(RED OAK, Texas) – Texas State Technical College often educates multiple generations at once. At the North Texas campus, Ethan Forner and his father, Brent Ross, are learning HVAC side by side.
“I never thought that I’d be going to class with my dad. It’s pretty cool,” Forner said.
One of Forner’s former high school teachers recommended TSTC after his plans to become a firefighter fell through.
“I came up here and toured the HVAC program and I really liked it,” the Ennis native said.
Ross graduated from TSTC’s Waco campus in 1993 with an associate degree in Occupational Safety Compliance (now Occupational Safety and Environmental Compliance). Though it provided a successful career and even helped him open his own business, Ross decided he wanted to try something new and joined Forner in the HVAC program.
“I actually took the tour with him and I loved the lab,” Ross said. “I said, ‘I want to learn how to do this.’”
Both Forner and Ross said they enjoy the program and look forward to learning new things each day. Forner himself said he finds his classes easy so far.
“You go at your own steady pace, which I like, and if you need help, the teachers come over and help you,” Forner said. “We haven’t been in school for very long, but it’s pretty cool that you can learn something so quickly and so easily.”
Forner is studying for his Associate of Applied Science degree and Ross is aiming for a certificate of completion. In the future, they plan to start a new business together with Forner taking over fully after Ross retires.
“I know we’ve got to work for somebody for three years, but as I phase out of the safety world over the next five years, then hopefully we’ll be prepared to open a business in HVAC,” Ross said.
According to onetonline.org, heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn a median annual salary of $54,050 in Texas, where the number of these jobs was projected to grow 17% between 2022 and 2032.
The HVAC program is available at TSTC’s Abilene, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, North Texas, Waco and Williamson County campuses. The program offers an associate degree and three certificates of completion.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.