Did you know that you have to pass a long exam to become a certified HVAC specialist? A lot of people don’t know that, but it’s true. My friend Dave and I met when we started the HVAC learning program at the junior college. Dave and I became fast friends and we spent a lot of time together. It didn’t take long for Dave and I to start getting into trouble. We went to the bar every afternoon when class was over and we usually stayed there until the last call. We started showing up later and later for class each morning. One time, Dave and I were locked out of class because it was 30 minutes past the start. We missed an entire lecture on gas boilers and commercial applications. On the evening before our big HVAC exam, Dave and I decided to meet a couple of girls at a bar in town. We were planning to stay there for a few hours, but the girls were flirting and the drinks were flowing freely. Dave and I took the girls back to our apartment for additional drinks and snacks from the minibar. When we woke up in the morning, it was an hour past the time when we were supposed to be at the test site. Dave and I missed our first major exam and we couldn’t retake the test until 30 days later. I really learned a valuable lesson during that evening and I never spent another night drinking so late at the bar. Dave and I are still friends, but we don’t hang out at the bar.