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In this conversation, I sit down with Supermarket Refrigeration Technician Jacob Decker to discuss how newer technicians can land opportunities and gain experience faster. Jacob shares how he moved from residential work and tech school into commercial refrigeration and a full time career with Walmart through connections, overcoming fears, learning form mistakes, and how he benefited from mentorship and structured training. We also cover common challenges for new techs, plus practical habits to build that will fast track the learning curve and open up so many opportunities for building your career in the industry.
In this episode, we discuss:
(01:19) Breaking Into Refrigeration
(02:44) First Commercial Job Lessons
(05:42) Biggest Surprises and Challenges Entering Refrigeration
(07:20) Learning from Mistakes
(12:39) Mentorship and Generational Shifts in the Trades
(16:10) Common Pitfalls for New Refrigeration Techs
(18:32) Building ConfideEpisode 186: How To Attract Young People To The Refrigeration Trade (20:40) Checklists
(25:08) Future Refrigeration Tech and CO2
(26:47) Work-Life Balance in Refrigeration
(28:35) Building Better Work Habits
(34:42) Mental Health in the Trades
Helpful Links & Resources:
Episode 85. Generation Z with love2hvac
Episode 186: How To Attract Young People To The Refrigeration Trade With Rusty Walker
Episode 190. Turning Mistakes Into Lessons and Accelerating Your Refrigeration Career with Andrew Freeburg
