(HUTTO, Texas) – Robert Ortiz’s life changed from night to day when he graduated from Texas State Technical College’s HVAC Technology program.
Ortiz graduated from TSTC’s Williamson County campus with an Associate of Applied Science degree in HVAC Technology in December 2023. In only 15 months he has found a career with industrial automation company Siemens.
“This position as an automation specialist is my dream job,” Ortiz said. “I make more than I did before in supermarket refrigeration, and I’m part of a team that is automating Waterline in downtown Austin. It’s going to be the tallest skyscraper in Texas, which is pretty cool.”
Ortiz said he wants to spend the next five years learning as much as he can in his current role at Siemens.
“I’m still learning; I haven’t stopped,” he said. “I credit the instructors (at TSTC). They molded me.”
Jayme Palady, an HVAC Technology instructor at TSTC’s Williamson County campus, said Ortiz occasionally comes back to campus to visit.
“When Bobby comes in, he’ll ask us if we’ve seen something he’s seeing in the field,” Palady said. “What he’s doing right now is new to us too. It’s great having that connection with him.”
Brett Wimsatt, a current TSTC student, had a chance to chat with Ortiz during his most recent campus visit and get some advice from him.
“Changing fields is a little scary,” Wimsatt said. “I have a wife and kids. I need pay and benefits. Robert shared the path he took to get started, and it was reinforcing my choices. He explained how broad my career options are with this program and gave me ideas I didn’t consider before.”
Ortiz said he loves TSTC and what it did for his life, especially his ability to spend more time with his family.
“I worked at the airport before I found the HVAC program,” Ortiz said. “I was working 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. and never saw my family. Now I make great pay, I see my son leave for school in the morning, and I’m home for dinner most nights.”
In Texas, heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn an average annual salary of $50,190, according to onetonline.org, which forecast the number of such positions to grow 21% in the state from 2020 to 2030.
TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and certificates of completion in HVAC Technology at its Abilene (beginning fall 2025), Fort Bend County, Harlingen, North Texas, Waco and Williamson County campuses. HVAC Technology is one of TSTC’s performance-based education programs in which students can move through their training at a flexible pace.
Registration for summer and fall semesters begins March 24.
To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.
