b'From left are Sean-Keoni Ellis, Jonathon Hannel, and Pete Villanuevatrade before I teach fulltime. Right now, I also work a lot of overtime, and to go into what would be more like a 40-hour-a-week job would have an impact on my income. He called me back and asked if I would like to be a substitute at the ap-prentice school, and I said sure. I showed up at the school, and they said, Youre not going to be a sub-stitute, wed like you to teach. I started teaching a welding method called gas tungsten arc welding to our apprentices with another teacher. I taught drawing. I teach one night a week. This way, I get to work in the field during the day and gain experi-ence teaching at night. There are so many things you can do once you turn out as a journeyman. There are so many paths to take. Sean-Keoni Ellis went through his apprenticeship with fellow Marine Kevin Long. Today, they are Kevin Long both members of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 230 in San Diego, CA. Sean joined the Marines at the age of 18. He completed his four years as an in-When Kevin was a fifth-yearfantryman, and when it was time to transition out, apprentice, he was runninghe knew he didnt want to go into law enforcement. work in the field. He said he be- He heard about the welding program at Camp came an official foreman inPendleton, applied, and was accepted. I loved the 2016. Kevin loves the work. Heprogram, Sean said. I felt prepared as far as my stated, My training coordina- welding skills, but I knew I had a lot to learn. I left tor gave me a call and asked me if I would be inter- the program with four certifications. We were ested in teaching the VIP program. The currenttrained to understand welding, and we had 720 teachers were retiring, and they were looking forhours of solid welding under our belts. I felt very replacements to teach the welding program atprepared for someone who had never had any con-Camp Pendleton. I turned it down because I feltstruction experience. I didnt even know how to use that I was just not in a position to take that stepchannel locks, but I had great teachers. My first day yet. For one, I want to get more experience in theon the job, I felt very prepared. Career Opportunities in Piping for Transitioning Veterans|Fall/Winter 2019 9'