Young Blood

gene2

This site looks more like a DIY HO site everytime I visit. To all I say find & pay a competent HVAC contractor. We need the income. If your working the trade, frankly many haven't spent enough time before branching out on their own. With all of this practice of relatively inexperienced techs starting their own business, the whole trade has deteriorated to a point where cheap rules. Those of us that have spent decades learning our trade can hardly earn a wage to compensate for our experience. While you were learning, us old guys & the that company carried you, just when you are getting to be worth your expense-boom you go start your own company. You saw the boss getting a BIG check, never looking at the expenses, especially the cost of educating you. Now you go with limited knowledge to take business away from all of us overpriced robber barrons. Evidence is in the level of competance the public experiences & further reduction of respect for our trade.

Just venting because the issue is very large in our industry. If we stick together, work for the company that trained you, let them get to make a profit off you, as you mature you will have influence in the company & industry. You young bucks have a lot to learn as well as us old fossils. By fragmenting, none of us benefits at all. The HO & GC will continue to deflate our compensation. That you can be sure of. It is upon us old timers to pay as well as we can-pay the productive very, very well. Let the hangers drop out.

Just my incomplete observations.

rselectric1

Very articulate post.

This is something that will never go away. It starts with side jobs where they carry no insurance and probably never even report the income.

There is usually no intelligent business plan in place.

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220...221...whatever it takes!

beenthere

It does seem that contractors from other trades. Use this site as a DIY site for HVAC. More then its used as a Contractors site, for Business issues.

flashheatingand

I can understand your frustrations. Your frustration is warranted. Perhaps while you were younger, old school took time to train the new kids on the block and it was all one big happy family. However, things have changed. You mention how customers only care about the cheapest price, well employers are no different. Today, the big companies show do not show the loyalty that you are mentioning and their training is o.t.j @ the customers expense (without old school showing the ropes). I can site several situations in which the older employees have been discarded for younger/cheaper help.

I don't know about your area, but here, the pay max is about $20.00/hr. $20.00/hr isn't bad, but you certainly aren't going to get too far with that income. Especially with the amount of lay-offs that is going on in the industry. There is no guarantee of making it when one goes out on their own. But if you choose to work for someone today instead of venturing on your own, eventually you are going to go down.

All trades are "dumbing down" I guess thats the result of technology. We all just need to adapt. Once again, I understand your frustrations, and mean no disrespect. It's just that the days of paying your dues and being rewarded down the line aren't there anymore.

gene2

Flash

I agree with what you said too. I was trying to keep a short post and leave room for others if they desired to chime in. There is no loyalty anymore.

The worst I think is the GC are taking advantage to keep our prices down in all the trades making it hard to pay decent wages and to attract new talent.