This isn't a degree.
It's a paycheck.

Yes. The foundational track assumes zero prior knowledge. Module 1 starts with how a refrigerator works — the same physics every HVAC system runs on — and builds from there. About a third of the people we’re building this for have never picked up a multimeter before they start.

A certificate from us doesn’t guarantee you a job — nobody’s certificate does, and anyone who says otherwise is lying to you. Finishing the certification track means you’ll have your EPA 608, real diagnostic skills, a portfolio of documented lab work, and a community of working techs who hire helpers and apprentices. We’ve built the program to make you the easiest hire on a service manager’s desk. The rest is on you.

The EPA 608 prep we include is the same exam material every HVAC tech in America takes — we prepare you to sit for it; the EPA issues the certification, not us. State licensing varies by state and we cannot speak for every state’s specific requirements. Most states require a combination of training hours, on-the-job experience, and an exam. Our training counts toward the training-hours portion in most states. Check your state’s specific requirements before enrolling if licensing is your end goal.

Self-paced. Most students who treat it like a part-time job (8-10 hours a week) finish foundational in 8-12 weeks and certification in 6-9 months. Sprint students who go full-time finish in half that. Slower students take 12-18 months and that’s fine — the course doesn’t expire.

For most of the foundational track, no. By module 6 you’ll want a basic multimeter (~$30) and a thermometer (~$20). For the certification track’s lab challenges, you’ll need a starter HVAC tool kit (~$300-$400). We send a tool checklist with direct links once you enroll so you don’t waste money on the wrong gear.

Reach out and tell us where you’re at. We work with people on payment schedules and we’d rather have you in the program on a plan that fits your situation than priced out entirely. Bring it up when you request details — we’ll walk you through what’s possible.

30-day money-back guarantee on the foundational tier, no questions asked. The certification and cohort tiers have specific guarantee terms detailed at checkout — read them before you enroll.

Foundational and certification tiers are self-paced video, with community office hours every two weeks where you can show up and ask a working tech anything. The cohort tier (launching late 2026) includes weekly live sessions with the veteran lead instructor.

Those are good products. They focus heavily on content. We focus on community, lab work, and getting you ready to actually walk onto a job site without freezing up. Different approach for different students. If you want pure self-study video, theirs is fine. If you want techs around you while you learn, ours is built for that.

Foundational covers residential and light commercial. Certification adds commercial and introduces refrigeration. Industrial-grade and deep geothermal are not covered in v1 — they’re field-learned specialties for techs who already have base skills.

Tru Tradesman’s Institute is launching with HVAC and rolling out five more career tracks across 2026 and 2027: Electrical (NCCER Level 1, OSHA-10, NEC code exposure), Plumbing (NCCER Plumbing Level 1, OSHA-10, plumbing code fundamentals), Culinary (ServSafe Food Handler and Manager), Music Production (digital production, audio engineering, podcast production), and Media + Web Design (digital branding, web design, podcast producer certs). Same approach across all five: working professionals teaching the actual work, real certifications you can put on a resume, and lab work over theory dumps. Each track has its own waitlist — joining one doesn’t affect your HVAC training.