If all HVACR involves is keeping my home or office cool, then is it really necessary? Can't I just suffer through the summer when it's hot and the winter when it's cold? It's more than just keeping your body cool as you work throughout the day, though that is important to helping people in an office work to the best of their abilities. HVACR maintenance is important for keeping electronic equipment functioning properly. It keeps the machinery functioning well in air that is clean and dry. HVACR systems are especially important in places like hospitals, day care centers, and nursing homes where people's health depends on well-functioning equipment. Intense heat or poor air quality could cause severe health problems in any person, but most especially in young children and older adults.

HVACR units are imperative in environments that require a controlled atmosphere, more than just applicable to a person's health or comfort. Research facilities need a controlled temperature and air quality; these facilities may include places like labs for pharmaceutical studies or food preservation techniques. HVACR systems allow these controlled environments to be kept at the appropriate temperature and kept sterile. Even the food distribution industry requires well-maintained systems for keeping food safe for people to eat.

What kinds of jobs can I get in the HVACR industry?

Any type of business that functions indoors requires an HVACR technician to maintain the systems. An HVACR technician can be assured to find job opportunities that are secure, stable, well-paid, and provide the ability to move upward in the field. They also have the choice to stay in a certain area or move anywhere in the world to use their skills. Technology is constantly changing and HVACR technicians are always up on the new equipment and training to work efficiently. So what kind of job can you get after going to trade school?

After training, students may decide that they want to have very little to do with handling the systems themselves, or they may decide that is all they are interested in working with. Some students end up taking jobs in sales and marketing rather with the physical systems. After training at an HVAC trade school, students can become contractors or business owners, developing their skills in communication and evaluation to fix problems with proposed solutions.

Many students will become HVACR technicians, being the ones to perform the maintenance the equipment. Students can also be designers, using computer-aided designs to produce blueprints of the HVAC systems. Or students can be the people building the products rather than simply maintaining the systems by becoming an engineer. HVAC students have also been known to become pipe-fitters, those who maintain the industrial piping systems that move the chemicals through the heating and refrigeration system. Similarly, some people get involved in the research and development side of the HVAC industry, and work to develop new technologies in HVAC equipment and systems. Some students become inspectors, where they check how the companies are maintaining the systems and that equipment regulations are being adhered to.

Trained technicians are required for handling the refrigerants because of the danger in their handling and disposal. Misuse of refrigerants can be harmful to the environment and destructive to the ozone layer, in addition to being dangerous to those who handle them. As in any job, the more education technicians receive, the more likely they are to advance in their career. The plus of acquiring a degree from a vocational school is that starting salaries are generally higher and students have a strong understanding of the many disciplines of HVAC technologies.