Did anyone else realize HVAC/trades culture is weirdly like high school?
My partner is a journeyman in HVAC and I genuinely didn’t realize how socially intense trades culture can be until dating someone in it.
From the outside I assumed trades were just “show up, work hard, go home.” But sometimes it honestly feels like high school with tools. Constant gossip, group opinions, chirping, guys acting different around certain coworkers, people caring way too much about looking “easygoing” or not “whipped,” etc.
I’m curious if people in HVAC actually feel this too or if I’m overreading it because I’m dating someone in the industry.
Do you feel pressure to fit into the crew socially even as a journeyman? Does the environment affect how guys act in relationships without realizing it? Or is this just certain shops?
I’m not anti-trades at all. I actually respect the work a lot. I just didn’t expect the social dynamics to feel this emotionally immature sometimes.