“I think majority of people would say that in order to have career growth, you have to move to the city,” Joanna Faulkner says. “Where I had hit a ceiling with a small business in the local area, I have been able to transition and still have career growth.”

Commercial HVAC Career Growth on the South Coast

For Joanna Faulkner, commercial HVAC became the career pathway she did not expect, but exactly the one she needed. After 15 years in locksmithing, she had reached the ceiling of what a small local business could offer. Her move to Climax Airconditioning opened a new industry, new training, larger projects and a clearer pathway forward, all without leaving the Shoalhaven.

For skilled professionals on the South Coast, career growth is often framed as a choice between staying local or moving to the city. Joanna has lived the opposite. Her story shows how transferable skills, trade experience and the right regional employer can create new opportunities close to home.

From Forensic Biology to Locksmithing

Joanna moved to the Shoalhaven in 2008, but her career did not begin in air conditioning. She had completed a forensic biology degree and originally wanted to work in police field services. At the time, forensic biology had become a popular pathway and opportunities were tight.

Rather than wait for one narrow path to open, Joanna changed direction. Her brother was a locksmith, which gave her a practical link into the trade. She completed a pre-apprenticeship through Ultimo TAFE, then relocated from Sydney to the Shoalhaven as an adult apprentice locksmith.

That move came with a lifestyle adjustment. She had been living in Ultimo, in the centre of Sydney. Moving into a regional rhythm meant getting used to a place where not everything was open late at night.

“There is the adjustment there of Sydney lifestyle to the Shoalhaven lifestyle,” she says. “What do you mean, nothing is open at 10 o clock at night? But over the years, you adapt and you get used to it.”

Building Trade and Business Skills

Joanna spent 15 years in locksmithing, moving from apprentice to tradesperson and then into business management. That trade background became one of her strongest assets. She understood the work because she had done it herself.

“Something I think was beneficial was actually being qualified in the trade,” she says. “You have lived that experience. You have been on call, going to the call outs at 1am in the morning, and then dealing with the customers.”

Her science background also stayed with her. The forensic biology degree had given her analytical thinking, report writing, numbers, systems and problem solving. In locksmithing, those skills became useful in master key systems, business processes and the back end of complex keying software.

“Locksmithing is only done through Ultimo TAFE in all of New South Wales,” she says. “And part of locksmithing, a lot of people do not consider is the theory behind master key systems, it is actually maths. It is coding, essentially.”

Moving Into Climax Airconditioning

By the end of her time in locksmithing, Joanna had reached the top of what the small business could offer. She was business manager, but she did not own the business. The pathway ahead had narrowed.

“I felt that I had hit the ceiling of what the small business could offer me,” she says. “I was looking for other opportunities where I could transfer that skill set.”

The move to Climax Airconditioning in March 2023 was a calculated step into a different trade industry. Air conditioning was not locksmithing, but the core business challenges were familiar: scheduling, planning, responsiveness, customers, trades, systems and operational pressure.

Joanna entered Climax as Trade Services Coordinator. It was a step down in title and pay, and she was open about that.

“I was willing to take a pay cut at the time to open up a different avenue.”

Project Management and Commercial HVAC

The decision paid off. Climax quickly saw Joanna’s potential and backed her development. Within eight months, she wanted more challenge, and the business responded by investing in her training.

“They provided that additional training into project management, because I had expressed interest in that, and they backed that and invested in me,” she says. “That has then completely opened up a whole different direction for my career.”

Joanna completed a Certificate IV in Project Management, moved into an Installations Manager role, and now works in a hybrid role across installations and commercial projects. Her projects sit in what Climax calls the small project space, but in commercial terms, those projects are still substantial.

“For Climax, small projects are 500 to 700k a year,” she says. “To be honest, that project value is continually just increasing.”

Her work now includes schools, RFS and SES facilities, high-end homes, architectural builds, Milton Ulladulla Hospital renovation work and the Waminda Birthing on Country project. For Joanna, project management is meaningful because the work stays visible in the community.

“The project management side of it is the impact of seeing infrastructure being built,” she says. “Development happening in your area and knowing I am only a small part of that, but it is all positives for the region.”

Regional Projects with Real Scale

That level of complexity has not been limited by working regionally. Joanna says Climax has grown into a business with the scale, systems and reach to support serious career development on the South Coast.

“Climax are working from Sydney down to Moruya,” she says. “That is the range of our projects.”

The business has also changed rapidly. Around 18 months ago, Joanna says her department was mainly residential. The plan for this financial year was to balance residential work with small commercial projects. Instead, small projects have already grown to around 70 percent of the department.

A Workplace That Backs Growth

That growth sits alongside a culture Joanna describes as friendly, practical and still grounded in family values. Climax began as a small family-operated business and now has around 71 employees, but she says the people focus has stayed.

“To me, the culture here is that friendly environment, but it is very much about giving people the opportunity to extend themselves,” she says. “You are not begging for training.”

She also values the structure around her. Moving from a small business into Climax gave her access to an established leadership team, department managers and HR support. That made a real difference as she stepped into more complex management work.

“The biggest thing for me from small business to here was actually having HR support,” she says. “Managing your people is such a big thing.”

A South Coast Career Without Compromise

For someone in Sydney considering a move to the South Coast, Joanna has a clear message. Regional work does not have to mean smaller ambition.

“There are businesses that are developed and of the size and scale equivalent to the city,” she says. “The same opportunity exists.”

Outside work, the Shoalhaven lifestyle matters too. Joanna likes the short commute, the natural environment, the beaches and bushwalks, and the ability to raise a family somewhere other people choose for holidays.

“People choose to holiday here and it is at our doorstep,” she says.

Joanna did not follow a straight career line. She moved from forensic biology to locksmithing, from trade work to business management, and from locksmithing into commercial project management. The thread through each step has been transferable skills, work ethic and the confidence to move before a pathway runs out.

At Climax Airconditioning, she found a regional business with enough scale to match her ambition. Her story shows that career growth on the South Coast is not a consolation prize. With the right employer, it becomes the next level.

Useful Links for Trade and Project Management Careers

For readers interested in trade and project management pathways, Climax Air provides commercial and residential air conditioning services across Sydney, Nowra and Wollongong. Your Career explains air conditioning and refrigeration mechanic roles, while TAFE NSW provides Certificate III Locksmithing training and TAFE NSW offers Certificate IV Project Management Practice.