One Man’s Journey From the Military to Engineering
From the time Edward could remember, he dreamed of becoming a doctor or engineer. At age 35, he was concerned about his future and reaching this goal.
Attending school at night in Colorado, he worked odd jobs and before landing a role at Walmart. “One day as I was walking out of class, I bumped into a Marine Corps officer. He introduced himself and spoke to me about joining." That very same day, he took a physical and flew to Chicago to start basic training. Two years later he was deployed to Afghanistan to work as a Medical Field Technician.
For Edward, remembering this portion of his journey is quite painful. “On one of our most active days, I was attempting to help someone get beyond the line of fire and ended up being shot in the stomach. I went unconscious." He spent the next 6 months recovering from his injuries. The military then asked him if he was interested in re-enlisting for five more years, but he had other plans.
He moved to Houston and received a degree in mechanical engineering. He began aggressively applying for work to support his wife and two small children. After meeting a counselor at the Houston Area Urban League he learned about the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). He became a cohort and transferred directly into the Urban League’s EDS Disaster Recovery Training.
Result“The Army Corp called me in to interview for a mechanical engineering officer position. After the meeting, I was presented with an offer letter and so I decided to accept it.” At 40 hours a week, the new opportunity pays $34.00 an hour!
All I can say is, “God always has a plan for everyone. Just stay focused and fight for it.”