was at a managerial level. And then at 28, I decided to get into the trade. When I went to my interview the first question was — aren’t you taking a step backwards? And I said, well, maybe monetarily, but from an education standpoint, probably not.

I didn’t have much experience from an electrician’s standpoint. Now I’ve experienced construction. I’ve managed it. I’ve managed small projects. I have worked on large projects and that’ll give me the opportunity to manage large projects, and not be overwhelmed. Basically, large projects are just small projects all combined into one. You can take pieces out of large projects. I want to develop a base, become comfortable. The product comes from knowledge, training, and experience. Last year I completed my apprenticeship. This is my first year as a Journeyman Electrician.

I’ve got a major plan to become an executive of an electrical contractor. In a couple years I hope to move back into management. And within three years I hope to be sitting in a higher level position of management.

I don’t want to fail. I don’t want to set myself up for failure. So I just want to make sure that I don’t fail. People look at me and say, what are you doing there? And I say—I got the credentials and this is why I belong here. And I’ll show you—if you give me a chance, I’ll show you why I belong here.

Stories from the Field