Cakes to Condensers: Ivy Tech Indy HVAC student switches careers in her 30s

INDIANAPOLIS — During the extreme heat, air conditioning is essential, but have you ever considered the folks that help keep your AC units running?

Now, how many of them do you think are women? The answer is only 2%, but one Ivy Tech student is trying to help change the narrative.

On National HVAC Technician Day, WRTV’s Naja Woods shined the spotlight on one.

Alisyn Caudle is an Ivy Tech student breaking barriers to pursue a new career in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning in her mid-30’s.

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"I'm like, I can do this,” she said proudly as she talked about being able to fix her own HVAC at home.

That wasn’t the case, however, just a few years ago.

"I have a baking degree and pastry degree background and have always been great doing anything in kitchen, but a lot of jobs I didn't really want to do,” Caudle said. "I found myself in a spot where I needed to make more money."

After nearly two decades as a baker, Caudle was searching for a career with more stability.

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She traded the cakes for condensers and got a job in the facility maintenance department at Kroger.

"This job opened up and I was like, 'OK, well we're going to learn a trade,'” she explained. "I found myself not picking up on things or retaining just on job because it was much different than what I was used to."

A passion for learning more pushed Caudle’s drive to enroll in Ivy Tech’s HVAC program part-time, despite juggling a full-time job and a blended family of five kids.

"She's that student that will ask questions. She's that student that will step up because she does have the confidence and says, 'Hey I may not know how but I want to learn,'” Jerry Alderman, the program director for the college’s HVAC Department.

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The practical, hands-on learning environment at Ivy Tech helped Caudle build skills necessary for success in both residential and commercial HVAC.

"We can't run a culture without air conditioning and heat in the winter so it's a must have part to a civilized society,” he explained. "We have a request for 150 jobs, and I only brought in new students in a total of 60."

For Caudle, it’s not only about filling that gap but, also shattering stereotypes in the male dominated field.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics only 2% of workers in the industry are women, a number that’s not stopping the 37-year-old.

"Women can do just as much, once you get your head wrapped around it. It's not hard it's like any other job," said Caudle. “I like being different and giving that shock factor like 'You're working on this?' Yep!”

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Caudle’s confidence to make a change and enter a field where many of her co-workers don’t look like her is something she hopes inspires the next generation of girls, especially the ones in her own home.

"I have one daughter and two bonus daughters, and I want them to grow up to be strong young women. If this is what they want to do then fantastic, I'll help them with wherever they want to go," she said.

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Ivy Tech’s program was a recent recipient of the Lowe’s Foundation Gable Grant that aims to prepare Indiana residents for the booming HVAC industry by providing students with modern equipment, enhanced training programs and expanded learning opportunities.

For more information on the HVAC program, click here .