Career
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
Keep buildings warm, cool and comfortable.
$61,010
Median pay
+10.9%
Job growth, 2025–35
40,600
Openings a year
Postsecondary nondegree award
Typical education
Under 2 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Discuss heating or cooling system malfunctions with users to isolate problems or to verify that repairs corrected malfunctions.
- Test electrical circuits or components for continuity, using electrical test equipment.
- Repair or replace defective equipment, components, or wiring.
- Lay out and connect electrical wiring between controls and equipment, according to wiring diagrams, using electrician's hand tools.
- Schedule work with customers and initiate work orders, house requisitions, and orders from stock.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Discuss heating or cooling system malfunctions with users to isolate problems or to verify that repairs corrected malfunctions.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Troubleshooting, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Repairing.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
Under 2 years of education after high school (postsecondary nondegree award), for a median of $61,010 a year and 40,600 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology/TechnicianCIP 15.0501
- Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/TechnicianCIP 47.0201
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$78,620 · +3.1%
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$63,800 · +6.8%
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door$74,340 · +4.3%
- Home Appliance Repairers$50,990 · +1.9%
- Boilermakers$76,410 · -1.8%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.