Bad economy leads to new careers

PHOENIX -- The downturn in the economy has a lot of people headed back to school -- and not to Arizona State University or Maricopa County community colleges.

When construction work dried up, Mark Manson started looking around.

"I started doing some research and found that the one thing I was lacking was extensive experience and certification in refrigeration," said Manson.

So, he ended up at Refrigeration School Inc., where he spent the summer outside in triple-digit heat, learning how to fix air conditioners, big and small.

"Basic fundamentals of air conditioning, residential and commercial wiring," Manson said he learned.

Shelley Short with the Refrigeration School said the school is getting a lot of former construction workers and real estate agents. Enrollment has jumped more than 15 percent in the past year.

"A lot of people are just finding themselves either out of work or not having enough to support themselves and their families," she said. "So they've been coming to the refrigeration school because they see an opportunity... They're looking for more stability, they're looking for more opportunity.."

The eight-month course cost Mark about $12,000. When he lands his first job, he hopes to make at least $25 an hour, although the starting pay for an air conditioning technician is about $14 an hour.

Manson is confident his schooling will pay off.

"I think in the long run it will. I think it's a great asset for me to have to add to my portfolio."

He hopes to land a job "with a refrigeration company that specializes in commercial, light industrial refrigeration."

Speaking of school and salaries, the new list of college degrees that pay the most has been released. At the top is aerospace engineering, where starting pay is just under $60,000 a year. That's followed by chemical, computer and electrical engineering. Economics majors can make good money, too, according to the Payscale College Salary Report.