HVAC tech salaries

HI. I'm planning to go to the Environmental TEchnical Institute in Blue Island, IL. I'm worried because the guy who is supposed to be giving me a tour of the school said I can make 17.50 an hour. That's not going to be enough to pay the loans from my school back and pay my bills and get other things that I need and want. I was just wondering, how much do all you HVAC techs make out there with about 1-3 years experience? Right now I am in court reporting. I know they make way more and it's not like i'm not going to do this, i just want to do court reporting at my own pace. Please help me, i'm so confused. Thanks.

Your not going to make that much for at least 2-3 years if your good and work for a smaller company who takes care of thier employees. Go to your states unemployment site it will show the entry, mean, median, and expert saleries of every job. You could get lucky and find a nice job that pays well and loss it to find yourself making $4 less, doing more work and not enjoying it one bit. Well thats what happened to me anyway.

ita all about who you work for and how you get paid...ive been working for about five year and get paid on comm. last year i made 75 change and im thinking closer to 85,000 this year..keep in mind im also in the sales part of it and work an average of 10-12 hrs a day

My experience with ETI who contacts my ofc on a near weekly basis can offer me grads with no real field experience. The candidates I have talked to have been so pumped up by ETI (and IVY Tech) that they are worth so very much to command high dollar amounts,fringe and bennies. It's unrealistic for the average shop to invest 50K+ out of pocket with the addition of paying someone with field experience to babysit them. Union and a few large shops can float this investment but not the majority.

The best guy I ever had did grad from ETI but followed the statis quo and became a shop jumper. While he was here for his short term he became a good earner but that turned into a wash when he jumped shop and I had to start the cycle again.

Jeb16 no doubt has that earning capacity he stated in the area he works. The market varies from area to area. The same system installed 1 hr north from me has a market value of 2K more than here. An hr south and it's 1K less.

I actually had an ETI ofc person call and ask me about one of their grads that applied with me. I told her what he commanded to start(and I mean command) which I told her and she literally laughed. Its not the students fault if you ask me its the schools fault for pumping students up and sending them out with no real experience. One can only get so much hands on with the same old equipment set up in the lab and a few field trips.

I graduated from ETI in 2001. I would not recommend that school unless it has changed. The labs were a joke. We didn't really work on the equipment that much. Like Hvacsvc said they pump you up saying you can make so much money when you get out. I started out at 12.00 an hour & then my boss dropped me down to 10.00 cause I didn't know enough.

Have you thought about an apprenticeship with the pipefitters or sheet metal union? I hear some of the community colleges have decent programs too. I'm doing good now. I landed a job with a union shop & am happy there. It takes a while but you can make a good living once you get experience

Hello Hvacsvc,

I would like to know when your last conversation with ETI occured; we have some new faces in Placement Services and I think you'll find we have a grip on what the current market will bear. ETI does graduate many entry-level techs but we get the occasional experienced person looking for his/her certifications. Due to the economy, we at Placement Services are working with alumni from years ago with experience and would be happy to recommend those qualified to you. Please don't hesitate to give us a call if we can be of assistance. Thanks!

Laura Henry
Placement Services, ETI

Dan72 in Chicago, Illinois said: I graduated from ETI in 2001. I would not recommend that school unless it has changed. The labs were a joke. We didn't really work on the equipment that much. Like Hvacsvc said they pump you up saying you can make so much money when you get out. I started out at 12.00 an hour & then my boss dropped me down to 10.00 cause I didn't know enough.

Have you thought about an apprenticeship with the pipefitters or sheet metal union? I hear some of the community colleges have decent programs too. I'm doing good now. I landed a job with a union shop & am happy there. It takes a while but you can make a good living once you get experience

Hi Dan,

Sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction with past ETI labs; the school is under new management as of 8/08 and we encourage our PAC (Program Advisory Committee) group of employers to give us honest and thorough feedback and criticism where needed. We would be happy to have you visit the campus you graduated from and see what we have done to improve programs. Please let me know if I can facilitate that for you in any way. Delighted to hear of your success!

Regards,

Laura Henry
Placement Services, ETI

Lalura the last personal converstaion I had with ETI was quite a while back. If anyone from ETI does call they would be talking to the secretary who only passes messages she knows that are pertanent to me. Faxes ect. still come through regularly.
Really Lalura its no diss to anyone person or organization but if it isnt productive for me I have to limit calls when ever I can.
Unfortunity these days ss you know one can be on the phone all day and get nothing done.

Thanks for the reply and I hear you! If ever... ;o)

my husband is in prison and is going to gratuate from HVAC soon, he's been studying for 3 years now....they tell him if he looks for a job in houston he will be making around 20 to 25 dollars an hour, is this true??

jennifer in Mcallen, Texas said: my husband is in prison and is going to gratuate from HVAC soon, he's been studying for 3 years now....they tell him if he looks for a job in houston he will be making around 20 to 25 dollars an hour, is this true??

not AS an ex con

I been looking into the hvac field for a bit.I'm about to go to a trade school for it (capital city trade and technical school) and was woundering if this school would be worth going to or a wast? I'm 24 and need a serious career and very devoted to whatever I do But not sure if I should go for hvac tech or automotive tech. wich would yall recomend? thanks

kevin in Austin, Texas said: I been looking into the hvac field for a bit.I'm about to go to a trade school for it (capital city trade and technical school) and was woundering if this school would be worth going to or a wast? I'm 24 and need a serious career and very devoted to whatever I do But not sure if I should go for hvac tech or automotive tech. wich would yall recomend? thanks

Kevin, do yourself a favor and click on forums, enter automotive technician and read a few pages of comments. I cannot comment on HVAC techs, but I can tell you that after being an ASE master tech for 30 years, I would NOT even consider this trade. After reading some of the comments on this site, it will become very clear to you why. Good luck to you.

HVAC is a great field to get into. To make decent money ( thats relative but im talking over 75k a year) you need to go into installs. Installers get paid a nice hourly wage and if your a sub contractor you can make anywhere between $300-600 a job. If your doing a job a day then you can do the math..........good luck!

Joe may I asK your background and yrs in operating a ligitament HVAC operation?