David T. wasn’t born into a wealthy family, but he knew he could see the world and get an education by joining the U.S. Navy. “I learned a lot about myself during those years,” he said.
When he came home to Olympia, David worked with his father in a painting business for a while, but after a couple years, he had an epiphany. “I knew that I wanted more than painting. I wanted to be and do more, so I decided to get some education,” he said.
David used his G.I. Bill benefits at a local technical college to learn television production.
It seemed like all was going well until the late 1990s when downsizing left him with a severance package. David went back to the technical college, this time as an instructor in television production. After a couple years, funding dried up and he again was without employment. He was adrift.
Thankfully, David had friends and family who were there to put a roof over his head and connections to employment.
During that time, he heard about Goodwill. David signed up and excelled. Within a few months, he had completed two classes and was a client of Operation: GoodJobs, quickly leading to a full-time job in a career field he knew from many years ago – painting.
David is rebuilding his life and looks back on all that he has done. He likes to share his lessons learned – in painting and life – with other veterans and his painting team.
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