This is a great industry. We need to keep spreading the word. Features (like this) with such wide readership are a huge help. I think that mentorship and participation in national organizations also provide a camaraderie that many women don’t find in the day-to-day.
I aspire to mentor young female professionals in the HVACR space. Especially the women that desire to advance professionally while carrying the load as single parents.
We don’t have enough women in this industry. The largest challenge is that I still see so many rooms that don’t have diversity that represents the communities we operate in.
Women entering the trades as technicians must overcome the perception that they aren’t strong enough or mechanically inclined enough to be a service tech. Even though women have worked in the skilled trades industry for decades, there is still a stigma about women working as HVAC technicians, plumbers, or electricians.
During my time in this industry, I think we’ve done a really good job of adding more women across different fields. Women don’t always think about HVACR, but it’s an industry that needs good leaders just like any other.
The most rewarding aspects of working in the HVACR field is being able to solve comfort and efficiency issues for homeowners. I love to look back at a job upon completion and say, “Yeah! We did that!”
As an industry, we should stress the importance of diversity. It provides us with more perspectives, which is an important piece in the strategic planning and success equation.
