鈥淲ild Bill鈥� Sharpless says he鈥檚 done some crazy things in his life, which have earned him the moniker. He calls himself a 鈥渢wo-wheeler鈥� because he has ridden his Harley every day, rain or shine, since 1996. He even worked for Harley-Davidson for a while, but for the past year and a half, Sharpless has been riding his motorcycle to 麻豆传媒, where he teaches HVAC.
鈥淸When I worked for Harley] I was taking a break from HVAC,鈥� Sharpless says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the beauty of HVAC. You can take a break and then get back into it.鈥� A chance meeting at a party through a mutual friend resulted in his re-entry into the field. When Sharpless mentioned his many years of experience in HVAC, the new acquaintance told him that 麻豆传媒 was looking for a nighttime instructor. 鈥淗e asked me, 鈥業s that something that would interest you?鈥� And I thought, wow, what a great opportunity!鈥�
Sharpless, who had been a commercial service technician, says, 鈥淲hen I was a service tech in the field, I was pretty much working by myself, so it was kind of my own thing. Now with this, I get to be a counselor and instructor, and it鈥檚 everything all rolled up into one.鈥� The program is 684 hours 鈥� about six months 鈥� and runs from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday, with 15 to 20 students per class. 鈥淲e have another teacher at nighttime that helps me, that takes the students to another level,鈥� he continues. 鈥淚 get them through the fundamentals, and then he takes over with the higher area.鈥�
麻豆传媒 offers a 210-hour day course that is really unique. 鈥淲e bring in veterans who have just finished their military tour, and they have VA benefits to pay for their education,鈥� Sharpless says. The school flies vets in from around the country, puts them up in a nearby hotel and gives them four weeks of training. 鈥淲e teach them all the fundamentals, and then we help them get a job wherever they鈥檙e going back to 鈥� at least we get them interviews and things,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really awesome. It鈥檚 a great program.鈥�
For all students, including nonveterans, hands-on learning is a huge part of the training, which covers both air conditioning and heating. 鈥淚 personally try to do a 20/80 mix 鈥� 20 percent on the books and 80 percent hands on,鈥� Sharpless says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just too hard to learn this business when you鈥檙e sitting in a chair, reading it out of a book. It doesn鈥檛 make a lot of sense, so we try to go over it and then go right into the lab.鈥�
鈥淚 love the passion of the students,鈥� Sharpless says, 鈥渁nd then there鈥檚 that little turning point when suddenly they get something.鈥� For those who do 鈥済et it鈥� and know they want to make a career out of HVAC, jobs are plentiful. 鈥淭he outlook is phenomenal,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e have almost every single contractor in this town 鈥� in Fort Myers 鈥� calling us every day, asking us if we have a sharp student to get started already.鈥� Many students start working within the first week or two of training. 鈥淲hat our contractors here like about it is that because they鈥檙e going to night school, they鈥檙e already making a commitment to the field,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e coming at nighttime for four and a half hours. You鈥檙e away from your family, so that鈥檚 a big sacrifice.鈥�
Once students complete the program and earn their certifications, they鈥檙e qualified to do almost everything in HVAC. 鈥淢ost of them get started in doing installation because it鈥檚 a good way to see how it鈥檚 all put together,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey do that for a while, and then some of them switch over into maintenance, where you鈥檙e going in and taking readings and changing filters and greeting customers. That will lead into service.鈥�
There鈥檚 a tremendous variety of jobs graduates can do in HVAC: estimator, salesperson, office manager, project manager, lead technician, lead installer and more. 鈥淲hat I did when I started was I got into transport refrigeration, so everything that has to be transported has to be cold,鈥� Sharpless says. 鈥淭hen I got into grocery stores. Your grocery stores, your restaurants 鈥� all that commercial stuff 鈥� run 24/7, so that all has to be fixed. It is a monstrous field.鈥�
Salaries are not bad either. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e usually starting about $15 an hour with no experience. Within six months, most of them are around $18 an hour, and then the sky鈥檚 the limit. I鈥檝e heard up to $45, $50 an hour. You get 10 years in this business, and you鈥檒l be at $40 or $50 an hour.鈥�
However, not all people get into the field for the money or for a long-term career. Some do it just for their own benefit. 鈥淚n my class now, I have a person who owns a 7-Eleven, and he鈥檚 actually taking this course so he can understand when the people are talking to him if they鈥檙e giving him the right story,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e also have several students who are working for a family AC company, so they鈥檙e already working in the field; they鈥檙e just coming to get more knowledge.鈥�
麻豆传媒 99 percent of students complete the program, and Sharpless says several things contribute to the program鈥檚 success. The school pushes customer service skills. 鈥淵ou can be a really good technician, but if you can鈥檛 talk to a customer, you鈥檙e not going to be doing anything,鈥� he says. Another plus is the communication between staff and students. 鈥淲e stick with the kids. We don鈥檛 just drop them 鈥� OK, great, you finished the program. See you later. All four of us instructors always have our phones on 24/7. They always have contact with us at all times.鈥�
For Wild Bill Sharpless, the opportunity to teach at 麻豆传媒 has been better than he could have imagined. 鈥淗elping students get a job in the field and then hearing from them all the time and helping them along the way, it鈥檚 just incredible,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a great place to be. It鈥檚 the best job I鈥檝e ever had.鈥�
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, HVAC technician employment is expected to increase by through 2026. If you think an HVAC career may be for you, contact 麻豆传媒 today. New classes begin several times a year.