How Hard Is It to Become an Electrician?

While state and local laws vary, becoming an electrician requires a reasonable investment of time to learn the electrical skills necessary for the trade. The electrical trades are regulated for safety by the government, so passing licensing tests are usually required to advance to the next level.

An electrician’s journey might look something like this:

1. Entry-Level Electrician Training (Estimated 700 hours, or 7 months)
2. Paid Electrician Apprenticeship (Estimated 8,000 hours, or 4-5 years)
3. Licensed or Journeyman Electrician (Estimated 4,000 hours, or 2 years)
4. Master Electrician (Total estimated 12,000-16,000 hours)

The good news is that if you’re brand new to the electrician trade, it doesn’t take long to get your foot in the door to start learning. Initial entry-level electrician training can take as little as 7 months.

How Long Is Trade School for an Electrician?

While different technical schools may offer electrician training programs of varying lengths, the Electrical Applications program at The Refrigeration School (RSI) in Phoenix, Arizona, can be completed in 7 months.

Each of the 7 courses offered require roughly 100 learning hours, including lecture and lab hours. Not including outside prep hours, the total training time is 700 hours across 7 months.

This type of program is designed for students to gain entry-level skills in the electrical industry, which could make them eligible for an entry-level job or paid apprenticeship. A diploma is awarded with the successful completion of the program.

These are the 7 classes offered at RSI over the course of 7 months:

Fundamentals of Electricity

This class provides a basic understanding of electrician tools and principles.

Class Hours:

Fundamentals of Solar

This class offers an introduction to photovoltaic (PV) science.

Class Hours:

Electrical Wiring – Residential

This class familiarizes students with the National Electric Code (NEC) for residential wiring.

Class Hours:

Electrical Wiring – Commercial

This class continues the study of the NEC for commercial purposes.

Class Hours:

Advanced Commercial Wiring

This class takes the NEC applications deeper to prepare for roles as a commercial or industrial electrician.

Class Hours:

Motors and Lighting Practices

This class covers the characteristics of light and AC/DC motors.

Class Hours:

Electrical Distribution Systems

This class uses the NEC to describe various types of distribution systems.

Class Hours:

Please be advised that available class schedules may change, so please call an enrollment specialist at 1-480-676-5842 for the next open enrollment dates.

How Long Do You Have to Apprentice to Be an Electrician?

Typically, an electrician apprenticeship takes around 4-5 years. For each year of apprenticeship, electricians-in-training may receive around 2,000 hours of supervised training and instruction. Sometimes, vocational training hours may count toward the completion of an electrical apprenticeship.

Applying for an apprenticeship is similar to applying for a job, but an apprenticeship is designed around a career rather than a single job. Apprenticeships are typically paid, and they offer an opportunity for electricians to learn on the job under the supervision of experienced workers.

Here’s how to prepare for a paid apprenticeship:

• Create a resume highlighting your Electrical Applications diploma
• Apply and interview professionally
• Prepare references and demonstrate interest in the trade

Apprenticeships are your path to becoming a licensed journeyman electrician and beyond. Be sure to include your Electrical Applications diploma from RSI on your resume when applying for an apprenticeship!

Get Started with Electrician Trade School

If you want to start your journey to becoming an electrician at a trade school, contact The Refrigeration School for more details on its electrician training programs. Call 855-935-0486.

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Thanks for your time, Ryan; what brought you to Arizona last year, and what did you do before RSI? 

I am three years into recovery for substance addiction. After 17 years as a drug user, I will have been sober for three years on 8/25. I was six months into my second job in recovery, working at an Amazon warehouse, when I got injured on the job. I was living in California trying to get by on Workers’ Comp, paying $900 a month rent for a bedroom. He wanted to raise it to $1,100 and I just couldn’t afford that. Then, last year, my son got out of the military. He had been stationed in Hawaii with the Marines, but he moved to Phoenix. I’d made some friends over here through online meetings in my recovery program, so given that the cost of living was cheaper here, I had friends here, and my son was moving here, I decided to move to Phoenix. 

Congratulations on your sobriety. Did you have a prior career?

I had a career in mental health; I was a Peer Support Specialist. I did that before I got fired, then I had about three years where I wasn’t working. I was still using drugs and was actually selling drugs to make my rent and everything. Before long I was homeless, living out of my car and couch surfing. I was constantly in a state of depression. I was diagnosed with mental health issues prior to my drug use, and the drugs just exacerbated my mental health condition. I was just tired of being tired. Tired of not having any money, tired of being homeless, tired of my family not wanting to have anything to do with me. Tired of the things that just happen when you get addicted. I finally decided I was done with that life and got sober. 

Good for you. So, when you got to Arizona last summer, why trade school and why RSI?

I was living in transitional housing here in Phoenix, basically getting paid to stay home and do nothing. I was still on Workers’ Comp. So, I thought that I might as well go to school and learn something. I got thinking about the trades; getting a trade is a great way to make decent money without a formal college education. I knew that people in the HVAC industry in Arizona made decent money, so I looked into a couple of HVAC schools. I chose RSI because they had a shorter program, with more options, and more classes to take. 

Do you have any prior experience with electric or HVAC? How did you get on with the program?

None whatsoever, and honestly, I wasn’t prepared for the amount of material that was crammed in such a short period of time! It’s a very intensive program.

Did you doubt yourself?

Yes, for sure. I hadn’t been in school in twenty something years! All of a sudden, I’m in full-time education doing this really in depth, detailed program with a lot of information to absorb. It just kind of shocked me at first. There were a lot of times in that first three or four weeks when I was like, “I can’t do this. I’m not ready for this. I’m not smart enough for this. I can’t handle all this information this fast.” I had a lot of self-doubt about whether I’d be able to remember all this stuff in tests and quizzes. It revealed a lot of self-doubt in me, but I just stuck with it and showed up every day. 

What got you past those thoughts of quitting?

I had a phone call with one of my brothers once a week. We talked on a routine basis. He’s been my mentor since I’ve been sober. Talking things out with him helped. He’s the one that convinced me to stay with it. I think it was especially hard because I’d been doing nothing for about a year since I got injured. So, from doing nothing on Workers’ Comp to doing this full-steam-ahead class was just really overwhelming. It was mentally very tiring, plus I had some memory issues because of my drug use. 

Good for you for persevering. It shows what we can all do if we put our mind to something? 

The teachers helped a lot. I liked the teachers. They were very nice, and very good to the students. They kept pushing me – us – forward. They made me want to do more, to learn more. They make you want to complete their class. They made it easy, well not easy, but they taught the classes in such a way that we were able to succeed. We were able to accomplish things, and finish what we started. 

Is that what you enjoyed most about your time at RSI? The relationships with your instructors.

Yes. Each instructor was different. They each taught differently, but they were still able to captivate me, and help me get the most out of myself. They were honest and used their field experience, their real-world knowledge, to help us. They merged stuff from the field with the class curriculum. They gave us tips along the way – things to do and not to do! 

At 43/44. were you the old man in class?

Actually, no. There were quite a few people around my age – mid-thirties, early forties. We had a big class of 36 people when we started; we ended up at 24. I was around the middle, I guess. There were quite a few younger people just out of high school, but there were also a lot around my age.So, did you get a job before graduation?

I did. The interview was two weeks before school ended. I had to give notice on my old job, so I started work for Principal Service Solutions on July 6. They’re a workforce company that hires people for other companies. They offer a good benefits package, including vacation time, so it’s not like working for a temp placement agency. With them, I’m working for a company called Muratec at the TSMC plant in north Phoenix.

So, what are you doing for them?

I’m an Adjustment Technician. They have overhead transporters that move materials that microchips and semiconductors are made out of. I make adjustments on the track and deal with issues. My job is mainly based on problem solving, diagnosing, troubleshooting; the electrical part of training on the EMT program.  

Was it a conscious choice to focus on that side, and not the HVAC part?

Kind of. I didn’t really like the idea of hot attics, plus it was also the first opportunity that came along. It was the first job interview I had during school. They were looking for people with the skills I explained earlier. 

Are you happy with what you’re making?

Most companies were hiring grads at anywhere from $18 to $23 an hour. I had to go back to work in the mental health field for the last two months of school because I was released from Workers’ Comp. I was already making $21/hour plus a few hours guaranteed overtime each week. So, I was making pretty decent money. Originally, I didn’t want to have this interview because I thought they were a temporary agency with no benefits. But then, as I learned more about the company, I decided to do the interview. They said it was a good fit and they offered the job pretty much on the spot. I started at $28/hour, and I’m happy with that.

What’s your ultimate career goal? 

I can definitely see myself staying in this line of work, learning more about my job. I’m only at the beginning of what I intend to learn. There’s so much more to learn about the field that I’m in now, about robots in overhead transportation, about microchips and semiconductors! I want to learn so much more about it.

What do you enjoy most about your new trade?

It’s probably that – the knowledge I’m going to gain. It’s also the team I work with. My whole team, except for one, are RSI graduates. We’ve all been through the same school, have the same training, the same experience. A couple of the guys were in my class, but we’re all recent graduates from within in the last year or so. 

What advice do you have for new students to be successful at RSI? 

Join the ambassadors. I was a student ambassador. You can’t start until you reach Phase 3, but then you get to help students behind you with tutoring, you help with events at the school. I liked helping people that were struggling, I got to tutor them, and use my own experiences to help them get through. I got a lot out of giving back, but you also get privileges and perks! You get first choice when they send out résumés, you get a special stash of stuff! You get to build stronger relationships with staff and teachers – they see you’re the kind of person who likes to give back. That was a big thing for me. 

I’d also say, stay determined. Sometimes it’s hard, but just be determined and stick through it. Ask for help. Ask the student ambassadors for help, ask the teachers for help, ask your classmates for help.

If you’re an RSI graduate and would like to share your success and be an inspiration to others, please email Social@StrataTech.com to be considered for a Graduate Connection interview. Please include details such as your graduation date (month/year) and program. 

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Thanks for your time, Mark; did you come to RSI out of high school back in the day?

I actually was attending Mesa Vo Tech and I received a scholarship to go to RSI for the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning course, as it was known at the time.

So, when did your family move from Michigan?

We came to Arizona in the early 1970s when I was very young. My father had been a boiler mechanic in the Navy, then we lived in Michigan for a short time, and then we moved to Arizona so my father could attend RSI. In fact, as well as my dad and I, my Uncle Conrad and my brother Bobby also graduated from RSI.

Wow! A real family connection. Did your father stay in the business after RSI?

Yes, he had an HVAC/R business, including commercial service and installations. The company specialized in computer room air conditioning, what we would call data centers now. I started going out on jobs with him from the age of 9 or 10. As a matter of fact, both my brothers did that too before my eldest brother Steven – 3rd Generation Navy – went off to underwater welding school.

So, you were always destined for an HVAC/R career then!

Correct!

Thinking back, what did you enjoy most about your time at RSI?

Well, to start off, the instructors treated me really, really well. They treated everyone great as a matter of fact. The questions led into discussions, which got everybody involved. Everybody learned in my class.

Was the course hands-on back then?

Yes, I remember them wheeling the units in with a box of wires and we had to rewire them. I loved it. I remember that the refrigeration part was really hands-on too, but there were also a lot of lectures.

Having worked with your dad since you were young, did things come easy to you?

Some things did, like brazing and mechanical, because I was doing all that with my dad. The one thing that really stood out to me was actually after I graduated. I realized that the training I received at RSI had put me far ahead of older guys when I ran into them in the field…because I had that foundation.

I don’t know how much note taking there is now, but back then there was a huge amount of lectures and note taking, and honestly, a lot of it didn’t sink in until later on when I was in the field. I don’t think it sunk in at the time because there was so much information coming at us all at once, but as long as you stick with it, it’ll come. Then, when you’re on a job one day, things will start coming back to you and you’ll find yourself thinking, “Oh yeah, that’s what they meant!”

Did you have difficult days, frustrating days? If so, how did you deal with them?

Oh yes. Definitely. When that happens, you’ve just got to step back, take a look at the schematic, clear your head, and figure out what’s going on. Maybe ask someone else some questions – your instructor and your classmates. If it happens after school when you’re on a job – and it will – go down and talk to your customers, ask questions, figure out what the complaints are, then go back over it all and look at it again.

That’s good advice. So, when you came out of school, did you work for your dad?

After school I actually worked for three or four mostly residential AC companies in Mesa and Tempe, Arizona, before I moved to California in late 1989. That’s when we all left to go to Silicon Valley. They had a really big earthquake there in October 1989, and as I mentioned, my dad was in the computer room air conditioning field. There was a ton of work after the earthquake. I’m still in the San Francisco area now.

So, just give us the highlights of your long HVAC career since then?

The first highlight in California was with IBM; I was actually a contractor for Shoreline Mechanical, and we worked at the IBM facility for about five years. We did large package units, box car type air conditioners, and data centers. I coordinated several helicopter and crane equipment lifts on their 100,000 sq ft facility. After that I went to work for the Marysville School District in northern California. I was lead guy there for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration. I worked there for 13 years. We had about 24 schools with over 2,200 AC units, as well as dozens of refrigeration units, chillers, etc. for the cafeterias, kitchens, gyms, libraries, and county Special Ed facilities.

Where are you working now?

For the last 11 years I’ve been in San Francisco working for Local 39. I’m working for a major medical facility and there is just a ton of refrigeration needs at a medical facility. You need ice for patients, for customers. I do low-temp tissue refrigeration for bone and marrow material. Then there’s the heating and cooling side of it; there are all the units, boilers, pumps etc. There’s just a ton of work.

After 36 years in the field Mark, are you starting to think about retirement?

I am looking at about 10 more years in the field.

Do you think you’ll retire from where you are, or are you looking for your next challenge?

You never know!

What do you enjoy most about the HVAC/R trade?

I enjoy the fact that this career has given my family everything they want, everything they could need, and the ability to have toys on the side!  It’s given my son the opportunity to be a sheriff’s deputy. It’s given my daughter the opportunity to rise in her occupation at the zoo. It’s given our family everything we need. It’s given us awesome medical which everyone needs, the benefits are great. Not to mention a base salary  and benefits package at around $250,000 and raises twice a year.

It’s a long time ago, but did you make some connections at RSI, people you stayed in touch with?

I was the youngest guy in my class at the time, and to be honest, I didn’t really, no. But I do vaguely remember an instructor named Matt with a bushy beard. He really made an impression on me; he was an instructor I remember from my third phase. The third phase was my favorite part of the course because that’s when I felt I knew enough to start applying what I was learning at school to job situations.

Although not a connection from RSI, I did some employee mentoring while at IBM in the early 90s. I am still the best of friends with a guy I mentored there called Chris, the Marine! In fact, he’s working with me now at the medical facility and we ride to work together every day. We met at IBM and our paths have continued together since. We laugh because we really started our engineering careers together and we’re going to end them together.

What advice do you have for students for them to be successful at RSI?

When I was going through school, I would ask so many questions. The answers to those questions would lead to discussions, and they would stand out in my mind later on. I’m sure it helped me and helped everybody in the class. So, don’t be shy. Don’t be scared to ask questions. Pay attention, take notes, and have confidence that the knowledge will come. The training that RSI gave me on the electrical side, the hopscotch technique, helped me tremendously in my career.

What’s “hopscotching”?

Hopscotching is a method of troubleshooting electrical circuits. You can use it to see which relays were bad or not in units. It was the technique that they taught at the time; I don’t know if they still do it now. I was told at the time that the owner of RSI came up with it, but who knows if that’s the case!

If you’re an RSI graduate and would like to share your success story and be an inspiration to others, please email Social@StrataTech.com to be considered for a Graduate Connection interview. Please include details such as your graduation date (month/year), and program. 

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Hosted by Legendary Bull Rider Dale Brisby, Season 4 features 4 social media welding influencers teaming up with 4 welding instructors from Tulsa Welding School (Tulsa, Jacksonville, and Houston) and RSI for the ultimate title of Top Welder.

Read the full announcement here.

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Thanks for your time, X. So, how long have you been in the field?

I’ve been in the HVAC field for eight years. I was actually an RSI graduate in 2016. The reason why I enrolled in school was because a good buddy of mine owned his own HVAC business. In 2015 he was like, “Hey, X, I know you’ve got the work ethic of a bull. How about you come work with me and see how you can change your life?” So, I helped him out for about a year before I decided to go to RSI.

What RSI program did you study in 2016?

I earned my Electro-Mechanical Technologies certification, which is considered HVAC. I graduated and went back out into the field. When I worked in the trade I represented Maricopa County, the City of Phoenix, and two reputable residential companies here in the valley. By late 2020, I decided I could do this by myself. I got my CR-39 dual residential and commercial contractor’s license and started my own business.

Do you have a crew, or do you work by yourself?

I am a one-man band. But typically, when I do have heavy work on the schedule, I hire my best friend. He shows up every time I call; he’s a student athlete, a football player, and he’s my strength when I need it! I’m 150lbs, soaking wet with boots and a Velcro jacket on! I bring in the muscle and we get the job done.

I also hire RSI graduates to give them experience. That was one of the reasons why I was grateful for the opportunity at RSI. I come from a learning environment where I have to see something to believe it. 90% of my students are here for HVAC; they take the Solar course because it’s an addition to the program. I hire graduates to come and get some real-life job training, and I offer really great pay!

Real-world experience is so important. 10 days after I started at RSI as a student, they hosted a job fair. I went along, not really knowing what to expect. I just wanted to get out there, see who’s who, see what’s what. I actually got hired at that job fair. So, I was working in the field while going to school. I preach this to my students – do what you can to get out there working while still in school.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An interior designer! I was always annoying my mother! I’d rearrange the furniture in my mother’s house every seven days. I could never leave my bedroom in the same setting. Maybe that’s why I have a little OCD now. I carried that over to HVAC. When I was working for the residential companies, I had the cleanest work trucks in the valley. I was always presentable, very neat, very well organized when I was out.

Why did you decide to get into teaching last year?

RSI actually gave me a call, and asked if I would be interested in teaching a class? They thought I would be a good fit. Honestly, I assumed it would be teaching an HVAC class because that’s what I do for a living. But they wanted to put me in Solar; they said I have the character and the ideas to engage students in solar at night. So, I grabbed the bull by the horns and taught myself solar, which I now teach the students.

So, nine months in. Are you enjoying it? And what do you enjoy most about teaching?

I am, in fact I’m looking to get a solar contractor’s license now. I enjoy giving the students the opportunity to learn, and a way to feed their families. It gets no better than that.

Tell us something most people don’t know about you?

Most people know everything about me. I’m very transparent. Maybe they don’t know how much I love my friends. I was born in 1987, so I grew up in an era with no cell phones. If you wanted to see a friend, you had to ride your bike to their house to spend quality time with them. I love people.

If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?

If I had the chance to have dinner with anybody, it would be Earl Nightingale. He was an author and a  motivational speaker. One of the originals. He talks about the manifestation of things in your life. He talks about how to wake up and create a perfect morning, which will in turn create a perfect day, which will in turn create perfect opportunities.

Tell us about your family life.

I have two daughters and one son. My eldest daughter’s name is Janelle, she’s 12. My nine-year-old daughter is Jade, and my youngest boy is three, and of course he’s Junior. When I started my business, I called it Xavier’s AC and Heating Services. I wanted to leave a legacy for my kids. I gave my boy my name to carry the legacy on. He’ll probably be taking care of the family the same way I am when he’s of age.

I do have a partner; Teresita is from Chihuahua, Mexico, and we’ve been together for about seven years. She’s the love of my life. The day that I went to enroll into RSI, I didn’t have a dollar to my name. She came with me, and the school needed $25 for an administration fee. I didn’t have a penny; she pulled out her debit card which had $35 on it, and swiped the card which allowed me to get my paperwork in. She’s been there from the very beginning; she was there when I started my business, and she’s still here with me now.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to new students considering RSI?

Understand your value. Every time I have a new class, I talk about individual value because we’re in a $2billion market. Most students believe that $25/hour is a good living, but that’s just cheap labor. When you put yourself through a school like RSI, the biggest refrigeration school in the nation, you have to understand the value of that. Don’t allow a company to keep you at $25/hour because you’re assuming that’s a lot. There’s so much to be had out there that I always preach an individual’s value.

But you have to have realistic expectations out of the gate, right?

Yes, that includes knowing your value as a fresh graduate with no real experience. You have to pay your dues and earn your way up. I always use myself as an example because I went through it. I started in the trade at $13/hour carrying ladders. I always tell my students, just get in. We had a job fair this past Saturday, and one student had two interviews. I told him that he had to get in this summer because they’re going to teach you everything about maintenance, and you’ll probably start out at $18/hour. But if you stick with it, prove you’re coachable, do a great job, then next summer, 2024, you’ll go from $18 to $25, which means summer 2025, you go from $25 to $30. The reason I know it’s true is because that’s exactly how I played it. So, I always tell students, you’re going to start out at the bottom of the totem pole, but if you start now, in three years you’ll be making $30/35 an hour. When I started residential, I maxed out at $27, but then I went to Maricopa County, and they paid me $32. I left Maricopa County because the City of Phoenix wanted to pay me $35. I left both of those companies because I started my own company and now I make a lot more. So, I just walk them through the facts using myself as an example. I tell them that’s the reason why I’m here, because if I can do it, then anybody can do it.

If you got an unexpected afternoon to yourself, what would you do with that time?

I’d spend that time with my children because, and again, I express this to my students, if you’re a parent in this trade and you’re following a dream to either run your own business or change the trajectory of your life, or your children’s lives, this trade will take a lot of time away from you. I got into this trade and my 12-year-old was four. The next thing, I looked up and she was 12.

Do you have a favorite tool?

Because I’m a first-generation tradesman, everything is my favorite. The reason why is because when I got into this trade, I knew nothing, but I began to understand that you’re only as good as the tools you use. I came to understand that if I walked into a homeowner’s house with a tool that another service tech didn’t have, they’re going to say, “This guy right here means business.”

What was your favorite part of your time in the field?

Oh, 1000%, I love being a service technician. I just love waking up in the morning, putting my cape on, knowing that I’m going to save the day. I was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and I love being on the roof and looking out at the landscape. I love the heat. I love that every time I step into a homeowner’s house, 90% of the people that I have done services for are not from here, and they’re like, “How do you do it?”

If you were to tell someone “Thank you” for making you the person you are today, who would it be?

It would be David Heiman here at RSI. David is the person that I do say thank you to. When I enrolled at RSI back in 2016, he used to teach the Fundamentals of Electricity. Now he’s the Director of Training.

I remember when I was two years into this trade, RSI was hiring. He told me I wasn’t ready. He told me to go out and gain all the experience I could – to go see it all and do it all because that’s the only way you can truly say, “I’ve seen it all and done it all.”

I kid you not, after that conversation in year two of my career, I left the residential market and went to work for Maricopa County doing building controls. I was responsible for 12 million square feet of Maricopa County’s most critical equipment. I left that and then went to do light industrial with the City of Phoenix. So, if it wasn’t for me having that conversation with Dave and him telling me to get all the experience that the trade has to offer, I would’ve probably been stuck doing just residential to this day. I would never have  understood controls or boilers or cooling towers, or any of that good stuff.

So, when this position became available last year, Dave said, “Remember that conversation we had five years ago? Well, you earned this.” I’m 36 years old. Not in my wildest dreams would I ever imagine this plan for me, I can’t believe I’m an instructor!

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Thanks for your time, Charles; how was your graduation ceremony?

It was a tremendous experience seeing everybody again after almost a month. You see all those faces that you’re familiar with, all your classmates. It was good. I’m glad I went.

So, what did you to before coming to RSI for welding school last year?

I was all over the place. I’ve been all over the U.S. a couple of times. I’ve lived in three other states besides Arizona. I did a lot of work as an auto mechanic, and I also worked in the restaurant industry.

Where did the idea of welding come from?

While having a job is nice, now that I’m 34, it was time for a career. That’s what the school gave me – a career path instead of just a job. The idea of welding came through my dad and uncle. They were both welders in the Navy for 20 years. One day I just decided, why not give it a shot, and see what comes of it?

You decided not to follow them into the Navy?

The main reason for that is because I am an asthmatic. I decided to serve my country in a different way. I was actually a volunteer firefighter for 12 years in San Diego and in Wisconsin when I lived up there. It was the most gratifying thing I’ve ever done without receiving a paycheck.

Had you done any welding with your dad or uncle as a kid?

No, I’d never done any kind of welding until I got to RSI. I’d been around it all my life, but I just thought you know what, if they can do it, I can do it. Let me give it a shot and see what happens!

You gave it a shot, and how did you get on?

Lo and behold, I was a natural! It was really breathtaking to see what I could, not only for myself, but for my dad and uncle to see it too. I would take pictures of my weld tests – from the first phase until my last phase – and send the photos to them. To have them tell me, “Those are the kinds of welds that we were welding in the Navy! Good job, boy!” was just, well, breathtaking to me.

What did you enjoy most about your time at RSI?

I enjoyed the fact that the instructors are more than willing to share their knowledge with you. They are willing to really push you, to make you a better welder than you were when you showed up in their class.

Did you have any reservations about going back to school in your mid 30s?

I definitely had reservations about it because I tried to go to college before, and it didn’t work out. I wondered what I was getting myself into. But it was completely different once I got there, and I got under the hood and started doing my thing. Just having those incredible instructors there to help did a lot. They made it very fun, but when they needed to be hard, they were hard. They got that balance right.

Did you have frustrations? Days when you thought, “What am I doing here?”

All the time! It’s muscle memory, it’s repetitive. You think you get it one day and you leave school on cloud nine! Then you walk in the very next day and it’s like you forgot how to weld! That is very, very frustrating.

How did you deal with that?

I’d walk away from it, go take a quick break, and then come back to it. I’d go over it with my instructors. They’d sit there and talk with me; they told me what I was doing wrong, “You’re forcing your hands” or “You’re overthinking.” And then they’d say, “Don’t overthink it. You know what you’re doing, why are you overthinking it?” So, I’d take a breath, a moment, get some advice, clear my head, and start afresh.

You finished class six weeks ago. Who do you work for now?

I’m an apprentice at the Pipefitters Union, the Local 469 in Phoenix, Arizona. It was a recommendation from one of my instructors. I’m the only one out of my class that joined the Pipefitters Union here in Phoenix. I’m working for a contractor at an Intel location in Chandler. I graduated on March 24, and that following Monday, March 27, I was at work. I actually got the phone call while I was in class at RSI.

Explain a little more about the apprenticeship?

So, with the union it’s a five-year apprenticeship program. They teach you their way to do things, how they want you to weld. There are some slight differences, but for the most part, everything we did at RSI, you’re going to be doing again in the union hall at the training center. It’s a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job training. You get OTJ training and then one week out of the month you take off work – you still get paid – and go to class for five days. I’m attached to a Journeyman and he’s like a boss, but he’s there to help me understand what I’m doing. After your apprenticeship ends, you turn out as a Journeyman.

So far, I’ve learned how to sweat copper, how to glue PVC, how to press stainless and copper. I’m going to learn a lot; rather than just focusing on welding, I’m learning how to be a good hand. I want to be an apprentice that is well rounded and yet, still knows welding. That’s the path I’m taking. I’m super excited to learn because I’ve never done any of this kind of work.

Are you happy you did the welding program at RSI even though you’re now an apprentice?

Extremely happy. I have a better understanding of what the instructors were talking about when they said, ‘the real world’. Had I not gone to RSI first, I think I’d be behind where I am now. I do have an understanding of what welding is, and how to set stuff up for the welders. Having that previous knowledge helps a lot.

Talk more about that ‘real world’ comment.

When you get into the real world, a job site, things change drastically. There are so many more factors that you have to worry about and it’s really eye-opening to go from school in a controlled environment to a job site. One thing that I always heard when I was at RSI was, “Well, once you get out in the field, things are going to change!” and they do. You’re not going to have the beautiful ISOs (Isometric drawings) that you go over in class. Some of the ISOs that I’ve had to deal with have been train wrecks!

How long do you think you’ll stay there – for the full five years or can you move?

I want to do my entire apprenticeship here and then turn out as a Journeyman. Then, who knows? I might just stay there, or I might travel and go to different states that have work. One of the guys that I used to work with, he just left Chandler to go be on the pipeline up in Alaska. You have that freedom as a Journeyman. As an apprentice, you really don’t have much freedom; you just take your jobs as they come.

Are you happy with the money you’ve started on?

I am very happy with what I am making. It’s a lot more than some companies and it’s a lot less than other companies, but the nice thing is there is so much room for growth that I won’t hit a dead end. I get a 401k, a pension, and really good benefits. That’s something that a lot of younger kids don’t know – how good union benefits really are.

What do you enjoy most about your new trade?

For me, it’s knowing that I’m putting my signature on something that’s going to be around for years to come. If I drive past, I’ll be able to look at that building and be like, “I know what’s in that building on that floor, I know because I was in that building when there was nothing in there.” It’s gratifying. I get a sense of accomplishment knowing that I’m part of something that’s bigger than just me.

Did you make some lasting connections, people you’ll stay in touch with?

I don’t really talk to any of my classmates, but Sam, who’s one of the welding instructors, is constantly reaching out to me, checking up on me, seeing how work’s going, how my family’s doing. I’m like his middleman to people who are thinking about joining the union.

What advice do you have for students to be successful on the welding program at RSI?

Don’t get upset with yourself. Don’t get down on yourself. Keep a positive mental attitude. Just like all aspects of life, you’ll have good days and bad days. If you can stay positive and ask questions, you’re going to do really, really well.

Additional Sources

The post Graduates Connections – Meet Charles Tremaine appeared first on Refrigeration School, Inc. (RSI).

Thanks for your time, Miguel; when you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I came from such a small town, I had no goals, no interest in anything. My dad had us in the fields working all the time. I feel bad that I didn’t have a goal or desire to do anything, but I was always working.

Please share your story with us. How did you end up coming to RSI as a student 36 years ago?

I was living in Imperial Valley, CA. I wasn’t doing anything with my life. I was working at a gas station living paycheck to paycheck. My sister moved to AZ in the late 70s because her husband was in the Air Force; he got stationed at Luke Air Force Base. She told me there was a lot of work out here. So, I moved here and went to mechanic school. I was a car mechanic for about 10 years, but there was no money in it. It wasn’t really something I wanted to do; it was just something guys did at that time.

I could barely afford to live; I moved in with a bunch of guys. One of them was going to school to learn air conditioning. He kept telling me that there’s a lot of money in HVAC, and I should get into it. But at the time I was kind of nervous to try something new, so I kept doing what I was doing.

Anyway, years later after I was married, my wife says, “You’re not making any money, all your money is going on tools!” That was true. So, I finally went to RSI. They walked me through the school, and I really liked it because I saw how it could open a lot of different doors for me because I’d learn a lot of stuff.

What did you do after graduation?

When I graduated in 1987, I was looking for a refrigeration job, but I couldn’t find one. At that time, they wouldn’t hire a refrigeration tech unless you had experience. I offered to work for free, or for cheap. I just wanted to get my foot in the door. But because I couldn’t get into it, I went on my own. I worked for myself for a year, just doing side jobs. I made a lot of money, and I was very happy, but I wasn’t getting enough work to make it. My wife’s family is in the tile business in Sacramento, so I worked over there for a while. I made money to support my family, but I missed the business. I came back to AZ and worked for Chas Roberts Air Conditioning for 15 years; I really loved it. Then I decided to go work for myself again.

Why did you decide to work for yourself?

I saw the money you can make as a contractor! I took a second mortgage on my house to borrow $10,000 to start my own business and get my contractor’s license to do home warranty work. I tried hiring experienced guys, but I spent too much time trying to get them out of their habits. They kept going back to their bad habits. So, I hired five students that went to RSI, and I trained them. It was easy for me to train them the way I wanted them to work. I always wanted them to treat our customers the way we would want to be treated.

They learned a lot. I had five techs, two installers, three staff in an office. Anyway, it was going great, we were very happy, doing well financially and then the housing market crashed around 2008. I had to close my office and let everybody go except two guys. I kept two vans and set up an office at home. It’s funny, the business makes a lot less money, but I take home a lot more now.

What’s the biggest thing you learned from that experience?

The biggest mistake I made is that I figured because I could fix an air conditioner, I could start my own a/c company. The problem was I didn’t know anything about business. I didn’t know about overhead, about taxes. I didn’t know how to pay the tax. I didn’t know anything about business and that really, really messed me up. I regret not taking business classes. I think if I would’ve taken business classes, I would’ve had a lot more money and I still would’ve had all these people working for me. That was my biggest mistake.

Do you still have your business?

I do; I only have two guys that work for me now, and I don’t do that much work. I focus on my teaching.

Why did you decide to get into teaching?

Because of what I experienced early in my career. I’ve seen it happen to a lot of young techs out there. A lot of the older guys that have field experience don’t want to teach the younger people. I don’t know if they’re afraid they’re going to take their job or that they’re going to be smarter than them. That really upset me. I saw a lot of guys that didn’t know what they were doing out there. I felt sorry for them. I told my wife, if I ever get into teaching, I’m going to teach them everything I know.

The real motivator was my insurance was killing me. I was paying more than $500 a month. My wife said why don’t you apply at RSI? I had an interview and I really liked what I heard, and I liked their benefits! That was 12 years ago and I’m very happy. I go way beyond what I’m supposed to teach. I teach them a lot of stuff that you only learn out in the field from experience.

Tell me something most people don’t know about you.

I’m a very loving, emotional man. People don’t know that about me because I’m very tough, especially at work – call it tough love. Everybody thinks I’m mean. I tell my students on their first day in my class, “I’m going to yell…a lot. I’m going to push you, but I will never disrespect you, I will never make fun of you, but I’ve got to get you out of your comfort zone.” Sometimes you’ve got to push people to get them to wake up, to motivate them, because sometimes we don’t know what’s in us until somebody pushes us.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I’ve had students say they couldn’t stand me when they started my class; they thought I was a jerk. But then when they leave my class, they thank me. They say they’re very glad that I have the attitude I have and that I pushed them the way I did. They wouldn’t have learned as much as they learned had I not pushed them. That’s when they know I care. I actually got an email just recently from a student that graduated 10 years ago. He told me how great he’s doing, how great his family’s doing, that he’s making a lot of money and he loves his job. And that is my greatest joy; having my past students’ text or call me to say they’re making a good living; they’re supporting their family. That is my greatest joy of teaching.

I really love my students. I’ll do everything I can to help them. I even give them my phone number. I always want to be there for my students. I even told my boss, “With all due respect, I don’t work for you. I work for them. They’re my customers.” So, I treat them like customers, and I do everything I can to help them.

Tell us about your family, Miguel.

My wife Rina and I have been married for 42 years. We met cruising down Central Avenue in Phoenix. I had a low-rider, and everybody used to get together at night and just cruise, play music, park, and talk to each other. That’s how I met Rina. She was cruising with her sisters. She was from California too, and we had a lot in common. We’ve got two boys and two girls and 13 grandkids, with #14 on the way.

Great story! If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?

Billy Graham, the pastor. One thing my mom instilled in us was a lot of religion, a lot of Christianity. I know that he came from a poor family, he didn’t have any riches, and he made it. He became famous, he was well off. And the bottom line is he had a lot of respect. Even people that didn’t like him had respect for him. I could see his humbleness, his love for people and that’s what attracted me most.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to new students considering RSI?

No matter what you do in life, enjoy it. Don’t think about the money. Money isn’t everything. If you make a thousand dollars an hour and hate your job, that is not a good life. It’s all about enjoying what you’re doing. The money will come, don’t worry about it. You don’t want to pick a job or career just for the money because you’re not going to be happy. Whatever you do in life, enjoy it because you only get one. When you do what you love, you won’t think of it as a job. I love teaching, I enjoy it, I don’t look at it as a job.

If you got an unexpected afternoon to yourself, what would you do with that time?

I’d spend time with my kids and grandkids. I didn’t spend as much time with them as I could have. I always worked two jobs when the kids were growing up. I didn’t want my wife working when they were young.  But because I worked so much, I never spent time with them. My wife basically raised them. I was there for them, but they always went on trips without me because I was always busiest in the summer. That’s the only regret I’ve got.

What was your favorite part of your time in the field?

I tell my students that your greatest joy will be when you go to a customer’s house where nobody’s been able to fix a unit, and you fix it. Nobody can replace that. That is my greatest joy. Fixing something that nobody was able to fix and knowing that the customer’s happy and I’m happy when I’m done.

Do you have a favorite tool? Something you always had spares of.

Gauges. That’s my number one tool. I always had three gauges in my truck. I tell the guys all the time, carry at least two gauges because if one breaks, you’re really in trouble. Plus, if you’re working on two, three units, which you will be, you don’t want to be hooking up one gauge, taking it off, putting it on another unit, and then taking it off. I hated digital gauges when they came out. I never wanted to go digital because I thought I could buy two analog gauges, the ones with the needles, for the same money. When digital gauges first came out, they were $300, $400, some almost $500. I told people they were crazy; I am not buying a gauge for $500 when I can buy two regular gauges for half that price. But now that I’ve gone digital, I’ll never go back! I tell my students all the time, go with digital gauges as soon as you can.

If you were to tell someone “Thank you” for making you the person you are today, who would it be?

My wife, Rina. She encouraged me. She pushed me; the days that I wanted to quit, to give up, she was there for me. She helped me with my company. I don’t think I would’ve been able to build my company without her. She actually ran the company, she was the brains of the company, I was the labor

Additional Sources

The post Faculty Appreciation Month – Meet Miguel Orduno appeared first on Refrigeration School, Inc. (RSI).

Thanks for your time, David; how long have you been at RSI?

I’ve been at RSI for about four months.

How long have you been welding?

About 12 years, welding every process there is. Welding is a second career for me. I bussed tables from the age of 15 and then I joined the U.S. Army in 1997, just after I turned 17. I served for almost four years and got out before I turned 21. Then I went back into the restaurant industry for another 15 years or so. I was a restaurant manager, a bartender, but I needed a change. At the age of 30 I became a welder, actually a helper first, and I haven’t stopped since. For about four years I did both jobs – I was helping/welding and working in restaurants. I was 34 when I finally got out of restaurants for good and focused on welding.

Thank you for your service. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be an Aerospace Engineer and I went down that route a little. I started working on my Engineering degree, but I stopped. I have worked in aerospace though; I did some aerospace TIG welding!

What kinds of welding work did you do during your career in the field?

I did stainless steel pipe welding at GE Power & Water for eight years in Virginia, and then moved on from there. It was mostly boiler work and pipe welding. I traveled to a lot of different plants with GE. I did do some structural welding, but I would say most of my time was pipe welding and boiler work.

Why did you decide to get into teaching?

Actually, teaching was not even on my radar. For personal reasons, I had to go back and forth from Virginia to Arizona frequently over the last few years, so I really didn’t have a stable job. I’d get a job, then I’d have to stop working to go back to Virginia…and then come back. Early last year Alex DeClair, who was the Director of Training at RSI at the time, reached out and asked if I wanted to do a weld test for RSI. I didn’t, because I wasn’t sure I was ready to teach welding because I still liked doing it. I wasn’t there yet.

It must have been six months later that I heard back from Alex again; he asked, “Do you want to take a weld test for me?” At this point I’d just taken a weld test for a company and was getting ready to take a job working 6x12s, which I wasn’t looking forward to. So, I asked Alex what the hours were. When he said 40 hours a week, I decided I was ready. I’d realized I was getting too old to weld 80/90 hours a week.

So, four months in. Are you enjoying it? What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Yes, I’m enjoying it very much. I enjoy the fact that my experiences can transfer into everything they do. It’s just amazing to watch them not be able to do anything at first, then with a little instruction, just a little input, maybe an hour later, they’re putting down nice beads. It’s amazing how well and how much people can absorb and learn. I never thought teaching would be like that. It’s amazing.

So, you’re only a relatively young man at 43, is teaching your career from here?

Yeah, I’m retiring from here, this is it for me. I don’t need to do anything else. I enjoy it.

Tell us something most people don’t know about you?

I was born left-handed, and I’m now right-handed! In the Bible it says being left-handed is the work of the devil, right? My mom is from the Philippines, very religious, and so having a left-handed child was taboo. So, when I was writing left-handed in first grade and going into second grade here in America, my mom noticed. She made me write right-handed, with my left hand behind my back. She basically forced me.

So, I do a lot of things backwards and I often get comments like, “Why do you weld that way?” It’s because I’m naturally a left-handed person. So, a lot of the things I’ve learned in this industry, I learned left-handed. But I can adjust both ways now. Some things I have to learn left-handed, to be able to do them right-handed!

That ability must really help when you work with left-handed students.

It does help, for sure. I can relate to how they need to do things. I can say, “If you’re left-handed, this is just the way you’ve got to do it!”

If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?

Gandhi. That would be a great conversation. Just to listen to him speak, to see if I could understand him. I’d love to be able to hear the wisdom that came out of his mouth in person.

Tell us about your family life, David.

I just got done with a divorce. That’s why I had to come and go between Virginia and Arizona. I have three kids of my own. I have two girls; my eldest daughter is 15 and my youngest daughter is 10 – they still live in Virginia with their mother. My son is about to turn 12, and he lives here with me in Arizona. Then I also have two older stepchildren, aged 18 and 17, that I have raised since they were three and two years old. They also live in Virginia. My girlfriend, Celina, and I have been together going on three years. She has two kids, as well as two adopted kids. So, I’m involved in nine children’s lives! For a guy who really didn’t want kids when I was in my 20s, it’s kind of ironic! So, it’s a busy life. One of the reasons why I wanted to only work 40 hours is because I want to spend more time with the kids. I’m getting there.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to new students considering RSI?

Don’t give up. Do not stop. You get better every time you weld, whether you think it or not. Every time you mess up, you learn what not to do next time. You learn from all your welds every day. So, keep at it.

I didn’t get the chance to go to welding school. I wish I’d had the opportunity that my students have. I would’ve probably gone right out of the military, and not even thought about it twice. Had I started welding when I got out of the Army, I could maybe think about retiring now! I mean, the longer you’re in this trade, your pay rate just gets higher and higher. So, the more you do, the better. A lot of welders are in this trade to make good money, so the more time you put into it, the more you will get out of it. Plus, as you get older and more experienced, even if you get to the point where you don’t want to weld anymore because your body hurts, you can become a weld supervisor, or a Certified Weld Inspector. There are so many opportunities in your future, if you don’t give up.

You get an unexpected afternoon to yourself, what would you do with that time?

I would spend it with my kids; we’d play ball, catch, just get out and do something. We have a park across the street, maybe we’d cook out there. Maybe I’d take my bike out for a ride if it’s nice weather.

Bicycle or motorcycle?

Harley!

Of course! That seems to be mandatory equipment for welders! Do you have a favorite tool?

I had a chipping hammer that I liked. It was just a nice Estwing chipping hammer that fit my hand really well. You use it to clean up your slag after a weld, and I used it for everything.

What was your favorite part of your time in the field?

What I enjoyed most was building something from nothing, creating from raw material. You just have some plate and beams, and here, go build a building. It’s amazing what you can do with a welding machine. Just building something from the ground up, but from nothing.

If you were to tell someone “Thank you” for making you the person you are today, who would it be?

My ex-wife Carrie. I would thank her for pushing me to go into this industry. I would have never done it if she didn’t say, “Go try it!”

Additional Sources

The post Faculty Connections – Meet David Templeton appeared first on Refrigeration School, Inc. (RSI).

Thanks for your time, Bill. How long have you been at RSI?

It will be six years in June. I am an air conditioning guy teaching electricity. I teach the very first class at RSI: Fundamentals of Electricity. Every single student—other than those in the Welding Specialist program—goes through my class first. Not only do I teach them electrical theory, but I also feel like I’m responsible for preparing them for their future classes as they move through their RSI programs: either EA, RT, or EMT.

You’re setting the foundation for their RSI experience.

Yes, I am. I’m not so full of myself to think RSI can’t run without me, but if I do my job poorly, the other instructors will struggle, and more importantly, the students will struggle when they get to harder classes. I have cross trained and am able to teach five other classes here, but the first phase is my passion because it’s not just about teaching the fundamentals of electricity, it’s about people building.

You described yourself as an air conditioning guy. Tell us how you got started in the HVAC field.

I’d been out of high school for six months and was bussing tables in a restaurant. My dad said, “Hey son, what do you want to do with your life?” As a typical teenager I said, “Umm I dunno!” So, he said, “Well you’re coming with me because I want to be an air conditioning contractor. I want to learn the business.” We both signed up for air conditioning school in Phoenix. I graduated in 1977, and I’ve been in the industry ever since. My dad had his own residential HVAC business, while my career was mostly in commercial HVAC.

What was your favorite tool in the field?

Forget about the tools on the truck. I was in middle management, a project manager, for many years. My favorite tool was my computer. That’s where I planned, that’s where I budgeted, that’s where I made things happen. Honestly, when I got out of air conditioning school, I found out really quickly that I wasn’t good with my hands, unlike most of the students here. So, I thought, “What am I going to do with all this knowledge?” I was very smart. I just wasn’t good with my hands. But I made it work for me. I took an unusual career path. But that’s how you should think about RSI. When you graduate from RSI, you don’t have to be “just” an air conditioning tech, or “just” an electrician, or “just” a welder. There are many things that you can do, many career paths you can take, many doors that will open for you.

Tell us more about your path, Bill.

When I got out of A/C school, I got into the air conditioning wholesale industry. They sell to air conditioning contractors; I did that for a while. Then I got into energy management systems, building automation systems for commercial buildings. That was fun. From there, I got into estimating, and ended up being a chief estimator. And then I got into project management in the commercial HVAC world until I came here.

That’s awesome. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to fly airplanes, but that didn’t work out. I was an average student in high school. But when I got into air conditioning school, I had a whole different attitude because I knew this was going to change my life. This was going to be a career choice. I took it very seriously and got very good grades. I took it much more seriously than in high school. I still love airplanes though!

Why did you decide to get into teaching six years ago?

I’ve done a lot of teaching throughout my life, but not formally like I have here. I wanted to teach others the knowledge that I had accumulated over the years. I really wanted to make a difference in other people’s lives by helping, by sharing my experiences and knowledge so they could be successful too.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Honestly, I’m a tough instructor. I work my students really hard. But what I enjoy most is when students come up to me several months later—after they’ve left my class but are still in school—to thank me for being hard on them, for properly preparing them. That really makes my day. We also have graduates who come back into class to say “Hi”. When that happens, I’ll have them talk to my students. They’ll brag about their great job, the good money they’re making. They can show my students the real possibilities that are out there. That’s what makes my day when I can literally change the lives of others.

Why did you choose RSI?

When I found out the placement rate of the graduates here, I was knocked off my feet. Our graduates are placed in the field of their choice. Generally, they graduate one day and start their new job the next. That’s the highest placement rate I’ve ever heard of. I’m proud to say that I work for a company that changes people’s lives.

Tell us something most people don’t know about you?

My wife, Lisa, and I, have 12 grandchildren between us so far! We have been married about seven years now. There are probably many more grandchildren to come because I had four boys and a girl, and she had four girls and a boy! We have 10 kids between us.

If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?

I’m from the land of Lincoln and I love Abraham Lincoln. He’s my hero. He was a thinker, a wise man of God. I’d love to pick his brain, listen to his wisdom, and have him teach me a few things.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to new students considering RSI?

First of all, you need to understand that I feel very, very strongly that even though it says RSI on my shirt, I don’t work for RSI. I get a paycheck from them, but I work for my students. I’m here for them; to answer their questions, to teach them and to prepare them. RSI management is kind of my backup team for that.

New students need to understand that that’s the attitude I have when they come to my class. If they take school seriously, if they show up every day and work hard, most of my students will get As and Bs. I work very hard for them. I know how to teach them what they need to know. This school can change their lives, not only in the knowledge they’ll gain, but in the amount of money that they can make in their careers. But it’s up to them. It depends on what they do with the foundation they get from the school and what kind of individual they are. The only thing that can hold them back is themselves.

Another piece of advice I’d give them is when you leave RSI and take your first job, don’t worry about the money, get the field experience. You honestly won’t be any good at what you’re doing until you get field experience under your belt. You’ll learn more in one summer than all we can teach you in this school, and don’t let anybody tell you differently, even though this is a fantastic school. My A/C school didn’t tell me that. When I got out of school, I found out there was a lot I didn’t know, and it was scary. I tell my students they need field experience before they’re really, really good at this.

If you got an unexpected afternoon to yourself, what would you do with that time?

Honestly, I’d probably work on my “Honey Do” chore list. If we had some extra time, my wife and I would probably have dinner and go to a movie. I know it sounds boring, but that would be a lot of fun for me.

What was your favorite part of your time in the field?

I worked for Honeywell International for four years. I was a west coast regional project manager. I worked from home, which sounds really cushy, but I worked more hours doing that. I traveled to job sites and  ran multimillion dollar jobs. It was like having my own company without the risk. If I screwed up, yes, they could fire me, but I wouldn’t lose my house, my car, and everything else. As soon as the sales team sold a project, they’d just give me all my information and I did it all. I hired all of the contractors; I ran the job. I had weekly job meetings with the owner, with the contractors. That job was a blast.

If you were to tell someone “Thank you” for making you the person you are today, who would it be?

It would probably be my dad; he passed away a couple years ago. He wasn’t the nicest guy in the whole world, but he’s the hardest working man I’ve ever known. He taught me hard work.

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Thanks for sharing your story, Shanna. What did you do before you came to RSI?

I have a degree in Christian Leadership, and I worked for an international ministry for quite a few years. More recently I owned and ran a preschool on a military base, and I’m a mom to a three-year-old boy. So, that’s my background. Nothing really to do with the trades at all!

Not at all! So, where did the idea of welding come from?

My dad’s blue collar. He owns a chemical engineering company. It’s always been something I’ve been interested in, but it always seemed more of a man’s thing, so I went the route I felt was expected of me.

So, what brought you to welding school?

Last year I left an abusive marriage and came home to Arizona with my son. We literally left with a duffel bag, that’s it. I had no money. I had to leave my business. I left everything. Ministry doesn’t make much money, and neither do teachers. Now, as a single mother, I have to provide for my child. I grew up knowing that blue collar work, the trades, are steady; you can make good money. I decided to do what I wanted to do, instead of what I feel is expected of me. I chose welding. I got a little backlash for that.

Backlash? From whom?

Family, mostly. Just normal comments like, “Oh, it’s real hard work! “It’s mostly men” – just stuff like that really. But I was pretty determined this time to really do what I wanted.

So, how was your experience with that – were you the only female?

There was one other girl in my class, but there were quite a few girls in other classes. I was really surprised. We also had a female instructor Shannon. She was amazing. I really appreciated having a woman instructor; she was able to share a lot of things about the industry from a female perspective. When I started work, I found that I had a lot of her advice playing in my head; do this, don’t do this, don’t do that. That was really great. But yeah, I was pleasantly surprised at how many women were at RSI.

Good for you, and well done for leaving that situation and changing your life.

Thank you. I think everyone’s life should blow up in their face once in a while because it will remind you that things aren’t scary. Honestly, if you have to start over, you have to start over.

Had you ever done any welding, with your dad maybe?

Nope. The first time I ever welded was in class at RSI. I was as green as you could be.

I understand you wanting to choose a trade, but why welding and not HVAC, for example?

With other trades, for the most part, you’re doing the same thing. So, if you do HVAC, you go to different locations, but you’re really essentially doing the same thing. I’m very artistic and creative, and welding is an art. Everyone has different techniques, does different things. You can make sculptures, you can be a pipe welder, you can be a manufacturer. I didn’t want to do something where I felt stuck, where I was going to work and doing the exact same thing every day. I knew that welding would allow me to make huge career moves while using the same skills. If I want to be a pipe welder and weld in the field for a few years, I could do that. Then I could transition to making custom furniture and art. That’s totally within my realm of skills because it’s the same processes. You just use them differently.

That makes sense. What did you enjoy most from your time at RSI?

The instructors. I met so many different instructors that taught in such different ways. One of my favorite things was to get different instructors and ask them different questions. Technically we have one instructor throughout the program, but really, they all work together to help you. Everyone does things differently. One instructor could use one technique while another uses a different one. You just get to play with the techniques you pick up and choose which works for you. It’s really fun.

Did welding come easy to you, even though you were brand new to it?

I took to it pretty quickly. Two weeks into it, they had a welding competition. I tried to get my classmates to enter because I wanted the experience of doing a weld test. I was like, “I know we’re new, but let’s just go and do this for fun!” No one would go with me, so I just went on my own. The teachers weren’t going to let me do it because I’d never attempted anything like that. It was very advanced for me. But I said, “What’s the worst that could happen? I’m not going to win; it won’t hurt my confidence. Just let me try.”

So, did they?

They did. One of the instructors, Sam, really pushed to let me do it. I was really grateful for that. So, they ran a demo for me, and I won the competition! I ended up beating guys that were a few phases ahead of me. It was a real cool, humbling experience. I had a big smile on my face. That was a highlight for sure.

Congratulations! That was great for your confidence, I’m sure. Did you have frustrations though?

A lot of frustrations. I took to welding, but it wasn’t easy. But I just fell in love with it from the start. Welding is the key to the future for my son and me. I wasn’t able to provide for him alone before, so while I sometimes had frustrating moments, I never felt discouraged. Welding means freedom for me. I have this deep respect and love for welding because of the opportunity it has given me and everything it will continue to give me. I could see the bigger picture beyond those frustrating moments.

That’s a great way to look at it, to see the bigger picture.

I had to. Especially because it was during such a hard time in my life. Going to school was like a break, you know? I think that it was a different situation for me versus other students when they got frustrated. My whole life was frustrating. Going to school, learning something, and being creative was amazing for me. The years before were really dark and difficult for me. Going somewhere where I felt safe and could create, it really was amazing. I hadn’t been able to do that in so long. To really feel like I could be myself and put my mind to something and feel useful. It was just a great experience.

You started work at the end of January. Who do you work for now?

I got hired by Capitol Engineering Co in Phoenix. I found the opportunity through a job posting on Indeed. I wasn’t qualified at all for what they were wanting! They wanted a fabricator with five years of experience. But I’m pretty stubborn. So, I sent in my information anyway with an explanation that I’m a hard worker, really looking to learn and grow with a company. I wasn’t looking to bounce around. I wanted to find somewhere where I could settle in and be an asset to that company. They reached out and let me know that they had just started an apprenticeship program. He asked me to come in and they gave me an offer within 20 minutes of my interview and told me I could start the next day. The crew is about 50 people, and they only allow one intern at a time. So I was picked out of a group, which was pretty cool. I’ve been there three weeks and it’s really a dream job. I couldn’t have asked for nicer coworkers. I was very concerned about that. I’m only the second female that this company has hired on the floor in almost a hundred years! They’ve been really welcoming and helpful.

Are you happy with the money you’ve started on?

Oh yeah, definitely happy, especially being a single mom because the price of everything is insane. I talked to them about the fact that I needed to be at a certain number, and they pay really well for a shop. The apprenticeship program is six months in total. I’ll get evaluated after three months and get a pay raise. Then I go to Apprentice II for  three months. At the end of six months, they decide if they want to hire you on as a full-time fabricator.

What’s your career plan from here?

I’m still getting to know the field. There’s so much to learn. I could see myself being here for the long term. They’re growing a ton right now; I got in at a great time. My plan is to grow with them, maybe become a foreman or learn how to make blueprints. I definitely want to build furniture and do some art myself. Maybe we can do that together when my son gets bigger, and I have a little more time on my hands!

What do you enjoy most about your new trade?

I like the artistic side of it, but I also enjoy getting my hands dirty. I love building things, putting things together. I love getting blueprints, having to problem solve, then see something come together that I did.

What do people say when you tell them what you do for a living?

Usually they say, “What?” My favorite part is their reaction. I’ve got blonde hair, blue eyes, I grew up doing pageants and cheer. The look on their face when I tell them I’m a welder is just too funny.

Did you make some lasting connections, people you’ll stay in touch with?

Definitely, especially the women I met. The other woman in my class is out in the field working with her dad right now, and we stay in touch. We had a fire at work on my third day. I was out there cleaning up in the aftermath. I was soaking wet, covered in ash, just dirty. I sent her a picture and she sent me a picture of her in the field and we were like, “Look at us, we’re doing it!”

What advice do you have for students to be successful on the welding program at RSI?

To be successful, it’s just hours under the hood. You’re not going to get it right away; no one does really. So, the more time you put into it, the more successful you will be. That’s what welding is. It’s like 10% talent and 90% practice. I don’t think a lot of people realize that. When I first started, I knew nothing. So, if you’re going in knowing nothing, that’s okay. Totally fine. I was very nervous about that. I remember my first day, they were saying, “Look at your puddle” and I had no idea what that meant. What’s the puddle? What are you talking about? I couldn’t see it. It’s amazing how after a week or so you’re like, “Okay, I see this now.” Things start clicking. Things that you didn’t think you could ever do, you’re doing in a month.

If you’re an RSI graduate and would like to share your success story and be an inspiration to others, please email Social@StrataTech.com to be considered for a Graduate Connection interview. Please include details such as your graduation date (month/year), and program. 

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The post Graduate Connections – Meet Shanna Sigerson appeared first on Refrigeration School, Inc. (RSI).