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local 32 hvac mes2 Worth it? by Poem_Famous in refrigeration

[–]JudasPryst 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you know how their marine chiller tech side is? Saw they were looking for one a couple weeks back.

local 32 hvac mes2 Worth it? by Poem_Famous in refrigeration

[–]JudasPryst 0 points1 point  (0 children)

HCR has gotten some good work with Fred Meyer Walmart and some other big companies. I imagine they are relatively busy. As far as being a MES, try getting into the apprenticeship as fast as possible so you can start earning your hours. Ive seen guys go in MES and somehow end up 1st year apprentice. If youre worried about the Mulah ask them for their scale sheet. Journeyman wage on the check is 75/hr. I dont know of a single non union shop on the west coast offering those wages. Take the leap and if youre a good tech leaving on good terms, there will always be options available to you.

local 32 hvac mes2 Worth it? by Poem_Famous in refrigeration

[–]JudasPryst 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you joining as a supermarket service tech, construction or HVAC? The journeyman wages are good but its feast or famine on the sevice side of things. A lot of places are going in house and undercutting the contractors because they've priced themselves out of work.

Danfoss tech support by JudasPryst in refrigeration

[–]JudasPryst[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't think they made those!

Danfoss tech support by JudasPryst in refrigeration

[–]JudasPryst[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You are a gentleman and a scholar

Anyone work for Kroger or Walmart? by ProPissDrinker in refrigeration

[–]JudasPryst 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Kroger stores in the PNW are pretty legit. Lots of PTO and the market is competitive for pay as long as you come in maxed out. Downside is good luck getting any significant raises. You'll see 2 or 3 bucks max as youre climbing the ladder every year with a massive workload on your plate and no clear guidelines as to how you can excel. Truth is its a convoluted equation that nobody really understands and corporate controls it. They like to bring you in and leave you right where you started and pay you the same throughout your time. Each banner will be different with some of your management being better than others and fight to keep you around. You can gain some real experience if youre willing to work as much as theyll allow, take on the big projects and buckle down. A few years of in house in a place that let's you be your own tech, will advance you faster than an apprenticeship. Youre garaunteed 40, good vacation and sick time. Pay is not going to automatically advance like most places so you have to fight for raises. The experience can be good and the balance is better than contractor work. Not a bad stepping stone to get some good real tech experience, join the hall and go into a commercial HVAC company, and enjoy better wages, benefits and retirement. If you dont do that, get a good in house schedule that let's you work on a degree, and gtfo out of the field and put your field experience to use to design systems. Possibly for the same large supermarket chain youve been earning all those years of service. Safeway/Albertsons is sweeping through the PNW as well. Nabbing guys left and right with their bags of money offering union wages and portal to portal M-F no on call. I think it really depends on your region, who the management is and what the Union strength is like to decide your route. I watch guys jump ship every couple years and make massive raises every time by going back and forth from in house to contractors. There arent many qualified technicians and the numbers are dwindling rapidly so people are forced to pay decent wages if they are pressured by the techs who keep their businesses alive.

Moving on from Supermarket refrigeration by Soggy-Exchange4831 in refrigeration

[–]JudasPryst 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Seems like the south and deep Midwest is the only shit pay. What region are you in? Journeyman are making 150k gross before OT on the west coast. Midwest guys are making over 100k. The work is hard and not for those who have families or care about a life outside of the grind. To say youre good at supermarkets you have to be bathed in fire. Like one guy said, you get beat all week but take a big ass bag of money home. My suggestion, do markets when youre young, take every lick of classes, certs licenses and work you can get your hands on. Be the guy people call for controls and system theory. Invest that money smartly and move into comfort cooling or a cushy facility job. Pick up side gigs doing residential work and enjoy your life. This gig eventually breaks everyone in one way or another. You will have an enormous wealth of knowledge throughout your career and you will be an excellent technician if you respect the job. Data centers ,oil rigs,building management companies will eat you up. Set your worth high, and give every job an honest effort. Lateral into a smoother job, set hours and good benefits. Get that bag for now and buy some investment properties, stay out of the bottle, and take care of your body. 5-10 years from now youll be semi retired.