u/realjbj

I have over 10 years of experience in commercial HVAC and refrigeration, but I also have my All-Lines Adjuster license.
A friend of mine has worked a bunch of different jobs over the years, and he convinced me to get licensed. At one point he went to Cleveland for about two months after a storm and made around $30k, which obviously got my attention. But then he came back home and wasn’t working again, and that’s what’s always made me hesitant.
From the outside, it seems like adjusting can be very profitable, but also unpredictable. I don’t really understand how the career works long-term.
I don’t mind traveling at all. I don’t have kids, and my girlfriend is open to traveling with me if that’s what it takes to make this a solid career. If being deployed around the country is where the money is, I’m completely fine with that.
For those of you who’ve actually done this:
Is adjusting a stable career or is it mostly feast or famine?
Can you make a consistent living year after year?
How much time are you actually working versus waiting for the next deployment?
If you were in my position with an established HVAC career, would you make the switch?
I’d appreciate any honest advice or experiences from people who have been in the field.

Looking for some advice from anyone who has been through this.
I’m currently a first-year UA apprentice and am about to finish my first year of school.
In less than a week, I’ll be starting with a contractor that’s signatory to a different UA local than the one I’m currently in.

The new local is actually the jurisdiction where I live. The only reason I joined my current local was because that’s where my employer was signed when I started.

My questions are:
Has anyone transferred from one UA local to another while still an apprentice?
Did your school credits and OJT hours transfer?
Were you able to continue into your next year of apprenticeship without losing time?
What was the transfer process like?

I’ve reached out to my business agent and am waiting to hear back, but I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who has personal experience with this.

My wife is currently a Human Resources Executive Team Leader at Target and is looking to transition into a different career field. She has 10+ years of management and leadership experience, including scheduling, employee relations, conflict resolution, hiring, coaching, performance management, training, operations, and supervising teams in a fast-paced environment.
She’s trying to figure out what careers her experience would transfer well into outside of retail HR/management. Ideally something with better work-life balance, growth potential, or remote/hybrid opportunities.
For people who’ve made a similar transition (or hired people from retail leadership backgrounds), what careers or industries would you recommend she look into? What roles value these kinds of transferable skills the most?