I am the mother of a high school boy.
He is now in the eleventh grade, and his guidance counselor and his father and I are starting to talk to him about what he is going to do with his life once he walks across that stage at graduation.
One thing we have certainly noticed in his school life is that he much prefers to work with his hands than with his head. Well, you certainly have to use your head as well, but you know what I mean. He would rather build something or fix something or take something apart then he would read a book and answer questions. Because of this natural inclination, I am tempted to try to tell my son that he should look into learning a skilled trade. I know that skilled workers are in short supply all over the country, and also especially in my state where I happen to live. We need all kinds of skilled workers, for sure, but one thing I am certain we will always need is HVAC installers and repairmen. If my son decided to go to Tech school, which I hope he does, I think he would fit best in the heating and cooling program. The local tech school by us teaches a program called HVAC – R. That stands for HVAC – Refrigeration.Not all trade schools teach Refrigeration along with their Heating and Cooling program, but ours just happens to. I think this is smart and also vital for the good of society. Our grocery stores and restaurants need reliable Refrigeration installation and refrigeration repair in addition to heating and cooling repair. I do not see any shame in learning how to install and repair air conditioners and heaters. There was a time when all trades were looked down upon, and it was as if the only people who could do those jobs were those who couldn’t do anything else. Those days are gone! HVAC technicians often also have flexible schedules, which is very nice indeed.