I always thought I had big dreams when I was younger like being a pilot, boat captain, or something exciting like that.
When I got older I realized that none of those things were likely going to happen. I tried learning to fly the small rental planes, but even that made me feel too nervous. I realized that I had to do something a little more normal with my life. I didn’t want to attend a regular college but I wasn’t sure what else there was for me. My parents thought I should go for something huge like being a doctor or a lawyer, but it just didn’t feel right to me. Then my uncle was talking to me about what I wanted to do and I couldn’t really give him anything. He asked if I wanted to go to school and I just shrugged. Then he told me if I was looking to go to school, I didn’t have to go to a traditional one. He said a trade school would be a smart move for me to make. I thought that was brilliant and I immediately went to look into the trade schools in the area. I found a few great schools where I could learn plumbing and there was a place where I could even learn to be a real pilot. Of course, I knew that I would probably crash the plane, so I looked into becoming an HVAC technician. I figured it would be safe enough working on people’s HVAC systems and not crashing to my death. I went for it and everything worked out perfectly. My parents weren’t especially thrilled, but I love the work I do now in the HVAC industry.