(Canton, Ga. – May 3, 2017)
After discovering that he had a passion for performing minor repairs on machinery, Canton resident Kris Hickman enrolled in Chattahoochee Technical College’s Air Conditioning Technology program to pursue a career in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry.
“I enjoy figuring out why something isn’t working, what made it stop, and then trying to correct the issue,” said Hickman, who currently is employed by R&D Mechanical Services in Canton. “I knew I was on the right path because not only do I enjoy fixing things, but I also enjoy helping people in need just as much. There’s nothing like seeing a person’s face in the summertime when you get their cooling back working.”
With labs on the college’s Canton and Marietta campuses, as well as at the Bartow County College and Career Academy, the Air Conditioning Technology program provides students with a dynamic, hands-on learning environment where they are educated on installing, maintaining, diagnosing and repairing heating, cooling, ventilation and refrigeration systems.
“Chatt Tech has a great Air Conditioning Technology program. The labs are incredible, and the program uses problems you will run into in the field. It makes learning fun,” Hickman said, adding that his education has helped him tremendously in the field. “The labs that I was completing were similar to service calls I was going to. It has helped me with my technical ability to find the issue while on a service call.”
Chattahoochee Tech instructors are equipped with real-world industry experience which is essential for preparing students for jobs in this high-demand field. Hickman praised his instructor for going above and beyond his job duties.
“My instructor is an amazing instructor. Anytime I didn’t understand something he would take the time to talk me through the situation and explain the process. He made it clear,” Hickman said. “If I had an issue in the field, I could ask him about it at school and he would help me through the issue. He also made learning fun, not an assignment.”
As a soon-to-be graduate of Chattahoochee Tech, Hickman encouraged others to pursue a career in HVAC if they have a passion for working on equipment, diagnosing the problem and correcting it.
“This is fun, in demand, not repetitive, and good paying job,” he said. “People will always need their units serviced. I wish I would have started it sooner.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installer is $45,910 annually. Chattahoochee Tech’s Air Conditioning Technology program is designed to take 64 weeks to complete and has a job placement rate of 93 percent.