From Uncertainty to Passion in UEI’s HVAC Program
Joshua entered the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) program at UEI College in Fresno unsure about his future career but by the end of the program he walked away with a passion for learning, a new job, and a drive to succeed not only in his career but in his life.
“I have nothing but good things to say about UEI,” Joshua shared. “Not only did I learn a lot about HVAC, but I learned a lot of life lessons from my teachers that I will take with me for the rest of my life.”
Joshua had been working as a pool technician, cleaning pools and servicing pool equipment. He was interested in finding something new and when a social media post about the HVAC program at UEI popped up he said it felt like a sign. He expected to learn a few things about HVAC, but he did not expect to enjoy it so much.
“I for sure went into the program with some hesitancy,” Joshua said. “I just kept pushing forward. I kept finding stuff that I liked, and I don’t know what made the change but as I kept going to school, I kept feeling that change. I felt like I had a new goal that I wanted to achieve.”
Joshua credits a lot of his success to the relationship he developed with his instructors.
“I didn’t expect to have such a great bond with my teachers. The teachers were a big part of why I kept pushing. They were some of the best people I’ve known and I’ll never forget,” he said. “I became really close with one teacher and he told me a lot of stories about how he came into the field and what he wishes he would have done. My girlfriend is pregnant and they have given me nothing but good advice on how to have a healthy relationship and maintain work and a family.”
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There were times when focusing on school was difficult for Joshua. Those are the times his family helped him through.
“They are always telling me to never give up and never quit and I stuck to that,” he said. I wanted to finish school so I can go out there and have a great career. If you don’t understand something you can go in on a Friday when there are no classes and get support. That’s what I had to do a couple times and it worked.”
“Joshua was a hard-working student who was always asking questions and helping other classmates that would struggle. I taught him early on, if you truly want to keep the knowledge, you must also give it away,” said Louie Lopez, HVAC Instructor and Department Chair. “He would show up on Fridays for open labs sessions and just work and study hard. This young man is going to go far in the HVAC Industry. A true UEI success story.”
When it was time for Joshua to graduate, he had a job lined up with a compressor company, doing some HVAC work on an industrial level. He said two companies were interested in hiring him to do HVAC at a residential level.
While all of that is great for Joshua, he’s more excited about the opportunity to keep growing and learning.
“I’ve changed a lot from last year to now,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do or what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted something hands on. Now I’m more confident to go out into any field and spread my knowledge. I’m more open. I want to learn a little bit about everything after learning about HVAC. I want to learn more about plumbing, wood working, metal working. If you have an idea of something you want to do with your future, if you really want to get into it, you should go to a trade school. I recommend UEI. Push through it and try to get as much as you can through your school. They have a lot to offer but you have to be willing to put the work in.”
