Mold is one of the most harmful and prevalent indoor air pollutants. Some mold is okay, but many times the mold that grows in our homes is toxic. You can usually spot the mold, because it is a deep black color. If you start to have increased allergy symptoms or start to feel nauseous and headachy, you might need to have your home inspected for mold. If there is mold, you need find a way to remove it immediately. Because mold is so prevalent, mold inspectors are in incredibly high demand. This is why becoming a mold inspector can offer such a promising career. Here are 5 tips for starting a career in mold inspection.

1. Enter a training program. Most states require individuals to have a certain number of hours of training before they take their licensing exam. In order to work for a company or for yourself, you will need a license to inspect for mold in most states. You can search online or contact a vocational school that offers courses in how to inspect for mold. In these courses you will learn about the different strands of toxic mold and the most common methods of getting rid of them.
2. Increase your versatility in the field. Sometimes the HVAC industry and mold remediation industry go hand in hand, because it is often our air conditioning systems that cause the mold or improper ventilation. This is why a mold removal specialist will recommend that a client install a dehumidifier or a ventilator in the home to reduce the amount of humidity and moisture in the home. Moreover, individuals searching “home geothermal energy” might fight a mold removal technician, so it is important to be able to answer all of a client’s questions.
3. Get experience. It is one thing to learn about mold in school, but it is a whole other thing to actually be in the field looking at mold spores first hand. Mold can be a nasty fungus with the power to spread even by tracking it throughout the house. So knowing how it moves is important when it comes to tracking it and possibly finding areas in the home that other people might not have thought to look.
4. Study for your exam. Your licensing exam will go over everything you learned in the classroom and in the field, but it will also go over all the rules and regulations according to certain state laws and bylaws. So, it is important to study what all these regulations are before you take the test – just to increase your chances of passing. Most people – if they study hard enough – pass the exam.
5. Find out if you need any further certifications. If you want to work for a state agency that helps remove mold, you must find out what other certifications you might need. You might need to be certified by up to three different boards – just to be qualified to land a position. In most states, mold is not taken lightly and is seen as a scourge to human health. So, it is important that mold removal specialists know exactly what they are doing.