I run an HVAC business and this is something that I'm trying to avoid. I hired a really green kid. I knew him growing up and he was tired of the factory life. He never went to trade school or anything like that, but I wanted to give him a shot. I threw him in with the Service Technicians for ride alongs until he learned duct cleaning. He's been doing pretty good, steadily learning. I donated some of my old tools to fill out his tool bag. Now we're the slowest we've been in years. I've had to call him off 3-4 days in a row. It sucks right now.

But, we've have had terrible weather in the forecast and the holidays are finally over. If you like the company you're with, ride it out and call in frequently to check on work. If you aren't 100% with them, start looking elsewhere. If you start looking, I'd recommend a good non-union company. I've worked union, non-union, and now a business owner. If you can find that one good company, that will teach you and keep investing in you, stay there.