"AI Could Never Walk Into Someone's Home": A 23-Year-Old HVAC Tech on Why She Skipped College — and Doesn't Worry About Automation
Baylee Frankovich was about to graduate high school in 2021 with no real career plan when her dad called with a simple offer: if she wanted to join the family HVAC business, now was the time. Four years later, the 23-year-old service technician based in Reno, Nevada makes about $60,000 a year, owns her schedule, and gives the same answer almost everyone in her industry gives when asked about AI: it can't do this job.
Her story, told to Business Insider, is one more data point in a pattern we've been tracking on CraftPATH all year — young people choosing HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and other skilled trades over four-year degrees, and ending up with stable, AI-resistant careers while their college peers struggle to land entry-level white-collar jobs.
Here's what her path looked like, what it costs to follow it, and why the AI question barely registers for technicians on the ground.
A 9-month program, $15,000, and a full-time job on the side
Frankovich enrolled in a 9-month HVAC trade school program. Total cost: roughly $15,000.
For comparison, the average annual published tuition at a four-year private nonprofit university is now north of $43,000 according to the College Board — before room, board, books, or fees. A single year of private college costs nearly 3x what her entire HVAC credential cost.
But the bigger structural advantage was the schedule. Her classes ran from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., which meant she could work two HVAC jobs during the day — one for her family's duct-cleaning business and another for a local HVAC company — while finishing her training at night.
That's the trade school superpower most college students never get:
- Earn while you learn. Apprentices and trade school students typically work paid jobs in their field while training.
- Compressed timeline. Nine months versus four-plus years to a credential that employers actually want.
- No six-figure debt. Average bachelor's degree debt sits around $30,000+; many trade school graduates finish with little or none.
- Real-time application. "I was able to use my hands, look at the systems, and solve problems in real time," Frankovich told Business Insider.
By the time her classmates in four-year programs were starting their sophomore year, she had a credential, two years of paid field experience, and a network.
$35K to $60K in roughly four years — with a clear ceiling above
Frankovich started at $35,000 as a new HVAC technician. Today, four years in, she's at about $60,000 and says, of salary progression in the trade, "the sky is the limit."
That tracks with national data. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, HVAC mechanics and installers had a median annual wage of about $59,810 in 2024, with the top 10% earning more than $89,000. Specialists in commercial refrigeration, controls, or industrial systems regularly clear six figures, and senior service techs in high-cost metros — Bay Area, Seattle, NYC, Boston — can push well past that.
Layer in:
- Overtime in peak season. Frankovich notes she works around 40 hours/week now, but jumps to about 60 hours/week when the busy summer cooling season hits in June. Time-and-a-half on top of an already healthy base adds up fast.
- Company vehicle and gas paid. "I have my own company vehicle, so thankfully, my gas gets paid for." That's a real benefit worth thousands per year, especially as fuel prices fluctuate.
- Path to ownership. HVAC is one of the most common trades for technicians to eventually start their own service company — owner-operators routinely clear $150K–$300K+.
"AI could never walk into someone's home"
Asked about AI taking jobs, Frankovich is direct:
"I know a lot of people have been worried about AI taking their jobs, but this is one job I think AI could never take. AI could never walk into someone's home, look at their air conditioning, and figure out everything that's going on with it."
She's right — and the data backs her up. Anthropic's own research on real-world AI usage found that physical, on-site trades like installation, maintenance, and repair have some of the lowest AI exposure of any occupation cluster, while many software, marketing, and analyst roles have exposure rates above 50%.
Why HVAC service in particular is so hard to automate:
- Every install is different. No two attics, crawl spaces, mechanical rooms, or rooftop units are identical. Diagnosing a system requires walking it, listening to it, smelling it, and feeling vibrations and airflow.
- The customer interaction is the job. Service techs explain options, build trust, and quote work in someone's living room. That's not a chatbot conversation.
- Physical dexterity in tight, dangerous environments. Frankovich notes attics that hit 135°F in summer and roofs baking in UV. Robots can't yet operate reliably in those conditions, and won't soon.
- Code, safety, and liability. Refrigerant handling, electrical work, and gas connections require licensed humans who carry responsibility.
An AI can help a tech prepare — surfacing manuals, troubleshooting trees, and parts lookups. But it can't replace the tech.
Lifestyle: freedom, daylight, and a hard "off" switch
One underrated theme in Frankovich's story is the day-to-day quality of life:
- Two to five service calls a day — variety, not monotony.
- Industrial warehouse one day, residential the next.
- "The freedom to step back for a minute and enjoy the landscape" from a rooftop.
- When she clocks out, she clocks out. No phone ringing at night. Time for dirt biking, fishing, and family.
- Even small perks: stopping at the grocery store on the way home, getting paid while washing the company vehicle.
That's a meaningfully different lifestyle than a junior office worker answering Slack messages until 9 p.m.
Being the only woman in the room
Frankovich is 5'2" and about 100 pounds. She was the only woman in her trade school class. She was honest in the Business Insider piece about the early friction — moments when an instructor talked over her, the physical learning curve of lifting 60-pound compressors, the initial self-doubt about whether she'd be strong enough.
Her takeaways, slightly paraphrased:
- Ask for help when you need it, then build the strength. She started by asking coworkers to lift heavy equipment. Now she lifts those compressors herself.
- Don't let one bad mentor define the field. "I was going to prevail and keep learning."
- Most people are welcoming. "For the most part, everyone I've worked with has been super welcoming."
Women still make up a small minority of HVAC technicians — under 2% nationally — but that's slowly changing, and the labor shortage means employers are actively recruiting. If you're a woman considering the trades, Frankovich's path is proof of concept.
Her #1 piece of advice: network
Her first real service job didn't come from a job board. It came from someone she'd met on a job site while working for her dad. When she applied at his company, that connection got her in the door.
Her advice to anyone trying to break in:
"Network as much as possible. Even if it's just talking to someone at your local Home Depot or joining Facebook groups. Networking can help you make that one connection that gets you a job."
Concrete ways to do this if you're starting from zero:
- Hang around the pro/contractor desk at Home Depot, Lowe's, or your local supply house. Ask questions.
- Join trade-specific Facebook groups, subreddits, and Discord servers (r/HVAC is huge and active).
- Attend a single local trade association meeting — ACCA, RSES, PHCC chapters often welcome students for free.
- Reach out to local HVAC companies and ask if you can ride along for a day. Many will say yes.
- Tell your barber, your dad's friends, your neighbor — everyone — that you're looking. Most trade jobs are filled by referral.
Her second piece of advice: be okay with messing up
"Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Messing up on the job is part of being in the trades. If you show up every day with a positive attitude, that's all you need."
Every senior tech you meet has a story about wiring something backward, miscalibrating a charge, or breaking a fitting their first year. The ones who made it kept showing up. That's the whole game.
What this means for you
If you're a high school student, recent grad, or someone considering a career change, Frankovich's story is a useful reality check on a few popular myths:
| Myth |
Reality |
| "Trades are low-paying." |
$35K → $60K in 4 years, with a clear path to six figures and ownership. |
| "AI will replace blue-collar work too." |
Service trades have some of the lowest AI exposure of any career. |
| "You need a 4-year degree to be respected." |
A 9-month program got her into a stable, well-paid career with company vehicle and benefits. |
| "The trades are unwelcoming to women." |
"Everyone I've worked with has been super welcoming." |
The labor numbers behind her story are stark: the U.S. is short hundreds of thousands of HVAC, electrical, and plumbing workers. Demand is growing as data centers, electrification, heat pumps, and aging infrastructure all hit at once. Boomers are retiring out of the trades faster than Gen Z is coming in.
If you can swing a wrench, read a schematic, and talk to a customer — there is essentially unlimited demand for your time.
Next steps
Curious whether HVAC (or another trade) might be a fit for you? A few free resources on CraftPATH:
Frankovich's story isn't an outlier. It's the new normal — for anyone willing to show up, ask questions, and not be afraid to mess up.
Source: Frankovich, Baylee. "I skipped college for trade school. Now I have a job I love that won't be replaced by AI." As told to Tess Martinelli, Business Insider, April 24, 2026.