Being the only HVAC student who was also female, was a bit daunting to me.
Many of the boys in class thought of themselves as being super macho. I saw a bunch of super jerks who didn’t want me to be their partner on work projects, but didn’t mind asking me out on dates. I asked Pete if he wanted to date all of his HVAC classmates and he frowned as he looked at the guys who were all laughing. He said they were guys and no he didn’t want to date them. I said he should think of me as one of the guys and a potential HVAC technician. By the end of the first month, I was falling behind because no one wanted to work with me. The HVAC instructor started pairing up with me and showing me the ropes. He said he would walk me through the processes and be my HVAC partner since no one else was man enough to do it. I was happy for his assistance, and I was learning more than most of the other students. He not only walked me through the process of inspection, repairs, and replacements, but he showed me how to do certain HVAC repairs that none of the other students were working on yet. He winked one afternoon and asked how I liked being the teachers pet and the top HVAC student in class? I loved working with the HVAC instructor, and it felt marvelous showing up all the guys. He said I reminded him of his daughter when she was in class, and offered me an apprenticeship in his HVAC company after I got my certification.
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