Meet Ryan Carda – Geothermal Instructor Spotlight

Behind every HeatSpring course is an expert instructor—a seasoned professional who brings not just knowledge, but passion, real-world experience, and a commitment to helping others grow. While thousands of students benefit from their expertise through our online courses, the remote nature of digital learning means many never get to know the amazing human beings behind the content.

That’s why we launched our Instructor Spotlight series. In these articles, you’ll meet the folks who make HeatSpring’s learning community so special while helping build the future of the clean energy transition – one learner at a time.

Say hello to Ryan Carda!

Enrollments in Ryan’s Courses: 2,346

Most popular course: IGSHPA Geothermal Installer Accreditation

Number of courses on HeatSpring: 7

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten?

Learn as much as you can from as many people as you can. I consider myself lucky to have been surrounded by so many talented people over the course of my career, all of which were kind enough to teach me a thing or two along the way.   

What’s a quote you think about often? 

You can’t look in the rearview and the road ahead at the same time. This applies to so many things in life, including your career. 

What was your first job in the geothermal industry? 

My first job in the industry was the result of a happy accident when I was in college. Back in 2004, I was taking a thermodynamics class from Chuck Remund as part of my undergrad studies in mechanical engineering at South Dakota State. I had a few questions on the homework, so I visited Chuck during his scheduled office hours. After he finished with my questions, he started talking about a business he was running out of the house that made products for the geo industry. I asked him for an internship on the spot…which he agreed to on the condition that I coach baseball for him that summer (which I agreed to). 

I did a google search for ‘geothermal heat pumps’ when I got home, because I had no idea what he was talking about at the time. Little did I know, that moment would serve as the starting point of my career, under one of the best mentors that anyone could ask for.   

How many years have you been in the industry? 

Over 20 years! 

What are your hobbies? 

I love seeing any kind of live music. I also enjoy snow skiing, hiking, and all things sports.

What’s a fun fact about you that your students don’t know? 

I’m a bit of a beer snob. Since moving to the Northeast, I’ve become fond of the hazy IPAs you can get locally. If you ask me, the best beer in the world comes from Vermont!

Your favorite song at the moment? 

Most people don’t look at me and think ‘metalhead’, but that’s exactly what I am. Wildfire by Periphery is one of my current favs. 

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

I’d eat breakfast for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could. Hard to beat a good egg sandwich topped with arugula and hot honey.

You can check out all of Ryan’s HeatSpring courses here on his instructor page.