Compare A HVAC Technician ↔ B Facilities Maintenance Supervisor
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3 moves · +$19,000 a year, Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
Gates on this route
- Move 1, to Solar Thermal Installer: license depends on the work (Texas: piping that supplies or circulates a building's water is plumbing under Occ. Code 1301.002(7) and needs a TSBPE license; TSBPE pages read do not name solar water heating).
- Move 2, to Solar Energy Installation Manager: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
- Move 3, to Facilities Maintenance Supervisor: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
Move 1 Transfer move to the side
HVAC Technician to Solar Thermal Installer +$2,080 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians as a related occupation (Primary-Long); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.86.
- Gates: license depends on the work (Texas: piping that supplies or circulates a building's water is plumbing under Occ. Code 1301.002(7) and needs a TSBPE license; TSBPE pages read do not name solar water heating).
- Skills to build: Installation
Move 2 Transfer move to the side
Solar Thermal Installer to Solar Energy Installation Manager +$14,680 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists Solar Energy Installation Managers as a related occupation (Primary-Short); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.72.
- Gates checked: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
- Skills to build: Management of Personnel Resources, Coordination, Persuasion
Move 3 Transfer move to the side
Solar Energy Installation Manager to Facilities Maintenance Supervisor +$2,240 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers as a related occupation (Primary-Long); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.80 (O*NET related occupation beyond the 6 drawn laterals).
- Gates checked: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
Side by side
All First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers: Texas median $76,760, $19,000 more a year than all Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers ($57,760), every experience level.
Facilities Maintenance Supervisor: 53% work more than 40 hours a week, about 3.2 times the share for HVAC Technician (17%).
This level's pay
A No headline record for this level
B $25.74 to $30.50/h City of Austin (incl. Austin Energy) pay range, 2025
No published schedule lists both jobs, so no level-specific difference is shown.
Occupation-wide pay all experience levels, not this level's pay; Texas median, base pay, $0 to $300k
Gates on the route: Solar Thermal Installer: license depends on the work (Texas: piping that supplies or circulates a building's water is plumbing under Occ. Code 1301.002(7) and needs a TSBPE license; TSBPE pages read do not name solar water heating).
Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation
A +13.0% Texas, 3,350 openings a year
B +11.2% Texas, 6,510 openings a year
Over 40 h a week
Physical load our index from O*NET, 1 to 5; A B; largest differences first
3.2 / 5-0.52.6 / 5
- Protective gear-1.29Protective gear: A 3.2, B 1.91
- Keeping balance-1.24Keeping balance: A 2.81, B 1.57
- Climbing ladders-1.15Climbing ladders: A 2.87, B 1.72
- Outdoors, all weather-1.01Outdoors, all weather: A 4.27, B 3.26
- High places-0.95High places: A 3.38, B 2.43
Degree
A Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 0% do).
B Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 10% do).
License
A Texas: TDLR A/C Technician registration ($20, age 16+) to work under a licensed A/C contractor; contractor license after 48 months. Federal EPA 608 certification to handle refrigerant.
B No Texas license for in-house maintenance: electrician (1305.003(a)(8)) and plumbing (1301.053(a)(1)) laws exempt maintenance staff who do not work for the public. Refrigerant work needs EPA 608.
Experience
A Most common related work experience: over 4 years, up to and including 6 years (O*NET: 39%).
B Most common related work experience: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (O*NET: 41%).
Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5
You likely have: 6
- Critical Thinking
- Operations Monitoring
- Active Learning
- Systems Analysis
- Complex Problem Solving
- Social Perceptiveness
To build: 6
- Management of Personnel Resources +1.26
- Monitoring +1.00
- Negotiation +1.00
- Coordination +0.75
- Speaking +0.75
- Time Management +0.75
Make this your goal
Save HVAC Technician to Facilities Maintenance Supervisor as your goal. Each step then shows the hours you have logged toward it, your exam practice and your license, with the one thing to do next and the 6 skills to build as a checklist. Free with an account.
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