Contrary to popular belief, testing air quality in your home is much harder than you think. So is cleaning your air conditioning ducts, installing an indoor-outdoor A/C unit and making sure that your heating system is working in optimal condition. Almost every home is equipped with some sort of a heating and air conditioning system. This is why becoming an HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) technician could offer an incredibly promising career. There is a lot of demand, but also it doesn’t take that long to train how to become an HVAC technician, which makes it the perfect job for those people looking to fast track their careers. So, how long does it take to train and get certified?

You can get your certification online in just a few hours, but in most states you are only legally qualified to be an HVAC technician if you take a 28 day long course. In fact, the only way to get the right kind of training is by taking an in depth course. In this course you will be working all day long studying the ins and outs of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and all the modern equipment and units that are most commonly used. Being self-taught is one thing, but if you really want to get a good job with an HVAC company you need to show that you took some kind of crash course.

There is also the option of going to a trade school and getting your associate’s degree, but those programs take up to 2 years to complete. A 28 day long course won’t be easy, but it will get you on your career path much sooner than later. You will be in school from morning until night and working on site – just to get the hang of what its like to make calls, repairs, and inspections.

Another option is to apprentice. Whether you’ve taken a 28 day long course or a 2 year long associate’s degree course, there is no better way to learn the tools of the trade than by working with a company. There are some paid apprenticeships, but most of the time you will be working with a company for very little money or for free until you are actually ready. The company that you apprentice for might even hire you or you might go off on your own. No matter what, though, at this point you will have all the tools and knowledge you need.

Lastly, if you really want to have job security in the HVAC field, you need to have a lot of experience and knowledge. A 28 day course might be able to pack a lot of information in at once, but by going to an actual trade school, taking your time, and then apprenticing, you will not only eventually get paid a better salary – because you will have more experience – but you will also have the rest assuredness that you are in it for the long haul, because the more you know, the more hirable you are.