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Getting Started: Pat had spent three years in inside sales for a wholesale HVAC environment, but admits that she was only aware of "the very basics of air conditioning. I knew it was a pleasant thing to have in your home, but I wanted to learn more ... I felt it would help me better understand what I was dealing with on a daily basis." At age 42, she enrolled in the North Harris College HVAC program.
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Education: Pat got her start at North Harris in 1997, and spent the next three years in the college's HVAC program, working full time and attending classes at night. "It's a two-year program, but it took me three years to finish, going part-time at night." In her last year, Pat received one of the first-ever scholarships for the HVAC course - another added incentive to complete her training.
"I was actually the only woman that went through the course at that time - though I think they've had one or two since then. I'd like to see some more women out there," she says.
Pat didn't let the gender imbalance get in her way. "When you need some help you can always ask the instructors," she says. "The faculty was very accessible, very helpful. A lot of the guys in my program were helpful, too."
Greatest Professional Accomplishment: Without question, Pat said, "my biggest accomplishment is getting my certificate from the school."
Not only did her degree from North Harris open up wider salary and work opportunities, Pat believes it has broadened her perspective on the world in which she works. "The course has helped me a lot to understand what I'm dealing with every day, from all sides of the business." She can assist in all areas - from shipping and receiving, issuing purchase orders for our technicians and buying equipment, that type of stuff." These days, when she makes a purchasing decision, Pat has a thorough understanding of the equipment she is dealing with, the needs of her technicians and the company's interests. It's a knowledge she may well put to use in running her own business, somewhere down the road.
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Barriers: Going to night school while working, taking care of a family, and diving headfirst into new, very technical territory was a challenge. Pat says she can relate to the common anxiety about starting back to school after a gap of many years. "The wiring diagrams were something else," she recalls with a laugh. "You need to understand where the wire goes from one component to the other, and how it functions, what it makes the other one do. That required a lot of extra effort on my part."
There were times she says she was tempted to ditch the books and join her family at the barbecue outside, but now that Pat has her degree she admits all those hours were worth it.
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Working with Men: She acknowledges there were a few nay-sayers at the start: "I think sometimes - not all of them - but there were a few guys who thought 'what am I doing here?'" Pat says, "So you do have to prove yourself, just by not dropping out and sticking with it." Over time, they have come to respect the work she does every day. After one year in her current job, Pat says, "most of the guys I work with are great - they're just tickled to death that I'm in the position I am now."
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Advice for Women: "It has to be something that you want to do. Don't just do it for the money. You have to like what you do, whatever it may be. I really do enjoy my job. The course has helped me a lot to understand what I'm dealing with every day, from all sides of the business."
"I think if a woman has some mechanical ability or interest, she can really go far in this field."
"Whatever you choose, you need to enjoy what you do and the money will follow. And be confident in what you're doing."
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Typical Workday/Environment: As warehouse manager, Pat has a hand in all aspects of the company's day-to-day operations. In this role, she has a unique perspective, which she feels the North Harris program has greatly enhanced. "I handle shipping and receiving. I issue the majority of the purchase orders for our technicians, and buying equipment, that type of thing. Sometimes it's drawing up blueprints - where I make up a list of materials and send those out for bids for suppliers that we use."
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Career Ladder: Whether she stays with her current company or decides to open her own operation some day, Pat says, "I definitely have room for advancement." Future positions for Pat might include service manager, office manager. "I don't feel like I'm stuck in what I am doing right now, by any means."
Further on down the road, Pat says, "I'm also going to be taking some computer classes and then actively seeking my air conditioning license for my own business."
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Hobbies: "I spend a lot of time with my husband and family," which includes two kids of her own and one grandbaby - all of whom were especially supportive during her busy night school days, Pat says. "I enjoy photography, going to the movies, and out to dinner, " she says. "Also taking care of my six cats."
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