Working in Juneau

I have been fortunate to have been able to make major occupational changes in my life. Many of these changes occurred out of the necessity to earn a living; providing yourself and family food and shelter are highly motivational factors. My background in Industrial Maintenance led me to the Field Service Technician Position. Employers are often seeking people to travel to exotic locations such as East Chicago or Detroit. If you possess the skill to sleep in a rental car, you may have an edge over the other person competing for your job. When we began researching jobs in Alaska, it became a completely different experience. There are very few manufacturing plants in Alaska. The questions became, how far can my knowledge of mechanical and electrical carry into other totally unknown occupations? We had two very difficult hurdles to overcome: We wanted to live in Juneau and I needed to have a good paying job. Searching for jobs in Alaska is easy, in Juneau their are usually one or two jobs on the internet to apply for. I found the one job I felt I could apply for: Working as a HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning???) technician.  It was perhaps not that I had the best skills for the job, but that I (we) really wanted to move to Juneau. Apparently most people don't, go figure. I have been in the job since May. I service many of the buildings in downtown as they are controlled by our systems. It has not been an easy transition as it often involves working on things I have never seen before in my life. My days are often spent in noisy rooms hidden in rooftops or mezzanines of large buildings behind doors that are stenciled with the words "Mechanical Room Authorized Personnel Only". I am now the "authorized personnel" they speak of. In these rooms reside things called boilers, chillers, huge noisy fans and lots of moving air. What controls these devices is my domain. Hidden in these rooms is a control panel with a computer designed to make all these devices work in harmony to keep people comfortable. When they are not comfortable, my cell phone rings. Every day is usually a new experience and I tuck those away to make future jobs easier. Some days are physical when I am installing wiring or controls. Other days involve work at the laptop trying to figure out why one area control will not talk to another. Why can't we all just get along? Well so much for what I do. We are where we want to be and yes it does rain a little. (posted by Bill)