Ah, it's time to chill out and get ready for a mediocre. Qa live stream if you're old enough grab yourself your favorite adult beverage and if you're not stick with apple juice, put your feet up and relax. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the chat and now, let's queue up the intro music, hello, everybody. How are you guys doing this evening? This is a little bit of a different stream.

This isn't the normal thing I got going on. I kind of threw something out. I had an idea come for me or come to me from above today, where I just kind of wanted to answer some questions from regular new technicians, I guess should say coming into the industry, so I kind of want to address that. So this isn't gon na.

Be a technical stream, I'm not gon na really the plan is, is not to discuss technical questions. You know superheats upcoming, that kind of stuff. I want to answer questions from new technicians or people that are just curious about. You know how to ask for a raise union or non-union all those kind of questions.

Okay, because I get them all the time and it's just it's really hard to type some of them out. So I find answering these questions on. The stream is just a lot easier, so hopefully you guys are. Hopefully you guys had a great Thanksgiving all right.

If you're here in the United States, we just celebrated our Thanksgiving, which is a celebration of the day where we had a peaceful dinner with the Indians. But in fact we really went on to slaughter them and yeah all that good stuff, but anyways. We don't need to get into that. But hopefully you guys had a great Thanksgiving.

Hopefully, you guys are having a good weekend, and I kind of want to do something here where I allow callers to call in so what we're gon na do is we're gon na use, the stream yard app, and I will post a link in a few minutes. In the chat and I'll give you guys the ability to come in you guys can choose to turn your camera on or you can leave your camera off and just do audio. I can take you guys's faces off the screen. Whatever the biggest thing, though, is, if you guys come in on the stream yard app, you got to make sure that you mute your YouTube okay, so we don't get an echo.

You got to make sure that if you are doing your camera - and you want to be seen, you need to make sure that you have a clean image. You know that kind of stuff. Okay, so don't take offense. If I go ahead and delete you from the from the stream chat whatever through stream yard, because if the audio is no good, I'm just wouldn't take it out.

So this is new for me. Hopefully it works. Well, we're gon na try it and see where it goes. So, alright lots of questions we'll get to those.

Ok, let's make sure if you guys can put your questions in caps-lock please so that way we can try to field them okay and we will go from there alright. So I have a few things I want to start off with and then we'll uh yeah. Thank you, sinister Sparky, my my my Scrabble. This is I'm trying to be more like Bill, curious, HVAC guy.

You know one of these days, maybe in like 35 years 40 years I'll have a big enough beard to be like Bill, but ya know this is. This. Is about the extent of what I can grow with facial hair? It does not come in straight. It comes in patchy, but whatever you know it is what it is.

I go through a phase usually once a year where I do this, where I'd grow, facial hair, so anyways, alright, yeah, I'm sure we do have trolls. We always have trolls inside here. So let's see see what we got. Let me see.

What am I missing here? Yeah, I don't know what I'm missing but oh well. I am going to go ahead and get ready to post a link and do me a favor and if you guys are interested in coming in, go ahead and click the link and we can either. If you don't have your camera on, then I will just play the audio okay. So, and let me see what I can do.

Okay, I see we had a stroll but they're gone so alright and uh man. I lost my train of thought in there anyways this. This is a normal stream, so I'm a little confused and kind of flustered trying to figure everything out, but it is what it is so we're gon na go ahead and push this on over. I've got my little sheet of stuff.

I want to talk about. First, off actually I'll go ahead and post this link inside here and see if anybody wants to come in so give me one. Second, let me go ahead and put this on here and I'm hoping to get questions from you guys and see. If we can answer some of them, okay mm - hmm, let me see here goes a link right now for the stream yard thing.

If you guys are interested, go ahead and put that in there and I'll try to answer your guys's, I will see that I shared the link on the stream. My bad see this again, I'm so not prepared at doing this stream yard stuff. So, oh well, though, but anyways it's in the chat right now, if you guys are interested someone click that and if you have questions I'll, try to answer them. Okay, I have a few topics that I kind of want to cover.

First, I want to talk about new technicians that are in the industry. We have lots of new technicians and they constantly ask questions. You know how much they should be paid where they should work union or non-union. All that you know same similar types of questions.

Okay, the biggest thing first off when people ask me a question like, for instance, I get an email and it says: hey, you know I'm having a problem at work, and you know I I feel like I should make more money. What do you think? Okay, if you have a feeling, then you need to go with your gut. Okay, you need to go with your gut and you need to you know, trust your instincts. Okay, if you feel like you, are not being treated properly, you know sure you want to talk to a friend or something like that, but you know go with your gut, but here's the thing when you address your office when you address your boss or whoever don't Be a dick about it.

That's the biggest thing guys you know if you guys want to talk to them, just be cool, be humble, okay, we're gon na get on with it more. It looks like I have someone that's in here right now. That wants to ask a question, so I'm gon na go ahead and bring him in right now and give it just one second and we're gon na try and see if we can make this work so you're actually on you, so your name is storm. Yes, sir, right on how you doing today doing well happy Black Friday, hopefully didn't get trampled! Oh yeah! It's it's raining out here, but you know we're doing.

Okay. We are not doing a Black Friday shopping at my house or anything. So it's nothing too crazy. So it's just too crazy.

Yeah so tell me something: how long have you been in the industry? So yeah are you in the industry or you want to come out. I said: are you actually in the industry? Are you trying to come into the industry? No, I mean I don't think they'll mind the name drop. I work for lots of good equipment, okay and we we service both the hot and the cold side and I'm highly interested in the cold side. Okay, because no offense for like anyone who works on like mixers and grinders definitely complicated, but like each justice has a car, it's it's just fun, it's just really fun, but I actually went to school to be a diesel technician.

I went to WyoTech and at the time they offered to 6:08 universal, so I got my 609 and a 608 universal, and now I use it to work on research, ok, cool! Now what what drove you to go? Work for restaurant company doing service work on! You know just what you already are working on. Ok at the time I was working for a no actually wasn't working, that's kind of part of problem. I was working for John systems. I was working for a.

I can't do a restoration company for like emergency water. Ok and I work for the oil field at one point using my diesel tech stuff, I got laid off got kicked around and then I came to dry out. I work for them for a year and now I'm working for a Laska food. I love that and I like it, I love it.

Ok, it's a great job great, you think, honestly, like I wouldn't mind working first but like what I love my job, just because leadership there yeah that's, that's! I will save for the younger guys she like, because I'm still 26, but for young guys if you can find a place yeah, the pay may not be great. The work might suck, but if you got good leadership that makes the company oh definitely so. Leadership is something that I, a better good leadership is something that I strive to be better at. I would consider myself to be a weak leader.

Ok, I think that that would be the one thing that would really push me. My company and you know our abilities and the ability to hire new technicians. Different things is by being a better leader. I constantly am trying to be a better leader, but I definitely see in employees that have left in the past and don't work for us anymore.

You know I learned from my mistakes and you know some of them left for their own reasons, but some of them left because they didn't like the way they were being treated. They didn't like what they were being paid, and I mean we're, not horrible, but I'm sure there's things we could have improved upon. You know so there's always stuff. We could do better.

You know and that's the one place I feel like. I need to be better at basically as being a better leader Chris, if you, if you teach your apprentices halfway like you're, doing your videos you're fine like well, I walked I've like gotten into guys where it's like expecially with merchant services, like the company, previously, the The respiration company - it's like you, get called it's ten o'clock at night. We got a flood at this house, meet us here. You get there you're dragging ass, and now it's like, Oh, what do I need to do? Well, you know what to do dude, it's! My third day on the job, no, I don't please yeah.

No, I think we'll curious HVAC guy. That's bill bill. That's right! Yeah bill yeah! He was talking about yeah. You get some good lessons from learning the hard way, but learning in a controlled environment, where you know a master guy is able to say they're losing sorry, no, no you're, fine, okay! Yes, I am.

I sprained my bike but learning from master God where it's like you know, hey look yeah. You can screw up you're going to do this for me, make mistakes, but I did these same things yeah, I'm gon na. Let you do them because I know you can recover it, but yeah. I like how you do your videos, especially, I remember a video where you let the guy praise back right.

Like you, he was brazen, really bad and yes, he's learned. You know there's certain places and yeah that I get that comment a lot. It's 50/50 from the people saying. Oh my gosh.

I wanted to read through and grab the torch from his hands and do it for him, and I wanted to every single moment of what we were doing was reached through and stopped what he was doing in and take over. But I can't always do that, but that was a perfect situation where I had plenty of time. It was a controlled environment. What he was brazing if he messed it up, I could have fixed it.

You know there's certain things there's, but also. I will admit that I am a control freak when it comes to a lot of things and I, like things done a certain way. I have a sane okay and that's you know I I expect my guys to do the job and to get it done right. I will give them the tools.

I will show them how to do the job and how I expect it to be done now. I'm okay, if they have a better way to do it, but I have no patience if their way doesn't work, if their way doesn't work, then I'm pissed and I'm riding their ass, because I told them how to do it now, if their way works and they're Successful then more power to them and I'm happy. But again, if I showed you the way you better either do it that way or you're taking a gamble because you're way better work or I'm gon na be pissed off. You know, and and my boss is just like that and that's why I really appreciate you like you - are like yeah you well, I appreciate him my since I appreciate you, I wanted to show you how to do this unless you know a better way.

I'm gon na show you how and if you don't follow that way, you don't get a good reason. Why don't do it right? Definitely you know so sorry. I didn't know honestly. I was trying to think of a question.

I was just trying to get on the app I didn't realize I'm trying to think of a question, at least for so for like a new dialer, because I do some stupid questions on a couple. I chest as a new guy when when is it okay to say yeah? I got this because I mean that's a combination between confidence and knowledge, but like there's times when it's it, especially with ice machines and your videos that can help with that and very much. But like with ice machines, I feel pretty confident, but then all sudden I go forward reaching I'm like I'm not sure about this. I don't know when ask for help or I kinda feel looking on, sometimes okay.

So I'm gon na kind of answer your question and I'm also gon na talk about a few things too, that you kind of brought up in my mind. So, first off as a service, you know as a service company, I get antsy. If I don't hear from my technicians, especially the ones that I know, I'm not super confident what they're going to work on now. My guys are good technicians, they know what they're doing and if they stop and think they can figure it out.

Okay, so I'm not doubt I'm dogging my guys or anything, but you know there's certain things where I know I have one person, that's better at ice machines than another person, and I have one person - that's better at you know multiplex refrigeration systems than another person. So you know everybody has their strengths and weaknesses. So when I send someone that I don't have the utmost confidence that they're gon na get it fixed in the amount of time that I would again, they can they're still fully capable of fixing it. But maybe just not as fast as I would then you know I start to get anxious and I'm sitting on the other end of the line or waiting for them to call me what I'd appreciate from my guys is.

If they just call me in check in with me, okay every let's just say you know, if I don't hear from you and a half an hour once you've gotten to the job - and you know just oh just a report say: hey I'm here. This is what I'm seeing. This is what's going on, I'd appreciate a call from them. Okay, that's one thing, because the flipside is then I'm sitting there and then I called him hey.

What are you doing or did you make it? You know I don't want to have to call him I'd appreciate them call me because then it would be on their time. You know, maybe they don't have their hands and interoperating something, but they just call me and say: hey everything's, going good just want to. Let you know this is what I'm finding I'm digging into it. Just give me some confidence.

That's one thing that my guys can help me with and and I don't want to speak for your boss, but I mean for anybody soom that most bosses want that. You know, communication is the biggest thing. Another thing again, probably gon na go off on a rant right here, but another thing is communication with the customer. Okay, yes, so building confidence with the customer is a huge thing all right.

I have multiple technicians that I have customers specifically say they don't want them on their job sites anymore and as a business owner that hurts that sucks, because now they don't want them. But but I'm short-staffed right now you know - or I have a guy it's off today and I only have one goddess in there and you know, and it's just that thing so: building a relationship with the customers helps to eliminate that where a customer says I don't Want them? Okay, because the guys that are requested not to go to these particular restaurants. They really didn't do anything wrong. The complaints are the customers.

Just like, I don't feel like he's confident I don't feel like he knows what he's doing when I try to reassure the customer that all of my guys are constantly in communication with me. So if I feel like they're, not confident in something I'm walking them through it, so I try to reassure my customers, but for my guys or for employees, I think that talking to the customers, keeping the customer in the loop so, for instance, we're working on a Walk-In freezer we go up under the roof, we bring our stuff up there. We find that the system's low on gas. We put our service gauges on there yeah it's looking low.

We need to go downstairs to grab our oxygen and acetylene torch kit, so we can braise up a leak when we're walking downstairs. I'm gon na walk, I'm gon na make a beeline for the manager's office and I'm gon na say: hey just want to let you know this is where I'm at. This is what I found. I'm still diagnosing.

I found a leak. We don't know if there's any other problems, I'm not gon na go down there and say I found the leak. I'm gon na fix it and you're gon na be a hundred percent. No, I'm gon na go down there and just give them a blanket statement and say this is where we're at, and this is what we're doing.

So that's a really important thing too. That's gon na help to build the customers, trust in you. So, as far as your question, you know, when is the right time. Oh that's a hard one.

I mean it really depends on your confidence and your ability to fix things and me as a business. You know I'm I'm watching my guys and you know I really don't want to send them on things that I don't think they're gon na go to so I'm gon na me personally, I'm gon na try to take the really difficult calls and maybe bring the guys With me or the whole point of the reason why I make videos is so that when I go to the difficult calls I can show my guys, you know this is what happens so I don't like to send them to a call that I don't feel confident In you know, but you know when when will I feel like they're, a hundred percent when when, for instance, they call me about an ice machine and they say hey, I was just cleaning this ice machine and I noticed that the ice was being made too thick. I opened up the manual and I read and I found out this is how you adjust the thickness. I adjusted it and then he tells me you know what.

But then I called tech support. Just because I wanted to be a hundred percent and I made sure everything else was good, he built confidence with me now, because I know that he could do it without using me. You know and then I feel much more confident sending him to do something when in fact he was just there to clean the ice machine. But he took it upon himself to go three steps further and then, when he called me, if he did call me for help, he said look.

This is what I did. This is what I found. This is what it's doing, so I didn't have to ask him all those questions. So that's when I know that he's ready to move on with ice machines, and you can apply that to almost anything.

So I think I might answer that easy question as well. You use your voltage meter to make circle she's. Not there have you ever used a voltage to reduce, not trust. Oh yeah, I've used a voltage ticker, but I find them to be a little useless for me because, okay, so here's the situation where I've used a voltage, ticker or you know, there's other named hot stick or whatever.

Yes, hot: stick: non-contact, voltage, detector! All that different stuff you know is when I'm trying to find maybe a circuit breaker for an outlet. Okay and a particular thing - and I can have someone stand there and hold it. But here's my thing: I'm still gon na grab. My meter and test voltage just to verify because I don't trust them a hundred percent, so they kind of seem a little useless for me is doing that also they can lead you astray.

You know what happens if again, I'm not super confident, but I'm assuming that this is correct. What happens if you're missing the neutral? Is it still gon na pick up voltage? That's a good question. I don't know, but I'm just I'm. You know i I'd rather check voltage with a meter myself.

That's a good question for single things, because I notice like you right. When I mean it wasn't picking up quote-unquote I'm if voltage going out yeah you're up there. Oh wait a minute. You know you know neutral to ground.

I'm gon na I've got both it's here. I got two. Oh wait I'll do more than just knocking on the blood yeah yeah. Definitely so you know I just I'm still gon na check it with my meter.

So I just don't really quite see the need for it, so that's just mine awesome. I thank you very much. Thank you again for doing this and for taking my very impromptu, calls and no worries I've good night. Writing you again for all your thanks for coming.

In alright appreciate it we'll catch you later, okay, all right cool. Well, that was cool. That was interesting. You know it's kind of neat.

I've never done this before so taking a call, I definitely uh. If you guys, let me see I'm gon na. I do see you in there Greg inside the stream and I'm gon na hold off for just one second and then I'll bring you in okay. I want to address some of the things in the chat and then we'll get to the next person and we'll answer some questions.

Okay, again guys. This is a different type of stream for those that have just tuned in this is a question and answer stream. I want it to be kind of geared more towards newer technicians or technicians that have questions this isn't so much of a technical thing, so we're not going to talk about ice machines and different stuff. It's more of you know, I'm a technician, and I want to know how I can ask for a raise those kind of questions.

Those are the things that I want to answer on this one okay, so it's geared more towards new technicians or other technicians that have questions not so much technical related to fixing things. Okay. So that's the hopes on this one. This is not replacing my Monday stream.

This is just kind of a bonus thing. It came to me from above today and I was joking, but I mean I just wanted to do something like this okay, so this is something new again. If you guys haven't put two and two together, I'm gon na post the link to the to the video call thing: it's a stream yard thing or whatever, whatever it's called, and if you guys want to come in, feel free and I'll. Try to answer your guys's questions, okay, so I'm gon na answer some questions in the chat, real, quick, Geoffrey.

You asked me: how do how did did I take criticism when I first started in the field? Okay, Geoffrey great question, so criticism for me: I hate being wrong. I hate admitting that I don't know how to do things that drives me to be a better technician and I feel like that is a large part of why I work the way that I work, and I have the attitude that I have when I work. Oh, thank you psych. I don't know how many times I can say when I work, but you know I hate admitting that I'm wrong.

Okay, I've told the story a million times, I'm just gon na paraphrase about one tech-support hung up on me, one time because they had asked me what super heat was, and I honestly asked them what is super heat? I don't know what that is, and the guy just hung up on me and I was so embarrassed, even though you know looking back on it now, knowing that he there's no way he ever knew. Who I was or will Know Who I am so. Why was I embarrassed, but still could he have handled that a little bit better sure, but that embarrassed me and that drove me to make sure that I understood what super he was when I called him back okay. So how did I handle criticism at first? I didn't handle it very well.

In the very beginning, I was a typical service technician that was cocky that you know knew better than everybody. You know, I probably wasn't a horrible tech, but I mean you know I mean I probably wasn't the best okay and it took me a while to realize you know: hey, stop being a dick, be a nicer person, be humble and you're gon na go a lot Farther okay, so hopefully I answered your question there, but I'm looking up to see if I missed any questions, guys really put them in caps lock, because I'm not reading unless I see caps, lock, okay, because there's just so much going on in here. So let me see what else we got. I don't see anything else that I'm missing is okay.

Here we go, all companies are different. What do I expect my texts to bring and what I do not want them to use from their personal tools? Okay, compensation, great question, so as a service company, what I provide our technicians is the big stuff: torch's recovery machines, vacuum pumps. You know nitrogen tanks, nitrogen regulators leak detectors. You know that kind of stuff, all right.

What I don't provide them is their hand, tools and a cordless drill. That's pretty much it all right. I try to provide them. I also ask that they bring a manifold set or some smart probes or whatever they're comfortable with okay, but I don't provide them with that stuff all right.

I have no problem replacing their tools if they break them at work, and they say something you know yeah. We have no problem replacing their tools. You know we have usually we'll take our service techs and go buy them pocket thermometers. You know we'll give them like two or three year and then anything past that we expect them, because those things are easy to lose and they get quite expensive when you lose them.

So we try to keep them. You know we only give them so many of those, but I mean you know we expect them to have their tools, though okay and if they don't have their tools on the job, then that makes us angry. You know I mean that makes me angry. I should say so all right: how do I deal with aggressive customers? Have you ever had customers get in your face? Yes, I have it's something that and I've had customers get in my technicians face too so as a business.

We let our technicians know that, if there's any sort of confrontation, we do not want them to stand their ground, we do not want them to engage, we want them to deflect to the office and we will take care of it and we're not gon na blow. It off and not address it. We're gon na address it from the office level and we're gon na say what needs to be said. I trust my technicians if I don't then I'll say something to him, but I mean you know we address that in the office.

I've had to deal with it before I've had to go, get involved, I've driven out where technician called me and he goes dude. This just isn't working. This guy wants to get into a fight, and so I went out to the jobsite and I just got between and just you know, intermediated basically or mediated between the two of them, and it was an manager. You know - and I you know we just dealt with it.

Okay, but again we try to let that stuff get deflected on the office and I think that's a good thing for everybody out there to deflect problems onto the office and let the office deal with it. People have issues with invoicing if it's not something easy deflected on the office. Okay, so all right, I'm gon na bring in the next person and it's Greg so Greg. I'm gon na bring you in right now how you doing bud.

Let's see I can't hear. Oh there we go. I can hear you here my this is that my first time video-chatting okay, I can hear you just fine man, so how you doing tonight a little tired. This is luckily my one day off this week right on yep.

I had the day off today too. So, what's your question today, Greg start out by saying hello to everyone in the channel basically say what my planes are. Like I said in the chat earlier, I actually started out studying Business Society. It wasn't my thing um right now.

I actually work at Walmart. I've always had interests in H, fat stuff, since I was young okay. So basically, I just want to go to school, get in commercial, lock, commercial/residential sort of, like Hugh said you do I'll, go ahead and say my first question. I have them write down right here.

Okay, what school should I get as a starting tag? Like I said, I start school here soon: well, it really depends on your yeah. So, first off you don't I I be in that your starting school right now, if you're not employed. Yet personally, I would not go buy a bunch of tools until you figure out what your company's gon na provide. Okay, because there's no need for you to buy a bunch of senseless stuff, now it's pretty safe to say that your company's probably not going to provide hand tools.

Okay, so that's what you would keep in your bucket or your tool, bag. Screwdrivers socket! You know their crescent wrench is that kind of stuff channel locks, but I wouldn't go buying a bunch of the fancy stuff that you see advertised in your school digital gauges and all that fancy stuff. Personally, I wouldn't buy that quite yet until you're, confident that your company's not going to provide that stuff I'd hate to see you blow a bunch of money and then go work for a company that doesn't want you to bring that stuff and then you're stuck with A bunch of tools that you can't use at work so don't blow your wad on stuff until you figure out what your company's gon na potentially provide. Okay - and I mean it's one thing: if you want to slowly start investing, that's that's something you know, but also to you know when you go to work for someone, especially starting out like you are they're gon na have tips for you, they're gon na to you Know like when I have someone come work for me for the first time I have an apprentice or I had an apprentice working with me and he brings a big bag full of junk and it's like dude, that's taking up more space than it's helping.

You you're not gon na use half the stuff in that bag, so once you start working or get on with a company, they can at least give you an idea what they require. Or then you can start seeing. You know the person you're working with what they carry and then you can go on from there. Okay, because there's certain things like, for instance, let me ask you a question: do you think you have use for a hammer when you're doing HVAC, maybe for bending ducks? It's possible, but most of the other things yeah you're, not gon na use a hammer very much for okay, maybe a sledgehammer for if you're, working on power, transmission change in pulleys and belts and different things like that or maybe a dead blow hammer.

But you have no use for a framing hammer that has a nail claw on it. So there's no point in carrying something like that around okay and I'm gon na be honest with you to most other HVAC. Tech's will probably agree with me, but I find all sorts of things that I could use as a hammer that aren't a hammer because I don't like to carry a lot of stuff in my tool bag. So I have a lot of pair of lineman pliers.

Those are a great hammer when you need them to be now again, I'm not using the worst thing in the world to beat on something. I'm not gon na use a super pair at Kinetics super expensive pair of Kinetics adjustable wrenches for beatin on things cuz. Those are expensive, but I mean you know for the most part, if I have a pair of lineman's or just standard channel locks, I'm gon na use those to tap something instead of carrying a hammer. So I would say it really depends on what your company, that your potential company that you're gon na work for will provide before you go waste a bunch of money on tools, keep maybe save the money.

You know if you need to budget and have the money for when it's time then put that money away. So that way, when you do go work, you can get everything you need, but I wouldn't go, spend a bunch on it right now. So right, like I said, if there's people in here who wants to trade men short talk, I've been talking about that. I'm actually gon na begin a meter for Christmas.

You er deal for 79 yeah cool. You know that's good already. Have a lot of screwdrivers can never have too many screwdrivers you, but you yes, that's true, but also you can have too many too now. So it's not a matter of you can have the screwdrivers, but how many you gon na carry in your tool, bag, okay! So as a service, when I have an apprentice with me and I'm watching him lug around a giant bag full of crap - and you know - he's got to dig through everything to get to the bottom to find the one thing that he needs that drives me nuts.

So again, yes, I do agree. Having a lot of screwdrivers is a great idea. I have a toolbox in my van that has extra screwdrivers, but I do not carry them in my bag with me, while I'm at work so - and this is probably a question - you've never gone like it's a worst-case scenario. This is my last question.

Okay, this has always been a fear in the back of my head. Since I decided I want to go to HVAC school say I'm out on a service call one day, all alone, because I actually live in the county. You only see a house every now and then so I'm working on a condenser and someone approaches me with a gun. I follow Tasha get a concealed, carry permit just to be safe.

What do you think? Okay? So I am a firm believer in firearms. I'm a firm believer in people having firearms, but it's up to you and how you feel about that. But it's also up to your service company too. Now I realize there's some service companies that don't care, but there's also some service companies that don't want people to carry.

So it's not that and that's their right to say they don't want you to carry so that's something you need to ask your service company. Okay, if you feel the need to see there's crazy people everywhere, dude, I'm in California, if you think, there's crazy people. I got people on the street there's there was a story about a guy that was on the street and dumping buckets of it on people's head. Here in California, and he was like a serial whatever person that was, he did this like for people, there's there's nutty people, but on the same side it all depends on where you live too.

So I understand you're in Tennessee and that's great. I don't know what the laws are about defending yourself, but here in Southern California the laws are against me and defending myself. If I shoot someone that I feel threatened by I'm still going to jail, it's better off. If I let him stab me, and then I shoot him, I mean it's so horrible, so it really depends on where you're working and what your company feels about it.

So, okay, mm-hmm! Well, thanks for taking my questions, no problem, but thanks for watching thanks for you know, I always see you down in the chat. So it's good talking with you, and hopefully you too man, we'll talk to you later shot - saw he's in the chat right now. Zac's in the chat Zacks, a good guy is my buddy, so right on bud all right. Well, it's good talking to you Greg mmm, bye, bye, all right cool, so I do see Joe down in the chat I'll bring you up here in just a minute Joe.

I want to look at the chat and make sure I'm not missing anything okay, so I'm gon na go through here, real, quick um. Let me see if I missed anything shout out tradesmen, yep, that's right! All right! Let's go see so I'm not seeing any crazy questions coming in here yet and then I'll go ahead and bring the next person in. But you know what I want to cover something real quick. So I want to cover something on my list right now and I'm going through my stuff right here.

This is a common question that I get: okay, no offense to people that are already going through trade school or anything like that. Okay, I'm gon na tell you guys right now. Hvac is a great career and I do believe that you need to get proper training to be an HVAC service technician. But what I do not want you guys to do is go, spend a crap ton of money.

Okay, there's no need to go, spend fifteen to thirty thousand dollars to be an HVAC service technician. Okay, you can find equal programs most of the time not knocking any particular school. Okay, whatever you know, floats your boat, but don't go blow all your money and get yourself into debt to become an HVAC service technician. That's one of the things we have that's a problem in this time.

We have is people that are financing their education and then, when they finally go to work. Thank you very much storm for the for the super chat there, but okay, so there's no reason to go, spend a crap ton of money. Okay! It's there! There's no need to alright. You have plenty of programs that you guys can get involved in that are lower cost.

What I highly recommend before you go jump into a very expensive trade school or before you go head over heels. Ordering a bunch of tools, especially for the new guys coming in, is look up a local community college program. Community college programs. You can usually pay for per unit, so you can sign up for one or two classes and at a low cost and then, if you feel like you're, not gon na get something, but at least you have an idea what the trade is like.

There's nothing worse than signing up for an HVAC program committing to paying 15 30 grand whatever it is and then decided halfway through the program that you don't want to do it anymore. Depending on the refund policies, you could be screwed, okay, so I'm a fan of the community college programs where you can sign up and pay per unit. Maybe the private schools can do that too, but don't go blow a bunch of money. Alright, there's no need to spend that much money to become an HVAC technician all right now later on in your career, you may find out that you want to go.

Do that if you're lucky try to get a job before you even go to school, I mean it's: it's good to start at a community college program, but maybe a company will hire you and let you go to night school or something because then you get a Better idea before you even spend any of that money. Okay, so I firmly believe in a proper education, but I just hate for you guys to go, spend a crap ton of money and end up like one of those computer technicians. That's unemployed right now. You know! That's spent 80 grand on an education that everybody else has to and there's no jobs for them now, there's plenty of HVAC jobs.

So you know. Hopefully I didn't discourage you guys and I don't want to knock anybody, that's paying for a very expensive trade school, but you know you. I find that a lot of people. The comments that I get is hey.

I paid for this great trade school program and I don't know anything well, that's kind of the same with like almost every Community College is you know that you just got to deal with it, so all right, we're gon na bring in the next person here. Hey there, Joe how you doing today I can. I cannot hear you let's try again say. Can you hear me, I can hear you now, no more echo, that's perfect, so alright, so how's it going good doing good.

So are you already an HVAC technician or you know I am well. I just graduated from a community college program fantastic by the way, but I just graduated, probably about six months ago, I've been in the industry for about six months now: okay, that's great cool! That's good. I actually have a buddy right next to me he's going through the same program. I just did Andrew say: hi how's it going, but some questions for you in a minute, but I really do think you hit the nail on the head as far as spending money goes and don't buy all the top of line tools that burst, because you're gon Na break things more than you good thing, you know I mean, I don't know if you can test that from experience or not, but I bought brand-new pair s.

Man fours first week out in the field it rained, they got wet, went to crap. So at least I can't check to breed sub pool on them, but I can still do the calculation, so I mean at least that's good, but yeah that was kind of a waste of money. I got my old analogues there. They work great and as far as not spending money, if you guys are looking to get into this industry, you can go through the night course.

Like the college I went to or the community college I went to, they offer a program where you can go for four years and they pay you to go. You only go like two three nights a week for things like four hours, but you get paid to go there and it's pretty awesome, but so I think you hit the nail on the head as far as that goes right. On yeah I mean I'm kind of getting some feedback right there. You am I on speakerphone yeah.

You know it's. It's the your speaker that I can hear. I can hear myself talking, yeah, that's better, so alright! So what other? What questions do you have? You have any that I can answer yeah, let's go for it, so I had a question when going into commercial wieck's. I assume that I'm going to start off as residential, but how? How should I go about it over the years like if I do want to make a move? No, it is so you're curious about what it would what the process would be like going from residential, potentially to some sort of commercial, whether it be like commercial or heavy industrial, whatever well, first off, if a residential is where you want to start, that's great, but You don't have to start in residential okay, there's many commercial companies out there that will hire you from trade school.

Just understand. There's gon na be a pretty big learning curve. You need to decide whether or not residential, something that you want to do residential. Has it's good things and bad things you better be a people person you better, be able to discuss pricing you'll, be able to better be able to.

You know deal with invoice that kind of stuff you may have to deal with some of that stuff on the commercial side too, so it really depends on what you want to get into there's nothing wrong with starting in the residential side. Okay, it's certainly gon na build a foundation if you completely understand the residential side. If you understand you know the refrigeration process the electrical process, it's really not that difficult to step up into the commercial side, we're just gon na add some extra components to it. So it's nothing difficult.

It would literally just be a matter of you feeling confident and you applying at a commercial company, and then you know moving your way up, but the biggest thing wherever you start, you need to fully understand the things that you're working on so also something to remember Is working for a service company? I say this all the time but remember when they interview you, you are interviewing them just the same. You don't need to be a dick about it. You don't need to be rude, but you need to ask the right questions. I have no patience for someone that says I've been working here and I hate it now I mean I'm not saying you're gon na be able to figure everything out but interview the company asked the company hey.

Can I do a ride-along? Can I spend three days where I give you me for free you're, not gon na pay me. Let me ride with you guys for three days. Let me carry your tools. Let me see what you work on.

Let me see how you interact with the customers. That's gon na help you because that's part of your interview process, they're gon na see your skills and also you're gon na see the way that they interact with customers. You're gon na see that hey these guys are charging for things that I don't think they should be charging for or how come you know he charged them for all this stuff that he didn't put in. You know I mean I cut, you may not be able to see it all, but it might give you a better idea, so you know ride alongs and then just remember that you're interviewing them.

I don't know if I answered your question or not. I think I might have kind of gone off on a tangent as usual, but definitely that's great. Thank you. No problem.

Do you have any other questions? No more so did you go to trade school? I did so okay. The way for me, though, was I started. So I worked for my father growing up my father and I still work together. Okay, I grew up working for him as a little kid I'm talking from elementary school when I was literally just sitting on his bucket holding this flash like all the way up until doing just silly stuff, then, but then junior high.

I worked the summers with him. Changing filters - and you know changing belts and different things, and then it was out of high school that in 2002 that I came to work for him full time and part of the agreement and in him giving me a job was that I had to go to Trade school, so I worked with him during the day and then I went to night school at the local community college and took classes. Now I never actually finished. My community college associates whatever degree or would not even I certificate.

I guess I think I'm like two classes shy of a certificate, but it's from like 15 years ago, so I don't even know her 13 or whatever. It was it's from so long ago that I don't even know if it's still legit. But yes, I did go to Community College. At the same time, my father taught me things and then also I had a cousin that was working for us.

That taught me things in between the three of them. It didn't all click from one person, it didn't click from my father, it didn't click from my cousin, it didn't click from school, but there was one day where I was in school and they were talking about motor starters, which is a control we use on big Three-Phase motors, ok and it's a safety protection and they said something in school and it clicked. And then I remembered everything my dad told me and I remembered everything my cousin told me and it all came together. So, even though I didn't completely understand what they were saying, I was still storing in them back in my brain and then it all kind of came one day and clicked and that kind of happened many times throughout my career.

So that's cool. I've been in trade school for three months now and it's kind of a little slow. My trade school is kind of recovering from a few bad instructors, in my opinion, but what Chris kind of said is diversifying your learning experience when you're first starting off is very important. Like, for example, I was watching Chris's livestream one day, and this book was on.

I don't know yep that looks great. It's awesome, especially if you're looking to go into to commercial it. It has everything it. I think Chris described it as the Bible.

One time yeah it is. It is our refrigeration Bible for sure that book is written by Miss dick worse, I've had the pleasure of speaking with him on the phone. I've never got to meet him. I'm actually gon na get to meet him.

This February, at a training conference cool. Well, I'm gon na be there at the Bryant HMAC school training conference, so yeah yeah dick Wars is gon na go on before me and then I'm gon na present after him, so I'm very excited to meet him, is a really nice guy and he's a very Smart dude, the thing I like about dick Wars. The thing I like about that book is that there's common sense approaches to things the rule of the technician: the TR ot things, the technician rule of thumb, guys. Those are great great things and I use rules of thumb all the time now.

I also know the correct way, but there's certain things that we might use a rule of thumb for to get us in the ballpark and that's something that that book really gets. You dialed in on great great book, so cool right on we'll try to do this again sometime, so maybe you guys can come on next time. Alright, thanks again, I'm gon na go ahead and close it out and we'll catch you next time, all right. All right cool, so this is working out pretty good guys.

I really appreciate everybody. That's in here right now. I do see a storm in there again. Okay, I want to look at the chat and see if I'm missing anything guys.

If there is guys. Let me see, I don't think, I'm quite missing anything yet again. This is a little bit of a different stream. Okay, thank you very much for the super chat I saw that come through, but yeah.

This is a little different, but I I like this. I want to be able to answer some more questions and give you guys a platform. If you guys want to ask those questions live now, keep in mind guys, don't be nervous. I have no problem bringing someone on and not showing them either.

You can even put a fake name if you guys want to be anonymous. Okay, all you have to do is when you click on the link. First off it doesn't immediately make you live. You guys, pop down in a little thing, a little window down here.

Okay, but you guys can simply turn your camera off and then I could just hear your audio. So if someone wants to come on and just let me hear your audio, we can go to town, okay, so don't feel frayed or nervous or anything like that. Alright, let me see what else we got if I'm missing anything the book Pro C is called here. It's right here.

It's always in my office somewhere. It's called commercial refrigeration for air conditioning technicians by dick words, great great book, so there's usually there's actually a link to that. If you guys are interested it'll be in the show notes of the video when it posts on YouTube, there'll be an Amazon link to that. So you guys can click that or you can find it any one of your retailers look online whatever you want to do so.

That's a bummer, HVAC Greg. It looks like there was some kind of an accident San Diego plane crash yeah, that's a bummer! So alright, alright, I'm gon na go and bring in the next person and we're going to see uh Elms II. You asked what our wages are here. Okay, so it really depends on the wages.

Let's see I I can speak for like commercial, and you know the kind of work that I do and most technicians, if you're a journeyman tech non-union. You can expect to make anywhere from 28 to 35. An hour 35, an hour above, usually, is getting into some sort of a management Supervisor position, above that, okay, starting technicians, apprentices are gon na start out at about $ 18 an hour now keep in mind. That sounds like a lot of money to you, Midwest techs, but it's not quite as much money as you guys think when you think about the cost of living.

So it's a decent wage, but you know you got to work for it. Alright, I joke around and say that California is a three income state and it kind of is to be middle class or upper middle class. You kind of got to have three incomes, you know to be able to survive so, but it is good money. You know wages are going up right now, as the technician shortage really starts to hit, then you know wages are definitely going up because of that.

So alright, let's see Jacob twice in guys. I see these memberships that are coming through. Thank you guys so very much. I really appreciate that.

I'm probably not addressing those enough. I see yours came through Gary HVAC Greg mister. Are you already on there really appreciate you guys be ver Justin. Thank you very much guys.

Really. Okay. I really appreciate those memberships coming through. You guys are awesome.

Okay, so I'm gon na go and bring in the next person and Alex don't. Let me forget that question. I'm gon na bring the next person in okay all right storm. I'm gon na bring you back in how's it going, but so cuz first off just a couple comments, but please, if you can have a nightbot like resend the link, it was only all Ning Center yeah! That's right! I am.

I forgot. I forgot to do that.