Heating & Air Conditioning at Fortis Institute-Cookeville
a smaller institution with 301 students in Cookeville, TN.
Program Analysis
First-year earnings of $37,139 track close to the $36,779 national median for Heating & Air Conditioning programs. This is a middle-of-the-road outcome on salary alone.
Every dollar of tuition returns an estimated 29.2x in decade earnings — an exceptional ratio that places this among the highest-ROI Heating & Air Conditioning programs nationally.
AI disruption models show minimal impact on this program's career paths. The gap between optimistic and pessimistic scenarios is just 9% — this trade's hands-on core resists automation.
At $13,000 in median debt against $37,139 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance quickly — a hallmark of affordable trade programs.
Ranked #156 of 260 Heating & Air Conditioning programs, Fortis Institute-Cookeville falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.
Five-year earnings of $41,984 are relatively flat compared to the $37,139 starting salary — typical of trades with stable but capped salary bands.
Heating & Air Conditioning offers 15 registered apprenticeship pathways — an unusually broad set of earn-while-you-learn alternatives to the classroom track.
Earnings Overview
Projected 10-Year Earnings
Based on actual graduate salary data and Bureau of Labor Statistics growth projections.
Top Career Paths
Top career paths for Heating & Air Conditioning graduates by median salary.
| Career Path | Median Salary | Growth | AI-ProofAI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers | $59,810 | +8.1% | 89% |
About Heating & Air Conditioning Careers
Your career in HVACR begins with your hands on the tools. As an apprentice, you’ll work alongside a senior technician, learning to use pressure gauges on a residential AC unit or a multimeter to diagnose a faulty furnace circuit board in a chilly basement. Soon, you'll be driving the service van, independently tackling everything from routine maintenance to emergency repairs on commercial rooftops. This is skilled, physical work that requires you to be on-site—it can’t be automated or outsourced.