Cooling Classes Montgomery Village MD

How to Find the Right Heating and Cooling Program near Montgomery Village Maryland

air conditioner condensers in Montgomery Village MD Now that you have decided on a career as a heating and air conditioner specialist, the next step is to look for an HVAC technical school near Montgomery Village MD. But with so many to choose from, how do you choose the best one to obtain the training that you require? Many prospective students will make their decision based solely on the cost of tuition or how close the school is to their home. While these are important considerations, they are not the only ones to evaluate. A few of the other details that you need to look into are the graduation rates of the HVAC schools, their reputations, and if they are accredited by professional trade organizations. These and other criteria will be discussed in more detail later in this article. But before we explore how to pick an HVAC trade school, let’s take a look at what a heating and air conditioning professional does to become a licensed professional tradesman.

Becoming an HVAC Technician

HVAC is an acronym that is widely used in the business that stands for “Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning”. HVAC contractors specialize in the installation, maintenance and repair of air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, water heaters and heating systems. As professional tradesmen, they are commonly required to be licensed, though each state and local municipality has its own requirements. Earning professional certification is not mandatory, but an alternative means for Montgomery Village MD HVAC technicians to demonstrate that they are exceptionally skilled and experienced in their area of specialization. There are many respected certifications within the industry that are offered. Here are some of the important ones.

North American Technician Excellence (NATE). NATE is a nationally recognized certification for HVAC techs. The certification is achieved by passing a competency examination and can be acquired in one or more specialties.
HVAC Excellence. This certification makes available both a professional and a master specialist credential. 2 years of field experience as well as passing a comprehensive exam are needed for the professional level certification. Master specialists must have three years of experience as well as a passing result on the professional level exam. As with NATE, certifications are provided in various specialties.
EPA Section 608. This certification is mandatory for technicians that work with refrigerants. There are three forms of certification offered, one for small appliances, and the additional two for low and high pressure refrigerants.

Because licensing might be required in your area, and you may also desire to acquire certification, it’s imperative that you choose an HVAC trade school that will train you for both. And since you will most likely be working with refrigerants, make sure that the school you select readies you for passing the EPA Section 608 exams.

HVAC Certificate and Degree Classes

radiator heater in Montgomery Village MD home There are a variety of choices available for HVAC training in a technical or vocational school. You can obtain a certificate, an Associate Degree, or a Bachelor’s Degree. Obtaining a certificate will take the least amount of time, typically accomplished in just six months, though some courses are longer. A certificate will train you for the majority of HVAC positions, especially if you are licensed and have certification appropriate to the position. The degree training programs can provide a competitive edge for securing employment and will deliver more in-depth training than the certificate programs. Following is a short description of each option offered near Montgomery Village MD.

Certificate. Generally requiring a high school diploma, certificate programs are preferred among beginning commercial or residential HVAC professionals. They furnish a strong foundation of skills for job opportunities within the trade.
Associate Degree. The Associate Degree in HVAC program delivers a more exhaustive background of heating & cooling systems than the certificate program. Typically requiring two years to complete, a number of degrees include an internship or work-study program.
Bachelor’s Degree. The Bachelor’s Degree in HVAC is suited more towards a career in management as well as business ownership. Some programs call for an Associate Degree, while others are a conventional 4 year program. In addition to being taught how to service and maintain heating and cooling systems, you will also learn how to design them.

Choosing the ideal credential program will be based on what your long term career aspirations are, together with the time and money that you have to invest. One possibility is to begin with a certificate or perhaps an Associate Degree program, and after acquiring some experience in the field in Montgomery Village MD, later returning to acquire a Bachelor’s Degree. If this is your tactic, be sure to ask the HVAC technician school you are considering about how their returning student program works.

HVAC Classes Online

Choosing an HVAC program online is one option in obtaining your training and earning a degree or certificate. Almost all schools will call for some attendance on campus to participate in hands on training. A number also sponsor internship or work-study programs in addition to or in place of practical lab work. But since the rest of the classes can be attended on the web, this approach may be a more accessible solution for many Montgomery Village MD students that are short on time. And many online degree programs are more economical than other traditional choices. Even driving expenses from Montgomery Village and study materials can be minimized, helping to make education more affordable. And a large number of online schools are fully accredited (more on this later). So if your work or family commitments have left you with little time to attend classes, maybe an HVAC online training program will make it less complicated to fit school into your busy lifestyle.

What to Ask HVAC Training Programs

Questions to ask Montgomery Village MD HVAC training schools As soon as you have picked the type of degree or certificate that you want to attain, either on campus or online, you can begin to limit your list of schools. As you are certainly aware, there are many HVAC vocational schools in the Montgomery Village MD area and across the United States to choose from. That’s why it is essential to have a list of relevant qualifiers when making school comparisons. As formerly stated in our opening paragraph, location and tuition will most likely be the initial two variables you will look at. Following are some additional ones that you need to research before enrolling in your school of choice.

Accreditation. Many HVAC vocational schools in the Montgomery Village MD area have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, for instance HVAC technology. Confirm that the program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you receive a superior education, it can assist in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Also, some states mandate that the HVAC training program be accredited for it to be approved for licensing.

High Completion Rates. Ask the Heating and Air Conditioning schools you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A lower completion rate might signify that students were disappointed with the program and dropped out. It may also indicate that the instructors were not qualified to train the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of graduates, which can mean more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Montgomery Village MD HVAC employers to help grads acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Most HVAC technical programs are taught in conjunction with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating technical and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of HVAC businesses or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are comparing have referring relationships with local Montgomery Village MD HVAC contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing practical training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the regional HVAC professional community.

Modern Facilities. Confirm that the school facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the HVAC technician you are working with concerning what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Montgomery Village MD HVAC company if they can provide some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the school must be within driving distance of your Montgomery Village MD residence. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there may be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and experience the interaction between teachers and students. Speak with a few of the students and get their opinions relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to a few of the teachers and learn what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Montgomery Village MD, verify that the schools you are considering offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, ask what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Considering an HVAC School near Montgomery Village MD?

Perhaps you are considering enrolling in an HVAC training program in the Montgomery Village Maryland area. If so, you may find the following background information about the location of your new school campus both interesting and informative.

Montgomery Village, Maryland

Montgomery Village is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and a northern suburb of Washington, D.C.. It is a large, planned suburban community, developed in the late 1960s and 1970s just outside Gaithersburg city limits. Montgomery Village's population was 32,032 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census,[5] and it is a part of the Washingtonian metropolitan area.

Montgomery Village was created in 1962 by Kettler Brothers, Inc. The vision for a planned community in Gaithersburg is credited to architect Charles Kettler, who incorporated Kettler Brothers with his brothers Milton and Clarence in 1952. The first land purchase was the Walker Farm in 1962. Subsequent purchases were the Thomas Farm, The Mills Farm, The French Farm, The Patton Farm, The Fulks Farm, The Wilson Farm, and The James Walter Deppa property. The Walker Farm was the largest of all the properties the Kettlers bought. It was 412 acres (1.67 km2) and now is Walkers Choice, Cider Mill, Horizon Run, Christopher Court, Dockside, Nathan’s Hill, Millrace, the Montgomery Village Library, Montgomery Village Day-Care Center, the Off-Price Centers, Bayberry, the Verandahs, Grover’s Forge, Lake Whetstone, South Valley Park, and part of Lakeforest Mall.[6]

On February 28, 1966, the Kettler brothers broke ground for the first house in Montgomery Village. The first model homes were opened in Lakeside of Whetstone in August 1967. In September, more opened in the Clusters of Stedwick. The Montgomery Village Golf Club also opened in September of that year. The first residents of Montgomery Village moved in on September 25, 1967, in Goshenside. They were the Bartik family. Also on the same day, the Crosby family moved into a home on Whetstone Drive.

Enrolling in the ideal HVAC school program is an important beginning toward a rewarding career in the heating & cooling trade. You originally came to this website because you wanted more information regarding Cooling Classes. However, as we have addressed in this article, you should select an Heating and Cooling trade school and a certificate or degree program that are both accredited and have outstanding reputations within the HVAC profession. Other factors to search for are ample hands-on training and modern facilities. You should check out each of the schools personally that you are most interested in to inspect the campus and talk with both the current students and faculty. Try to get a feel for the quality of the teaching and the interaction between them. Also, ask about scheduling options and if night or weekend classes are available if needed. And remember to inquire about financial assistance and student loan options also. If you ask the right questions as we have laid out in our checklist for comparing schools, you’ll be able to filter your options so that you can make an informed decision. With the appropriate training, hard work and dedication, you can ultimately become a licensed HVAC specialist in Montgomery Village MD.