How working in HVAC gave me the skills to help a company run smoother
The construction industry isn’t the ideal place for a woman, or at least that’s what everyone seems to think. Society wants us to believe there is no place for women in the construction industry. However, working in construction was probably one of the most rewarding work experiences I’ve ever had.
I worked for a locally-owned HVAC business where I was able to dip my hands in both the physical and the internal workings of the company.
As an HVAC assistant, my role varied from many different tasks. Some are assisting in connecting units, keeping track of employee hours, keeping track of inventory, all the way down to making supply runs. Organization and time management were two of my biggest takeaways.
Organization
One of my biggest takeaways from working with this company is how important it is to be organized. Working in construction, I can’t stress enough how frustrating it was when things were not organized the way they should be. I would have to organize which buildings were completed, which buildings had complications, which buildings have not been worked on, all the way down to organizing our tools and supplies. My organizational skills played a big role in the company’s ability to run smoothly.
Time management
On my first project working on an apartment complex, I assisted in uninstalling and reinstalling 112 AC units on 28 different buildings. It’s the middle of summer so we were working on rooftops in 100-degree weather. Time management played a huge role in this project. Uninstalling AC units left the people without AC. We had to create a game plan on how many buildings we would work on in a day so people weren’t left without AC for long periods.
Working in HVAC, I was able to learn the most important professional skills to bring to a company. Some see a woman who shouldn’t be on a construction site. I found a woman who brought value to helping an HVAC company run smoother.
