HVAC Mechanic, Service Tech, then Supervisor · Ward Plumbing & Heating; All Service Heating & A/C; Energy Tight

A decade in the trade before IT. Started in new construction, moved through residential and light-commercial service, and ended as the licensed mechanical contractor for a brand-new HVAC division at a BPI Gold Star company. I still hold the NC mechanical contractors license today.

Credentials (all current)

• NC H-3-I Mechanical Contractors License. The highest tier of NC mechanical licensing with no dollar limit on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning work. Served as Energy Tight's qualifier on a brand-new HVAC division.
• NATE Service Technician, multi-specialty: Heat Pump, Gas, Oil, and Air Distribution. The industry-standard service-tech credential for technicians who work across multiple system types.
• EPA Section 608 Universal. All three certification types (Type I small appliance, Type II high-pressure, Type III low-pressure). Required for any refrigerant handling.
• BPI Building Analyst and Envelope Professional. Building science credentials for envelope diagnostics and whole-house performance work.

The arc, by company

Ward Plumbing & Heating · 2001 – 2007 · HVAC Mechanic

Installed HVAC systems in residential and commercial new construction and retrofit applications. Fabricated and installed square, round, and spiral duct systems. Ran gas piping plus low and high voltage electrical circuits and plumbing tied to HVAC. This is where the cross-trade fluency comes from.

All Service Heating & A/C · 2007 – 2011 · Service Technician

Maintained and repaired HVAC systems up to 30 tons in residential and commercial facilities. Diagnosed and repaired distribution-system problems. Advised customers and contractors on essential vs optional repairs and on recommended system layouts. Ran on-call rotation. Delegated to and supervised co-workers on larger jobs to make sure the work shipped first-rate.

Energy Tight · 2011 · HVAC Supervisor and License Holder

Established a new HVAC division at a BPI Gold Star company. Served as the company's HVAC license holder (qualifier). Designed, sold, installed, maintained, and repaired residential and commercial systems. Performed heating and cooling load calculations, combustion analysis, and air balancing. Generated estimates, bids, proposals, and contracts. Initiated an energy monitoring program: installed monitoring hardware and software, examined energy consumption of residences.

Design competence

• ACCA Manual J (residential load), D (residential duct), S (sizing), N (commercial), Q (low-rise commercial).
• Wrightsoft for load and duct calcs.
• AutoCAD for mechanical layouts.
• Building performance instrumentation: blower door, duct blaster, thermal imaging.

Cross-trade fluency

• Sheet metal duct fabrication: square, round, and spiral systems.
• Gas piping for combustion-side work.
• Low and high voltage electrical circuits for HVAC controls and equipment.
• Plumbing tied to mechanical systems.

What this background carries into IT

Field service work isn't a soft analogy for IT troubleshooting. It's the same discipline. Systematic isolation. Root-cause analysis. Respect for what production downtime actually costs. Customer-facing problem solving on systems that have to be working today. Going home only when the call sheet is empty.

The reason I still keep the license current is that the work that earned it is the same work that's served me well as a systems engineer.