nice to have an extra set of eyes and/or hands to complete something. As a service technician, I feel I would have been working on my own out of my van a lot. While I still love that work, I have found that I would have missed the comradery that I feel work- ing in the field with others.” e Local 32 apprenticeship program rotates its apprentices through a different company each year. is way, the apprentices do not become “pigeon- holed” in a particular cra or area, and they end up with excellent exposure to different aspects of the trade. Once they turn out as journeymen and women, they will have been exposed to a variety of experiences on the job. “is is my third company in Seattle that I’ve worked for. You meet a lot of new people and make a lot of important contacts that will help you in the future,” Sam said. “I’m currently working on a reno- vation of a building. We are going floor by floor. I’ve been installing a bunch of heat pumps, so basically running lines from mains to heat pumps on various floors. I’m working with another woman right now, which is a little bit unusual for this work. We are polar opposites outside of work, but on the job, we think the same. We see things, we talk about it, and decide how to do it, and it’s nice.” When asked if a particular job stood out in her time as an apprentice, Sam said that when she was working for MacDonald-Miller, she was part of a crew of 36 pipefitters. “We were working in a brand-new building, and there was just so much knowledge on that crew,” she said. “I was working in the mechanical room installing steam and hot- water boilers, chilled lines, air-handling units, and all kinds of pumps. It was a blast, probably one of my favorites. e crew was great, and the equip- ment was massive.” As a woman on the job, Sam said her small frame has come in handy when there is a need to get into tight spaces. When speaking candidly about the work environment, she said, “We are all here for the same reason. We want to do a good job and make money. If I’m in your way, you’re going to talk to me about it. If you’re in my way, I’m going to talk to you about it. ere’s a level of understanding and com- munication between the two of us. I’m not going to get mad if your ladder is in my way, or you borrowed something without asking. If there’s solid communi- cation, there are no issues—ever. I think you gain re- spect on the job by the way you carry yourself. I have found that people’s personalities are identical to what I experienced in the Army, so this has been an easy transition for me, but everyone’s transition from the Army is a very personal journey that they have to go through for themselves.” Sam has long-term goals already. She said, “I feel really good for the first time in my whole life. I feel like I connect with my job on a deeper level, and that I can go to a jobsite and have an idea of what needs to be done to get a job done. I feel like I’m good at my job. When I complete something, my foreman and the journeymen are compliment- ing my work, so I feel like I’m getting better and better as each day goes by, and that’s not just about the quality of my work, but the quantity of work, and by the way I’m thinking about my work, and the way I have found to do it correctly. It feels great to be passionate about my job. ere is a level of comfort when I get to work, and I know what I have to do. In a sense, it’s like being on autopilot. But that comes from familiarity and from the knowledge that you’re getting the best training to complete the jobs correctly. In the Army, as a police officer, I lived my work 24/7. Here, I can go to work and leave work at work, so that when I get home, I can do my own thing. I can’t tell you how wonderful that feels.” Sam stated that when she told her mom she was going to work construction, her mom said, “Wow, are you sure?” Sam is the first-generation construc- tion and union member in her family. When asked what advice she would give another woman transi- tioning from the military who was looking at the UA VIP programs, Sam said, “I would tell her not to let the stigma of ‘It’s a man’s world’ hold her back from doing anything. If she is passionate, she can do anything. I would tell her that it will offer her the best opportunity to succeed. I would tell her she would be set, and that her brothers and sisters would take care of her. is is a brotherhood and a sister- hood, and if you need help, you just ask, and they will help you. I would tell her to do it.” Sam concluded, “I’m 27 years old. I know there are a lot of people in my age group who like to live in the moment, but if they’re smart about it, they have to think about the fact that we’re not getting any younger, and we have to think about our fu- tures. We have to really think about where we want to be, or we will get stuck, and we will end up doing the same thing every day. Down the road, I would like to be a detailer in the mechanical world. Even though that will result in some time behind a desk, there are field detailers too. I will first turn out as a journeyman and then get five to 10 years of field experience, because I want to have a strong base of field knowledge and know my trade before I pursue that. at’s my goal.” Career Opportunities in Piping for Transitioning Veterans | Fall/Winter 2018 13 “When I complete something, my foreman and the journeymen are complimenting my work, so I feel like I’m getting better and better as each day goes by, and that’s not just about the quality of my work, but the quantity of work, and by the way I’m thinking about my work, and the way I have found to do it cor- rectly. It feels great to be passionate about my job.” Sam Metcalf