CAREERops Career Opportunities in Piping for Transitioning Veterans Spring/Summer 2017 “I was 20 years in the Army. At one time, I ran a weld shop in Afghanistan. I was in the first class for Fort Carson and trained at Local 58 in Colorado Springs. I ended up in California, because I felt that my wife had followed me for 15 years, and now it was time to let her pick where we should go. I’ve worked for really good companies like Silicon Valley Mechanical. I like working in a fabri- cation shop, because I can get really good hands-on training from other welders. I’ve done some work out in the field too, and that was a blast. I’ve done a lot of copper work and refabs, and my first job was to help build an entire cooling system for Samsung. It’s fun to see something from start to finish. I like the welding. I like to take pieces and put them to- gether, and I like the thrill of putting the first test on it. “Coming out of the military, I needed a career right away. The benefits picked up really quickly. I am mar- ried, and I have a 14-year-old son who has autism, and the benefits have really helped. I’ve been lucky. I’ve worked non-stop. I hit it at a good time for long-term work.” ~ Chris Oliver, Fort Carson VIP graduate, third-year apprentice, Local 393, San Jose, CA Chris Oliver