I want to leave my office job for a career in HVAC
32M making 85K as an operations analyst at a big bank office job but I’m starting to feel like my job security is at risk due to advancements in AI technology. Along with that, my education is limited to an unrelated college diploma (Chemical Lab Tech). My salary is most likely capped at around 95K-105K for the foreseeable future. Hard working tradespeople can earn much higher if experienced, working OT, plus sales commissions.
I work hard with no overtime pay and my work environment can be soulless and full of dog eat dog office politics just to get a little ahead. It’s also boring af. No field work. I want to spend my time learning something that I can use to directly help my family at home and other people.
I’ve only just started researching the HVAC career path and going to night school to get my G3-G2 certs. I’ve come across a lot of conversations online about apprenticeships being very challenging to find right now even though there’s a high demand for experienced and qualified techs (someone please explain why there’s a gap). Some say finding an apprenticeship is doable but you really need to network and have some job-site experience.
I’m not sure if I should just keep grinding at the office or take the leap into HVAC. Any tips on how to set myself apart, get on a job site, and eventually become an apprentice would be much appreciated.
EDIT: After going through all the comments and discussions I think what makes sense is to stay off the tools for a means of work. Get educated and maybe get licenses, then go into an HVAC sales or operations role. I’ll still get to learn HVAC and contribute to the industry but I won’t have to start from the bottom in terms of wage/salary.