on Monday morning or Sunday night mapping out the next day or the entire week’s schedule. “A typical day starts at 7 or 7:30,” he said, “and we are done by 4 or 4:30. Some days are easier than oth- ers. Sometimes you might run into a problem that will take a little bit longer. Most of the time it’s a 40-hour week. If we have a client who can’t have us in there working during work hours, we will work on off-hours or weekends, but those are typi- cally scheduled ahead of time unless there’s a problem.” Eric continued, “e journeymen service techni- cians I work with are willing to teach me every- thing they know. ey are all very patient. I love working for Johnson Controls. I love the environ- ment. ey are big on safety. e safety culture is that all of their technicians return home to their families safely at the end of each day. at culture is really important to me. I have the confidence that they would never put me in a situation that was dangerous. I also get to learn the whole spec- trum of HVACR work with Johnson Controls— from big water-cooled chillers all the way down to split systems and package units. We do commercial and light commercial work—hospitals, schools, of- fice buildings, that sort of thing. I like working on big, water-cooled chillers that can cool a large area. Giant machines are fun to work on. Some accounts are just maintenance accounts. Once I get more ex- perience, I could have my own clients for mainte- nance work.” “I made such a good decision,” Eric said. “I re- cently purchased a house. I have a two-year-old daughter, Kinsley, and my wife, Amanda, is due with our second child on Christmas Day. We have our personal cars too, but I only take mine out on the weekends. e union culture is such a smooth transition from the military. It’s a culture we all un- derstand. e healthcare with the union is great for families. I recommend this program to everyone I know. I already have several buddies in the pro- gram. I try to help everyone by recommending it. I feel confident that I’ll be working for Johnson Controls until I retire.” Career Opportunities in Piping for Transitioning Veterans | Spring/Summer 2018 9 “The union culture is such a smooth transition from the military. It’s a culture we all understand.” Eric Ratliff