I'm being possibly offered an opportunity to go to work in this field. (technician, in the field)

I currently work and have worked in cryogenics, for 17 years. It would be a change for me, and I'd have to learn the systems.

I hear this is a huge demand field, and that working conditions are excellent with a positive growth outlook.

I'm happy where I am, but there is more money and security in this, as I hear.

Anyone working in the field have any insight? This isn't Hvac, but industrial refrigeration

That will gets some day 1 rooftop lol's from the reeferTechs...

Do you like the smell of ammonia?

Who does? I like the smell of money, stability and growth. Also high demand.

My friend does it.  Just sits on roofs 7-8 hours every day.

He sends me a lot of snapchats of him driving and sitting on his ass.

Looks like a boring job.

I work with a few guys and they say it depends on the company in our area. Long hot hours on a roof in the desert or tight muggy spaces inside a building. If you can deal with that and the long hours you can make good money from what I hear.

I know a guy that is an owner of a commercial refrigeration company.
It is pretty technical and there is good money to be had.
15 years ago he was working his ass off.
I once spent the biggest part of a Friday night in a storm on a large grocery store roof helping him change out a compressor to a meat cooler.
Today he is a millionaire and has a bunch of guys working their asses off for him.

NH3 or CO2 ??

ETA:

I work for a construction company. We design build large scale refrigeration systems. We also contract out service to our clients. I'm very familiar with the market.

Would you be working for a service company or directly for a facility?

Service can go a lot of different way depending on what you're doing.

If you are working directly for a facility it usually goes one or two ways. You become their maintenance man because the system works and there's not a lot of upkeep required, good luck finding 40 hours worth of service a week. You will also be on call because when it does fail it will be Friday and 11PM. Or you're working at a 20 year old facility that has been neglected since it was built and you have a never ending route and fixing things as they break.

Typically most everything can be done on a computer or with a wrench and most parts (valves, solenoids) aren't hard to replace or heavy. Motors and pumps can be troublesome if they didn't have the foresite to install hoist beams in a crowded machine room. So, most of the work isn't too physically demanding. You will also get to work around hazardous chemicals.

Most industrial refrigeration systems are either cold storage or food processing. You may have to work sub-zero conditions. If you have never been a facility and makes food you are in for an eye-opening experience.

Field service for a company. I'd be on the road some.

I know they do a lot of big systems. Like 2 stage mycom machines and such. Ice rinks, blast freezers.

Cold storage facilities.

I'm hearing that techs are in high demand.  Pay is high and more than I make in cryogenics.

bump for afternoon crew

No need for the night crew.
Look...Commercial refrigeration is a lot like commercial HVAC in working conditions but is a lot more technical.
You have a great opportunity possibly knocking on your financial/professional door.
My suggestion is to go forth and learn the trade and become what is known less and less today as a skilled TRADESMAN that most can't move into and make yourself a very good and prosperous livelihood.

Worked at an ice cream factory as an intern with the maint guys. Ammonia. A dozen huge compressors. -20C storage freezers and instant freeze blast tunnels down to -80C.

In a fire situation the local fire department would have limited response and the maint workers had special training for dealing with ammonia and fires. Apparently they trained the local fire department on it. The ammonia air mixture has to be very precise to cause an explosion. This is so unlikely that they search for ammonia leaks using burning sticks where the smoke changes color when it comes into contact with ammonia gas.

I remember the monthly oil purges of the refrigeration system stinking up the place. One of the maint guys had scars on his face and down one side of his body. Claimed an ammonia valve broke and sprayed him.

I did read some of the manuals on the refrigeration system. Interesting stuff.

While not my job, I am familiar with the basics of cooling systems of data centers and server rooms.

Residential HVAC guy here trying to go commercial right now for this reason. Will interview to join a union in about 2 weeks.

Good commercial HVAC techs are MORE than needed.
Trust me I operate a commercial building and have done a good share of HVAC work as well as electrical work to know that good techs are harder and harder to find.

To wit...There are going to be a lot of millenials  crying out in angst that it's HOT in the office.

I did for 11 yrs..it sucked..going to nasty dirty,loud places in the ghetto sucked..i worked in chicago..so...the work it self isn't bad.the company I worked for did all the ice machines for jewel osco.we also did a lot of huge bakery and manufacturing facilitys.i don't miss it..i do 90% residential had now.when I left the union they were assholes about leaving although I joined the sheet metal union.

I work in a very similar field now.  We just have aot more strict contamination, and insulation needs.

The company I'm looking into does a lot of ice rinks. They also do food facilities.  They are a big outfit.

My pay now is stagnant, and advancement is nil. Just how it is where I work. My field is narrow, but directly related. I love my job and what I do, but they will NOT promote you and our budget has been slashed. We have not seen anything more than a 1.5% raise. Ever. 2 of the last 4 years, zero raise and I took an 850.00 cut this year due to a lost benefit. I get more time off here, however and it's probably more laid back.

I'm 43 and not getting younger. I'm interested in it being an employees market in this field.

They're taking 36 or so bucks an hour to start, possibly paying up to 45 after several years. I'll never see that where I am now, even though it's a lot more technical.

I get the feeling that the job is harder and dirtier than what I do now, but very similar. I work on a lot of similar equipment in cryo, the systems are just colder and must be kept cleaner.

Wife does not want me on the road overnighy all the time. Some or half is OK. All the time, probably not.