Being an HVAC technician was the job I could have had.

When I look back on all the wasted years I put into going to college, I could cry. I did not know what I wanted to major in, and even when I graduated, I did not know why I chose what I did. I didn’t want to become a psychologist, but I took psychology classes. I majored in psychology, knowing that I would never have a career in that field. After graduation, I didn’t have a job offer, because my grades were not good enough. I wasn’t a good student, which meant I couldn’t ‌get my masters or my doctorate. Without them, there was no way I was going to be a psychologist. Looking back on it now, I realized I should have listened to my father and become an HVAC technician. I always enjoyed going on HVAC service calls with him. It was so easy for him to figure out what was wrong with the heating or air conditioning and repair it. Watching him work was like watching an artist put his paint to the canvas. Being an HVAC technician to my father was like breathing; it just came naturally. I kept thinking to myself that being an HVAC technician was the job I could’ve had. Then I realized that even though I was a woman and 25 years old, there was nothing stopping me from going to HVAC technical school. That was a year ago, and I am now a full HVAC technician. I’m the first female HVAC technician in our area, and my father is proud of me. The day I graduated and got my certification was the first time I saw my father cry tears of joy.

 

oil heater