Getting Started in HVAC
For Jaime Navarro, getting into HVAC wasn’t ever something on her radar. It started with a simple decision to try something new.
Based in Maui, Hawaii, Jaime works as a service technician for Sturdevant Air Conditioning, an employee-owned company on the island where she recently celebrated five years with the team.
Before entering the trades, she spent years working in the hospitality industry as a waitress in local hotels. Like many people in Maui, tourism had always been a big part of her career path. But around the age of 45, Jaime began thinking about making a change.
“I was waiting tables and thinking… I don’t want to still be doing this when I’m 50.”
Around that same time, she came across a post on Facebook advertising a free EPA certification course offered through a local college. She didn’t know much about HVAC, but the opportunity felt worth exploring.
“If it’s free and I can get in, I’ll check it out,” she said.
That decision ended up opening the door to an entirely new career, one that would take shape during an unexpected time that changed the world.
A Career Change During the Pandemic
Jaime began the EPA course in January of 2020. A few months later, the pandemic shut down Maui’s tourism industry, and hotels across the island laid off workers.
Fortunately, Jaime had already completed her EPA certification before the class was canceled.
With the hospitality industry on pause, she started sending out resumes to HVAC companies since they were all still operating.
Her first role was working in the warehouse for a local HVAC company, which turned out to be a great place to start learning the trade.
“I didn’t know anything at first,” Jaime says. “Working in the warehouse helped me learn what a line set was, what a contactor was, just learning the parts and components.”
From there she moved into installs as a helper, gaining hands-on experience before eventually transitioning into service.
Today, service work is where she thrives. “I absolutely love it,” she says.
Like many technicians, the next phase of her journey would involve learning the trade the way it often happens in HVAC: on the job.
Learning the Trade on the Job
Like many technicians, Jaime’s HVAC education has largely come from real-world experience.
She credits her service manager with helping her build her skills, often walking her through troubleshooting questions over the phone after hours.
“Late nights on the phone with the service manager and a lot of YouTube,” she laughs.
One of her most memorable moments early on was her first solo maintenance call.
She remembers taking apart a mini-split unit by herself for the first time while the homeowners watched closely.
“I was nervous. Sweating,” she says. “I just remember sweat rolling down my back while I was trying to figure out every screw and tab.”
It’s the kind of moment every technician experiences at some point, that first job where you realize you’re on your own, and the best way forward is simply to dive in and figure it out.
That early trial-by-fire experience quickly became the foundation for the technician she is today.
A Day in the Life on Maui
Jaime’s workday starts early.
Most mornings begin around 4:10 a.m., starting with walking her dog, packing breakfast and lunch, and making the 45-minute drive to the shop. From there, her day can include maintenance calls, repairs, or diagnostics anywhere across the island.
Occasionally her work even takes her to the nearby island of Lanai, where she performs service and maintenance work for customers there.
Working HVAC in Hawaii also comes with unique challenges. With high humidity and air conditioners running year-round, condensate systems often develop slime buildup.
“We have such a problem with slime here,” Jaime says. “People run their AC all year.”
Regular maintenance is essential, and she says products like Viper coil cleaners and Pan and Drain treatment are a routine part of the job.
“I spray it in the drain pan and pour it down the P-trap,” she explains.
And when it comes to coil cleaning, there’s one part she especially enjoys. “I love watching the foam lift the dirt out of a dirty coil,” she says. “It’s so satisfying.”
While the job keeps her busy across the island, it’s not the only place Jaime has found a community in the HVAC world.
HVAC Mom on TikTok
Outside of work, Jaime has also built a following on TikTok under the name HVAC Mom, where she shares clips of daily life in the trade.
The idea started when someone suggested that her story, a woman making a career change into HVAC, might inspire others.
At first, it was just a fun hobby. “I enjoy learning how to make the videos and edit them,” she says. “It’s kind of become my creative outlet.”
The platform has also connected her with a supportive community of women in the trades. Living on Maui, she only knows of a couple other female HVAC technicians on the island, so that online network has become especially meaningful.
“There’s a group chat with other women techs, and we all support each other,” she says.
She also notes that the broader HVAC community on TikTok has been overwhelmingly supportive, including many men in the industry who encourage and help one another.
But behind the social media presence is something even more important, her role at home as a mom.
Balancing HVAC and Mom Life
Jaime is also the mom of two sons, and the timing of her career change worked out well since they were already teenagers when she entered the trade.
Even better, they never questioned her new path. “They thought it was totally normal,” she says. “I’ve always been fixing things around the house.”
These days, balancing work and family means taking phone calls from her kids between service calls, sending the occasional Venmo, and sharing the mechanical knowledge she’s picked up along the way.
That balance between family and work has also shaped the way she supports the people around her on the job.
From Student to Mentor
Another sign of how far she’s come in just a few years is the role she now plays within her company. Several younger technicians regularly call Jaime when they need help troubleshooting a problem.
“They’re young enough to be my sons,” she says. “They call me before they call the service manager.”
It’s a full-circle moment for someone who once relied heavily on others to help guide her through those early learning experiences.
Advice for Women Entering the Trades
For women considering HVAC, Jaime says the biggest thing to remember is that learning the trade takes time.
“There will be days where you think, ‘What am I doing?’” she says. “But that happens to everyone.”
She also points out that mistakes sometimes get judged differently when you’re a woman in the field, but that shouldn’t discourage anyone from pursuing the career.
Overall, her experience has been overwhelmingly positive, with supportive coworkers, customers, and mentors.
And one lesson she’s learned is that HVAC is a career built on constant growth. “You’re never done learning in this trade,” she says. “There’s always something new.”
For Jaime, the path into HVAC may have started unexpectedly, but it’s become something she truly enjoys. Between serving customers across Maui, mentoring younger technicians, and sharing her journey online as HVAC Mom, she’s proof that it’s never too late to try something new and that sometimes the best careers are the ones you never saw coming.
Be sure to follow Jaime on TikTok @hvacmom