Returning to HVAC trade after 8 years.

I'm feeling a little weird about this. I went to a vocational school for HVAC back in 2017 and finished in 2018. I got all of my certifications for an entry-level technician (carbon monoxide, EPA 608, light electrical, etc.) and entered the field for about 5 months from may of 2018 to October of 2018. I loved my time in the field and have very fond memories of my time working in residential. Problem was, I was having a difficult home life and was only getting paid $9.50 an hour at that job (which a lot of the guys in my class at the time told me was bs since I was a fast learner in the course). It came to a head when I found out my boss's son at the time didn't get the same training nor the same certifications as me, yet got paid more than me (even when I was driving my own van). There were some other things wrong with this business too, such as keeping charged units in "storage" (essentially a junk yard), only checking the suction line when diagnosing a unit and determining charge (even on txv units), not weighing refrigerant that was filled into the unit, etc.

Anyway, I left that job and decided to focus on finishing up my certifications. I had a few interviews fall through since I was still a green technician at the time and was feeling defeated. That's when I decided to join the Air Force. I did that, was in for four years and got medically discharged. I worked finance all those years and learned how to handle angry customers and diagnose pay issues (so not completely non-transferable skills).

The year is now 2023 and I decided to give college a try since it would be free for me to go with my VR&E. I managed to finish up my general education, but really do not enjoy my major. I have ultimately decided to withdraw from my major to return to my old trade. I remember a lot of things, such as superheat and subcooling, how to change capacitors, diagnosing fan motors, but haven't had any experience working with heating or cut my teeth on soldering as much as I want to.

I finished vocational school at 19 and am now 26 (going on 27) and wanting to return to the field. My certifications are still current (as in they have not expired, I checked them on the EPA website), but I am worried at still being green. I really miss working with HVAC and am eager to learn, I just feel weird having such a long pause in this work and need some encouragement.