Want a cool, recession-proof career? Then take classes at a refrigeration school to become a licensed mechanic or technician. Learn how to install, maintain, and repair a variety of residential, commercial, and industrial refrigeration systems by taking a series of classes to earn your licensure as a certified refrigeration technician.
 
Refrigeration mechanics often receive additional certification in HVAC-heating, cooling, ventilation, and air conditioning-because many of the techniques for installing and maintaining devices like motors, pumps, fans, ducts, compressors, and pipes are similar. However, one usually specializes in one area, like refrigeration, and further specializes in installation or maintenance.
 
A good deal of the training necessary to become a licensed refrigeration mechanic occurs on the job as an apprentice, working under a skilled technician. The rest is learned through classroom instruction. You can enroll in refrigeration classes at a local community college or career institute; vocational high schools might also offer a program in refrigeration. Programs vary in length, but a person can become certified in one or all of the HVAC and refrigeration specialties in anywhere from six months to two years. Programs usually offer some type of job assistance after graduation, enabling you to put those newfound skills to work right away.
 
Be Cool in Refrigeration School
A refrigeration technician program offers a rigorous curriculum that enables students to become adept with the numerous tools needed for installation and repair. Individuals will learn how to read and follow construction blueprints and design specifications so that refrigeration units are installed properly and are easily accessible for future maintenance. In a refrigeration mechanic program, you will learn to install various elements and devices such as compressors, condensing units, evaporators, pipes, ducts, and refrigerant lines. If not installed properly, refrigerant gases can leak and become harmful to the environment, which is why refrigerator mechanics must have both classroom instruction and on-the-job experience before receiving their licensure.
 
Those who wish to become refrigerator technicians will benefit from having good math and reading comprehension skills, because reading blueprints and builder's specifications requires these skills. A good deal of common sense is also necessary in order to stay safe on the job site, which can be a hazardous place to be.
 
Becoming a refrigerator technician is a wise choice in a rough economy because refrigeration is a necessary part of many industries, including the culinary and medical fields. Though these two industries seem an unlikely pair, they both require top-notch refrigeration devices to be working on a daily basis. A restaurant needs to keep perishable food refrigerated at a cold temperature, while a hospital or doctor's office must keep certain vital medication at cool temperatures for the treatment of patients.
 
Even after completing a licensure program in refrigeration mechanics, it is important for an individual to commit to continuing education classes throughout his or her career in order to stay abreast of new devices, techniques, and other advances made in refrigeration. The more opportunities for continued learning that a refrigeration technician takes, the greater the chance that he or she will remain gainfully employed throughout any type of economy.