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Critterhunter Gets A Job...
- Thread starter Critterhunter
- Start date
Critterhunter
New member
Thanks. Yea, I'm posting this morning but no, I'm not fired yet, they want me in later today due to a death in the owner's family. But also not bragging I've got the job as it's obvious to me there is a lot I need to learn. Many of the things I learned in school are the exact opposite of what you do in the real world so I'm learning a lot for sure.
JoeB, that's why I posted that stuff to help anybody else looking for a job even if it's in another field. There is a whole underground of companies that are off the grid. They are legal and pay taxes and such. They just don't advertise or have a number in the phone book or on the net, so you have to dig for them.
JoeB, that's why I posted that stuff to help anybody else looking for a job even if it's in another field. There is a whole underground of companies that are off the grid. They are legal and pay taxes and such. They just don't advertise or have a number in the phone book or on the net, so you have to dig for them.
JimmyCT
Well-known member
Congrats Critter on the new job! If you work anything like you post, they will absolutely love you 
grin. <----- I state this as you are very thorough in your writing skills. You are definitely right about the "underground" work world and I am glad you found a little mom & pop like business to take you on. They are more personable and if they like what you do for them, they kind of start to look at you more like a distant family member then just a worker. Show them respect along with being flexible and dependable (in your hours and duties) and your in! Like others mention you will be "golden" once you get the experience. Glad you got into the field you went to school for. Best of luck to you and detecting can take the back burner for now. Sorta what I am doing right now myself. - Jim
grin. <----- I state this as you are very thorough in your writing skills. You are definitely right about the "underground" work world and I am glad you found a little mom & pop like business to take you on. They are more personable and if they like what you do for them, they kind of start to look at you more like a distant family member then just a worker. Show them respect along with being flexible and dependable (in your hours and duties) and your in! Like others mention you will be "golden" once you get the experience. Glad you got into the field you went to school for. Best of luck to you and detecting can take the back burner for now. Sorta what I am doing right now myself. - JimOld California
New member
Congratulations Cridder,
We're here on the sidelines cheering for you, beheive me hearing about you getting a job in this economy is good news for all of us.
Very happy for you, Congrats again
Paul (Ca)
We're here on the sidelines cheering for you, beheive me hearing about you getting a job in this economy is good news for all of us.
Very happy for you, Congrats again
Paul (Ca)
Critterhunter
New member
Thanks to all. Welp, today was my worst day yet. I had been mainly riding with the owner doing service calls with just a little help dropping in to do touch up install work (meaning new air handler/furnace). Me and the owner have done like 3 "installs" but these were putting new condensors outside of a house. No carpentry type stuff there, just technical like wiring and charging the AC. Today he said I was to work all day with his guy who only does installs doing a furnace/air handler at a house in the basement. Not what I went to school for. My mental skills are in the logical yes/no/maybe/fix it type of diagnosing of a problem, and that's what I went to school for- training to be a technician.
We it just me and his install-only guy today I felt pretty useless. Lots of "dimensional" type thinking rather than "technical". Hey, if I wanted to do that sort of stuff I would have became a carpenter. Felt pretty useless. Most of my day was running parts/tools to and from the van, sweeping the floor, and asking what I could help with. He spent much of the day measuring and doing sheet metal work to mount the furnance to an non-matching plentum. That kind of work is more of an art than a science. In fact, many HVAC companies don't even do that type of work and hire in experts to do it. It's a very specialized skill. About the most "technica" thing I did today was to hitch up the gas lines. That's about the only thing that was even sort of in my "field" of study.
That's the problem with some small companies. They expect you to be a jack of all trades. I'm not sure I can handle the more "physical" "building" aspect of this trade, as many companies (in particular larger ones) ONLY have guys who do installs inside of houses for like furnances and air handlers. About the only thing they *might* have a tech do is install a condensor since that involves wiring and charging to specs. That's within my realm, but this inside house "construction" stuff is way out of my league and not what I wanted to do for a living. I don't mind lending a helping hand for that type of work, but if the owner expects me to become an expert at that too (besides the tech troubleshooting/repair stuff) then I don't think I'm going to be up to snuff. Just not something my "natural" abilities are tuned to.
Here's the clincher. Started out the day with owner telling me to drive "my van", which hasn't been driven for months. Brake line blew. Limped back to shop. That's how my day started. Felt bad, and just glad I didn't rear-end somebody on my first day driving a company vehicle. Drove my own vehicle to the job site, which they paid me gas money for. End of the day- Installer told me to take the paperwork back to the shop, which I did. Owner's partner said "What's this?!" Turns out the guy didn't fill out all the various parts, pipes, flues, and such that were used at the job and they expected me to fill that in at the office. I told them "I don't even know the sizes, gages, lengths, and such of all the stuff yet...And how am I supposed to know what all was used when I was busy doing other things while the installer was doing 99% of the hardware install of stuff?" You know what I mean? I spent a large part of the day sweeping floors, running tools and parts, and so on. If I aint installing the vast majority of the stuff then how do I know what was used, let alone that I don't know the various sizes/gauges/proper names of all the parts used? Either way, they said don't worry about it. Truth is even if I did put all that stuff in then I honestly don't think I would remember how many/what size/etc of stuff was used. My mind doesn't work that way. I'd have to inventory that stuff after the install by site to see how many/what was used. I've got a good technical/troubleshooting mind, but in terms of how many X of this was used with Y of that, bends, gage, etc...Just not my cup of tea. I'd have to write that stuff down by site after the install.
Point is that if I'm expected to do 50% install/50% tech service calls, just don't think I'll make it. They already have me doing stuff way above my leage in terms of a newbie. Many companies will have a newbie service tech doing simply clean/check/change a filter type stuff while I'm already doing charging/wiring/ & on top of that install work which most techs are never even expected to learn. I'll keep showing up and doing my best, but if they decide I'm not fitting into the install stuff then fine with me, or if they don't think I'm getting up to speed fast enough on the service tech stuff then fine with me too. I only got into this to do troubleshooting/repair type work. That's my love. Don't mind installing a condensor or evaporater coil, but in terms of doing furnace/sheet metal type "installer" stuff that's a whole different field that my heart just isn't in. If they want me to just lend a helping hand on odd days to do installs then fine, but if that's half my job then I don't see them keeping me because my skill sets just aren't up to that kind of speed, and I don't want to be a lead installer anyway.
All I can do is keep showing up for the job. If my installer skills don't meet their expectations then I'll be happy to move on. That kind of work is OK on the odd day, but not what I went to school for. They told us in school some guys will lean towards installs, others with lean towards techs, and still others will go to residential techs while others prefer commercial ones. My "goal" is residential tech. 120 or 240V probably won't kill you. 360V or 480V in commercial is a good bet to die if you make a mistake. Besides, commercial techs are on roofs a lot. Residential are in the backyard 50% of the summer, and in the basement 90% of the winter. That's my goal...Residential tech, so if this job is panning out to be a good bit of install work then if they don't let me go I might skate myself down the road. Just don't see myself being a hammer and wrench/broot strength type of guy doing installs a majority of the time.
PS- The install work today wouldn't have been so bad but it's obvious this install-only guy doesn't want to teach me anything. I told him I could wire up the furnace but he didn't trust me. Didn't want to explain things to me either. I get the impression he's a work-alone type of guy and resents teaching me "his" trade. Fine with me, I don't want to learn install work anyway. Despite that, if I stood around for a few minutes with nothing to do I'd ask him what I could do for him. Besides running parts/tools to the van he had almost nothing "technical" he trusted me to do myself. Unlike the owner, who would risk having me try various technical stuff while he watched with a close eye to correct me. This guy could have told me to do something and then watched and stood there. Just not his cup of tea I guess...
We it just me and his install-only guy today I felt pretty useless. Lots of "dimensional" type thinking rather than "technical". Hey, if I wanted to do that sort of stuff I would have became a carpenter. Felt pretty useless. Most of my day was running parts/tools to and from the van, sweeping the floor, and asking what I could help with. He spent much of the day measuring and doing sheet metal work to mount the furnance to an non-matching plentum. That kind of work is more of an art than a science. In fact, many HVAC companies don't even do that type of work and hire in experts to do it. It's a very specialized skill. About the most "technica" thing I did today was to hitch up the gas lines. That's about the only thing that was even sort of in my "field" of study.
That's the problem with some small companies. They expect you to be a jack of all trades. I'm not sure I can handle the more "physical" "building" aspect of this trade, as many companies (in particular larger ones) ONLY have guys who do installs inside of houses for like furnances and air handlers. About the only thing they *might* have a tech do is install a condensor since that involves wiring and charging to specs. That's within my realm, but this inside house "construction" stuff is way out of my league and not what I wanted to do for a living. I don't mind lending a helping hand for that type of work, but if the owner expects me to become an expert at that too (besides the tech troubleshooting/repair stuff) then I don't think I'm going to be up to snuff. Just not something my "natural" abilities are tuned to.
Here's the clincher. Started out the day with owner telling me to drive "my van", which hasn't been driven for months. Brake line blew. Limped back to shop. That's how my day started. Felt bad, and just glad I didn't rear-end somebody on my first day driving a company vehicle. Drove my own vehicle to the job site, which they paid me gas money for. End of the day- Installer told me to take the paperwork back to the shop, which I did. Owner's partner said "What's this?!" Turns out the guy didn't fill out all the various parts, pipes, flues, and such that were used at the job and they expected me to fill that in at the office. I told them "I don't even know the sizes, gages, lengths, and such of all the stuff yet...And how am I supposed to know what all was used when I was busy doing other things while the installer was doing 99% of the hardware install of stuff?" You know what I mean? I spent a large part of the day sweeping floors, running tools and parts, and so on. If I aint installing the vast majority of the stuff then how do I know what was used, let alone that I don't know the various sizes/gauges/proper names of all the parts used? Either way, they said don't worry about it. Truth is even if I did put all that stuff in then I honestly don't think I would remember how many/what size/etc of stuff was used. My mind doesn't work that way. I'd have to inventory that stuff after the install by site to see how many/what was used. I've got a good technical/troubleshooting mind, but in terms of how many X of this was used with Y of that, bends, gage, etc...Just not my cup of tea. I'd have to write that stuff down by site after the install.
Point is that if I'm expected to do 50% install/50% tech service calls, just don't think I'll make it. They already have me doing stuff way above my leage in terms of a newbie. Many companies will have a newbie service tech doing simply clean/check/change a filter type stuff while I'm already doing charging/wiring/ & on top of that install work which most techs are never even expected to learn. I'll keep showing up and doing my best, but if they decide I'm not fitting into the install stuff then fine with me, or if they don't think I'm getting up to speed fast enough on the service tech stuff then fine with me too. I only got into this to do troubleshooting/repair type work. That's my love. Don't mind installing a condensor or evaporater coil, but in terms of doing furnace/sheet metal type "installer" stuff that's a whole different field that my heart just isn't in. If they want me to just lend a helping hand on odd days to do installs then fine, but if that's half my job then I don't see them keeping me because my skill sets just aren't up to that kind of speed, and I don't want to be a lead installer anyway.
All I can do is keep showing up for the job. If my installer skills don't meet their expectations then I'll be happy to move on. That kind of work is OK on the odd day, but not what I went to school for. They told us in school some guys will lean towards installs, others with lean towards techs, and still others will go to residential techs while others prefer commercial ones. My "goal" is residential tech. 120 or 240V probably won't kill you. 360V or 480V in commercial is a good bet to die if you make a mistake. Besides, commercial techs are on roofs a lot. Residential are in the backyard 50% of the summer, and in the basement 90% of the winter. That's my goal...Residential tech, so if this job is panning out to be a good bit of install work then if they don't let me go I might skate myself down the road. Just don't see myself being a hammer and wrench/broot strength type of guy doing installs a majority of the time.
PS- The install work today wouldn't have been so bad but it's obvious this install-only guy doesn't want to teach me anything. I told him I could wire up the furnace but he didn't trust me. Didn't want to explain things to me either. I get the impression he's a work-alone type of guy and resents teaching me "his" trade. Fine with me, I don't want to learn install work anyway. Despite that, if I stood around for a few minutes with nothing to do I'd ask him what I could do for him. Besides running parts/tools to the van he had almost nothing "technical" he trusted me to do myself. Unlike the owner, who would risk having me try various technical stuff while he watched with a close eye to correct me. This guy could have told me to do something and then watched and stood there. Just not his cup of tea I guess...
Critterhunter
New member
Welp, got the ax today. Surprisingly they thought my service tech/troubleshooting skills were coming up to speed nicely, but the install-only guy said he needs somebody with more experience and can't afford to put the time in to teach me because of being so busy. Don't really blame the company as it's a small shop and they did tell me they really needed a guy with more experience from the start but they'd give me a shot.
Owner is a tech and has one install only guy. Thought they had another installer but never seen/heard about him. Don't really care for the install work so in a way it's a blessing. I'm more wired for the diagnose/repair type of service tech stuff. The way I understand it many companies don't have the techs hardly if ever do installs, but by the sound of it I would have mostly been helping on installs and only doing service calls on days the boss couldn't handle all of them. I was told I'd also be expected to learn sheet metal for installs and that's a trade unto it's self. Was told in school that many companies don't even do their own sheet metal work and just hire it out because it's so specialized and such an art form.
So, figured this might happen. Just too small of a shop with no room to have you start out doing simple maintenance contracts/PM work (prevenative maintenance). That's how the bigger than mom-and-pop shops start you out slow. They have you do simple stuff and then slowly progress you into more. I was a bit in over my head anyway at my experience level for the service call stuff even though they said I was coming along fine with that part of the job.
Need to look into bigger shops where they don't mix installer/tech positions as much. Don't mind helping out in installs here and there but it looked like it would be a major portion of my job. Besides, bigger shops have longer rotations for being on call at night. At this shop I'd be on call every other week due to the owner being the only other tech, so that's another reason I'm not too bummed about it. Kind of happy in a way that it worked out this way. Need a slower start on the service stuff and not be expected to take a major role in installs if asked to pitch in on that.
Owner is a tech and has one install only guy. Thought they had another installer but never seen/heard about him. Don't really care for the install work so in a way it's a blessing. I'm more wired for the diagnose/repair type of service tech stuff. The way I understand it many companies don't have the techs hardly if ever do installs, but by the sound of it I would have mostly been helping on installs and only doing service calls on days the boss couldn't handle all of them. I was told I'd also be expected to learn sheet metal for installs and that's a trade unto it's self. Was told in school that many companies don't even do their own sheet metal work and just hire it out because it's so specialized and such an art form.
So, figured this might happen. Just too small of a shop with no room to have you start out doing simple maintenance contracts/PM work (prevenative maintenance). That's how the bigger than mom-and-pop shops start you out slow. They have you do simple stuff and then slowly progress you into more. I was a bit in over my head anyway at my experience level for the service call stuff even though they said I was coming along fine with that part of the job.
Need to look into bigger shops where they don't mix installer/tech positions as much. Don't mind helping out in installs here and there but it looked like it would be a major portion of my job. Besides, bigger shops have longer rotations for being on call at night. At this shop I'd be on call every other week due to the owner being the only other tech, so that's another reason I'm not too bummed about it. Kind of happy in a way that it worked out this way. Need a slower start on the service stuff and not be expected to take a major role in installs if asked to pitch in on that.
Critterhunter
New member
matthias said:
Matthias, I'm just curious why you prefer the commercial stuff? Climbing on roofs year round due to the heating and air usually being up there. 360 or 480 volts that will probably kill you if you make a mistake. Bigger/heavier components to haul up a ladder and replace, etc. Just wondering why you like the commercial more? I'd rather do residential. In the basement or the backyard in the summer, and 99% of the time you are in the basement in the winter unless it's a heat pump which is rare around here to have due to the climate.
Suncoast Kid
Well-known member
Critter,
Congratulations on at least finding a job, you have some skills so something will come your way. We all love to read your posts. If you do as well at work as you do writing your posts, you should retire from the next job.
Congratulations on at least finding a job, you have some skills so something will come your way. We all love to read your posts. If you do as well at work as you do writing your posts, you should retire from the next job.
HI CRITTER,
GLAD YOU GOT A GOOD JOB. SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT WORK ETHIC TO LET THEM SEE YOU WILL BE A GOOD EMPLOYEE AND WANT TO LEARN. KEEP IT UP. SOUNDS LIKE YOUR BOSS IS IMPRESSED AND WILL MAKE SURE TO KEEP YOU. THAT'S THE WAY TO WORK. KEEPING BUSY AND NOT JUST STANDING AROUND IMPRESSES PEOPLE. I'VE DONE THAT ON EVERY JOB. CONGRADULATIONS-MARK
GLAD YOU GOT A GOOD JOB. SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT WORK ETHIC TO LET THEM SEE YOU WILL BE A GOOD EMPLOYEE AND WANT TO LEARN. KEEP IT UP. SOUNDS LIKE YOUR BOSS IS IMPRESSED AND WILL MAKE SURE TO KEEP YOU. THAT'S THE WAY TO WORK. KEEPING BUSY AND NOT JUST STANDING AROUND IMPRESSES PEOPLE. I'VE DONE THAT ON EVERY JOB. CONGRADULATIONS-MARK
Critterhunter
New member
Thanks, but...Guess you guys didn't see I'm no longer there. 
They said my service tech skills like troubleshooting were coming along but install work is not what I went to school for so I'm out of my league there. The install guy really needs an experienced install guy. No big deal, because many companies don't have techs (what I went to school for) do install work, and I don't want to be an installer anyway. The only installs techs might do are condensors outside the house and that's not really an "install" skill but rather wiring and charging- more tech related. Some companies will have a tech lend a hand on installs when they are real slow but don't expect you to take a lead role. Being a 3 or 4 man company they need a guy to fill both the tech and install rolls fully on any given day. Besides, sheet metal work for installs is an art unto it's self. Many companies sub that work to an outside expert in that trade because it's a craft all it's own but this company has it's installers do it. Way beyond my skill sets.They told us in school some guys will find they have a nack for install work. Others will find they are good at being commercial techs, and still others will lean towards residential techs. I can help out on installs here and there if needed but don't think I'll ever be a lead guy on that. Just not my strength. I was talking to a tech at a gas station putting gas in his van and he confirmed that for me. He said most shops keep a tech out of the install side of stuff, and that you might only be a helper for that kind of work on the odd real slow day. Confirms what I always heard.Either way...I got a phone call the day before I started from another company. He interviewed me for 10 minutes on the phone. I told him I need to start out at the bottom and learn my way up and that this company might not keep me because they really needed somebody with experience. Only reason why I mention it is because the guy said my prior interest and knowledge in electronics and troubleshooting as a hobby before even attending school (some guys walk out of school on graduation day and still don't grasp the basics of electronics), my customer relation skills having owned my own business (VERY important to these companies), my desire to make this a career and not just a job for now, and a few other things were "EXACTLY" what he wanted in an entry level tech (his words) and to "PLEASE" call him if I'm not experienced enough yet for the other company. He said he wants to train me to be a tech nice and slow. I called him today but he's out of the office until Monday so we'll see where that goes. Keeping my fingers crossed on that one.
I figure if I could handle the more fast learning curve of tech stuff the other company needing to bring me along at a faster pace with then the normal "slow and easy" progression many companies get a tech's feet wet with should be a cake walk. Many bigger companies will start you out changing filters, cleaning coils, and doing PM (preventative maintenance) and clean and checks (simple volt readings and such on certain components). I'm good with starting slower like that if that's what they want me to do.
JimmyCT
Well-known member
Hey Critter,
This sounds like a better deal then the one you were just at. That is a dream to find someone that is willing to teach you from the ground up. Hope this guy calls you back and signs you on. Best of luck!- Jim
...Guess you guys didn't see I'm no longer there
Either way...I got a phone call the day before I started from another company. He interviewed me for 10 minutes on the phone. I told him I need to start out at the bottom and learn my way up and that this company might not keep me because they really needed somebody with experience. Only reason why I mention it is because the guy said my prior interest and knowledge in electronics and troubleshooting as a hobby before even attending school (some guys walk out of school on graduation day and still don't grasp the basics of electronics), my customer relation skills having owned my own business (VERY important to these companies), my desire to make this a career and not just a job for now, and a few other things were "EXACTLY" what he wanted in an entry level tech (his words) and to "PLEASE" call him if I'm not experienced enough yet for the other company. He said he wants to train me to be a tech nice and slow
This sounds like a better deal then the one you were just at. That is a dream to find someone that is willing to teach you from the ground up. Hope this guy calls you back and signs you on. Best of luck!- Jim
...Guess you guys didn't see I'm no longer there
Either way...I got a phone call the day before I started from another company. He interviewed me for 10 minutes on the phone. I told him I need to start out at the bottom and learn my way up and that this company might not keep me because they really needed somebody with experience. Only reason why I mention it is because the guy said my prior interest and knowledge in electronics and troubleshooting as a hobby before even attending school (some guys walk out of school on graduation day and still don't grasp the basics of electronics), my customer relation skills having owned my own business (VERY important to these companies), my desire to make this a career and not just a job for now, and a few other things were "EXACTLY" what he wanted in an entry level tech (his words) and to "PLEASE" call him if I'm not experienced enough yet for the other company. He said he wants to train me to be a tech nice and slow
Critter,
I use this concept "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast" - I think that's a Navy Seal thing but I don't remember where I heard it, though it was a long time ago. But, it works.
In other words, going slow to learn the steps results in smooth work; when you work smoothly, you actually work faster than someone that is in a hurry. Even when you are in a hurry, by taking your time to make sure it goes smooth, ensures the job will get done more quickly overall.
Best of luck - if nothing else, you got the ball rolling in terms of "recent" work and someone that can give you a reference.
I use this concept "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast" - I think that's a Navy Seal thing but I don't remember where I heard it, though it was a long time ago. But, it works.
In other words, going slow to learn the steps results in smooth work; when you work smoothly, you actually work faster than someone that is in a hurry. Even when you are in a hurry, by taking your time to make sure it goes smooth, ensures the job will get done more quickly overall.
Best of luck - if nothing else, you got the ball rolling in terms of "recent" work and someone that can give you a reference.
Jim Robertson
Well-known member
n/t