After Lloyd graduated from high school, he looked to a local community college to begin his career search. “I had worked with my family’s business, but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with my life,” he said. He soon realized that he was just treading water.
“I decided to join the Army and focus on learning some skills and seeing more of the world.” In the Army, Lloyd gained valuable experience. He did well in leadership training and became a team leader. But he also realized that the Army wasn’t where he wanted to be long-term.
“At first, I thought I wanted to get a civilian job in law enforcement. It was similar to my job in the Army, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn’t want to trade one uniform for another,” he said.
It was about that time that Lloyd learned about Goodwill’s job training and assistance programs for transitioning military personnel. “Operation: GoodJobs helped me to be more focused. I was more persistent in my efforts thanks to the connections and access to opportunities the program provides,” he said. He credits the program for helping him with his self-confidence and willingness to approach potential employers.
“My cousin had told me about jobs in Washington State’s electrical union. When I mentioned this to my case manager at Operation: GoodJobs, he helped me tailor my resume for that opportunity. That really helped. When I got a call to interview for an apprentice position, the team helped me prepare with a mock interview and gave some really good advice on how to answer questions.”
Lloyd was offered and accepted his first job with the union recently, making very good wages and starting his new life on the road to becoming a master journeyman.