Hi all and greetings from Australia.

I am a 32 year Refrigeration Mechanic who has moved his way up from being on the tools to a Supervisor and now a Service Manager of a medium size HVAC-R national company. I absolutely love this trade, well who wouldn't when you are a 3rd generation Refrigeration Mechanic!

I have joined your site not only to meet fellow fridgie's and make some new friends hopefully but also to share in my experiences and possibly gain some sound advise.

I originally worked in the supermarket game, touched base with a small amount of domestic and marine applications and now I am heavily involved in HVAC industry. As mentioned I am currently a Service Manager which does not really cut the mustard for me as I am more technically inclined than managing P&L's, contracts and technicians.

Over the last 5 odd years I have wanted to further my education but unfortunately in Australia not much is on offer and I am not sure what to do. Is there anyone out there who may be able to give me some advise as to the next step, is it Mechanical Engineering I need do or an advanced Diploma in Refrigeration (looking at the modules it is all very standard)? I reside in Victoria which I find does not have allot on offer in this field.

What I would truly love to do is a Refrigeration Degree if possible but have not found one in this country. Myself my Wife and my 3 kids would love to move to the U.S (we have discussed this often) as there seems to be so much more on offer there but once again I don't know what is the right direction is that I should head towards. Are there degrees solely for this trade in the U.S or through ASHRAE or am limited to what is on offer in Australia?

If anyone can advise me as to where I should start it would be greatly appreciated as I am at a stale mate and wish to become a Refrigeration Engineer to better myself and give something back to this fantastic trade.

I thank anyone who has taken the time to read through this essay and wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Kind regards,

Super Fridgie. (AKA - Ash)