When I graduated high school and went to the local trade school to begin my certification as a heating, cooling, and ventilation technician, I never could have foreseen how the world was going to change.
- At the time, the only thing that we were really worried about was Harambe, a recently murdered gorilla.
We all agreed that it was the worst year ever, and moved on to greener pastures… Well, here we are in the middle of a global pandemic. Not to be insensitive, but I guess we had a lot more to worry about than a zoo animal. These days, my job as a residential heating and cooling technician is nothing like I would have expected. When I was obtaining my HVAC certification, we mostly focused on diagnosing, repairing, and maintaining heating and cooling systems. I learned the ins and outs of furnaces and AC units, as well as dehumidifiers and thermostats. At the time, it wasn’t a big deal if you knew how to work with air purification systems or airmedia purifiers. These days, that’s all that people care about. Every appointment that I go to is for some kind of air handling system upgrade that includes advanced air filtration on par with HVAC systems and HEPA air filters used in medical facilities. People are extremely uppity and anxious, and although I do my best to pacify them, it can be a bit freaky talking about airborne contaminants right now. Even though we’re all wearing masks and gloves, no one feels safe. I can see the fear in their eyes when a stranger starts talking about the germs we naturally respirate. Right now, I have an honest fear of being bludgeoned to death if I so much as cough at one of my routine appointments.
