Jennifer will be turning 18 next month, and she has a lot of big choices ahead of her.
- As her father I have always tried to guide her in the right directions, but allow her to make decisions for herself.
I don’t like these “helicopter parents” who constantly meddle in the lives of their children. The way to build strong adults is to let them make their own choices, and hope for the best. Jennifer has expressed interest in going to college, but I have advised her to think about trade school. I read a blog about how HVAC companies are actively seeking female HVAC techs, because women are so under-represented in the industry. A little online research led me to confirm this information, and some companies even offered a hefty signing bonus for qualified HVAC techs. Aside from the promising job market in the HVAC industry there is also the matter of paying for education. It is estimated that students at the local university graduate with over 60 thousand dollars in loan debt. It costs only a few thousand dollars to take all the needed HVAC courses to prepare for the certification process. In terms of starting a career HVAC work seems like a much safer bet than a college education. I know a lot of waitresses and baristas who have college degrees and crippling loan payments, and don’t make half the salary that an HVAC tech can make. Jennifer is free to make her own choice, as always, but I hope she chooses a career in the HVAC industry.