Maintains the giant cooling machines that air-condition skyscrapers, hospitals, and data centers.
You tear down a compressor the size of a car in a hospital basement, analyze its oil, and rebuild it overnight so the operating rooms stay cool.
Specialists on giant chillers are among the best-paid HVAC techs.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Apprenticeship, about 8 years after high school. Union or employer apprenticeship plus years on large commercial systems.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, Trade school. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: HVAC Technology, Refrigeration Apprenticeship.
Growing much faster than average (about 8% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. Building analytics flag chiller problems early, but rebuilding compressors and fixing huge machines on-site is skilled handwork.
Classes: Physics, Chemistry, Algebra II, HVAC CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 49-9021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.