Tacoma Grad Trades Healthcare Career for a Future in HVAC

Franshea Hamm had built her life around taking care of other people.

She worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), cared for elderly patients, served as a driver transporting children to and from school, and balanced the responsibilities of being both a single mother and a foster parent. The work was always meaningful, but after years of caregiving, she desired a new direction.

“I just figured I needed a new trade,” Franshea said. “I wanted something completely different from what I’ve been doing.”

This journey led her to UEI College in Tacoma, where she chose to trade caregiving for compressors, furnaces, refrigerants, and the hands-on challenges that come with the HVAC field. What started as a leap into the unfamiliar quickly turned into a source of newfound confidence and ambition.

After graduating from the program this spring, Franshea is working to break into the male-dominated field while dreaming about one day opening her own HVAC company run entirely by women.

From Healthcare to Hands-On Technologies

Franshea became a CNA at 18, following in the footsteps of her mom who also worked in the medical field. Despite enjoying helping people, whether through in-home care or driving students to school, she still found herself wanting to try something new.

At one point, she considered going into real estate, then criminal justice. But neither felt like the right fit for her life at the time, especially while raising children. Then she came across UEI College’s HVAC program, and she was hooked.

“I like fixing and rebuilding stuff, and I was ready to do something a little more challenging,” she said. “[The school] was close to where I lived and where my kids’ daycare was, so I went in, looked at the programs, and decided I was going to go for it.”

Though she had taken auto mechanics classes in high school, HVAC felt different. It combined hands-on problem-solving with technical work, and it offered the kind of challenge she was looking for.

“I don’t really like doing easy stuff,” Franshea said. “And not too many women think about doing HVAC, and I liked that.”

The transition, however, wasn’t always easy. While she was attending school, Franshea was still working, managing family responsibilities, and navigating the realities of foster parenting.

“It was tough,” she said. “I was dealing with school, work, foster care, and somebody new coming into my home. But sometimes you’ve just got to see it through.”

Once classes at UEI began, Franshea quickly found herself drawn to the hands-on side of the HVAC program. She enjoyed rebuilding furnaces, working with refrigerants, fabricating metal, and troubleshooting systems.

More importantly, she appreciated instructors who treated students like future professionals rather than simply people who were there to complete assignments.

“[Instructor] Ken March always made sure everybody knew the basics,” she said. “And Ani was really hands-on. He taught us communication skills, customer service … even what it takes to start your own business.”

The combination of technical training and real-world preparation left a strong impression on her.

“I’m happy I got in there and learned all that stuff,” Franshea said. “Now I just need to get out in the field.”

Breaking into the Field with Confidence

Breaking into the HVAC field, however, has come with some challenges. Franshea said that as she’s applied for positions and apprenticeships after graduation, she’s become increasingly aware of how few women in her area currently work in the trade.

“I ran into another female HVAC tech at the store one day,” she said. “I asked her how many women worked at her company, and she said two. I was like, ‘Bruh, hire me!’”

Franshea said she isn’t letting this discrepancy hold her down, though. In fact, it only strengthens her motivation to shine in the field.

“Honestly, I want to be one of the best HVAC technicians I can be as a female,” Franshea said. “And one day, I want to own a female HVAC company.”

For Franshea, that dream isn’t only about business ownership. It’s about creating more opportunities for women entering the field.

Regardless of gender, however, Franshea feels HVAC is a field more people should consider, especially if they’re currently struggling to find happiness and stability on their current paths.

“It’s easy as long as you put your mind to it,” she said. “You can make it, especially for females. It’s not as hard as people think.”