll hire you right away. They want somebody who has the energy to work hard.”
As a younger student right out of high school, Emily felt like she had an advantage in finding a job. Where older workers tend to get set in their ways, younger trade school graduates often are more energetic, trainable, and eager to begin.
“Employers want to hire younger workers, especially because they can still train you,” she said. “It’s easier to adjust to the company. You’re more motivated to get things done, stronger and faster. They’re really looking for that.”
She shared that her future didn’t always feel so promising. After graduating from Riverside High School’s online program, she admitted that high school felt more like an obligation than an opportunity, and she often worried she was settling for an average path.
“High school was just something I had to conquer. Doing online school led me to feeling like there weren’t a lot of options for me,” she said. “I felt like there were limits, like ‘oh, I can’t be great. I can only be good.”
Finding a Path in Refrigeration and A/C Repair
Emily was determined to make her own way. And for her, trade school was the key. “I was like, oh, so actually, I am going to school. I am going to have a career, and I am going to do things differently.”
She knew as soon as she stepped foot inside New Castle School of Trades she had found her home.
“I just loved the people I met with. My interviews, my tours. This school is so beautiful. It was awesome. The lab is what really sold me. I saw everything in there, and I was overwhelmed. I loved it.”
So she enrolled and started training in the Refrigeration and A/C Technology program. As a self-proclaimed shy kid in high school, Emily felt empowered to do something shy kids rarely do: speak up.
“Oh, I’ve received a lot of help with everything,” she said. “Anything I didn’t understand, eventually I did.”
She is proud to follow her family in the trades and has seen first-hand how they can help people create a lasting, rewarding career offering job security, personal fulfillment, and the ability to support your family.
“Every man in my life that I hold near and dear does a trade. My stepfather’s a welder. My oldest and youngest brother do automotive. And they’re all awesome.”
Women Work in the Trades
Emily added being a woman in the trades only creates opportunity to be a role model for other women to join her.
“The men around me have not only been supportive, but absolutely respectful at all times. They know women have beautiful, sharp minds,” she said. “Women can do well in any trade, whether it be HVAC or automotive or construction.”
Given the demand for skilled trade workers, there’s plenty of room for women to come into a field like refrigeration and A/C repair, welding, or electrical technology and find success working there.
“If you’re a hands-on person, there’s a lot of work to be done. You don’t have to worry about ever losing interest or being bored, because you will not be,” she said.
She said students who don’t fit the mold for “traditional” education have a place in trade school, where they can learn a skill that keeps them employed and gives them room to grow.
“Your work is always going to keep your attention because there are always new things to learn. There are so many different things you can do,” she said.
Emily graduates from NCST excited that she’s found her calling, that she started her career so quickly, and that she overcame four years of uncertainty about her future.
Her best advice, especially for students close to NCST’s New Castle, PA. and East Liverpool, OH. campuses, is to take a look at trade school.
“I definitely recommend NCST. If art and English literature and math aren’t your thing, you definitely can find something here that is.”
Ready to start a new career? Our Refrigeration & A/C Technology program helps you gain the hands-on, career-ready skills you need to launch a future in the HVAC industry.