Episode 4: Moreno twins Plumbing & Electrical apprentices

SPEAKER_04 0:00

What's going on, y'all, and welcome to the Learnins and Missteps podcast, where we highlight the men and women that have made careers in the construction and maintenance industries. Hey Jesse, tell me a little bit about this episode with the twins. Oh man, we got to interview Jose and Emanuel Moreno. They're like you said, they're twins. Renee and I got to talk to him. It's the first time we did an interview with four people on the call. Jose is a plumbing apprentice, and Emanuel is an electrical apprentice. So it's really interesting to hear how they came to be apprentices from high school. I mean, they're they're young guys, and we got to get some insight from their decision making as eighth graders going through high school and actually starting their careers in the trades. And my hope is that employers out there will hear their story and get some uh motivation to go out and recruit and hire uh young individuals because they're a perfect example that millennials can and will be magnificent players in our industry. So here we go. So we are here with Jose Angel Rodriguez Moreno and twin brother Emanuel Rodriguez Moreno. I had the privilege of of meeting Jose, man, what was it, Jose? About four years ago, five years ago? Maybe four. Yeah, yeah, I think so. About four years ago. 2017, I think. Got to meet him at um Construction Careers Academy and uh mock interview. Do you remember that? Yes, yes, I remember that day. And I remember I walked away from that interview. I was like, man, this kid, like we gotta hire this guy. He's got something going on. Jose, so what do you want our audience to know about you, man?

SPEAKER_01 2:03

I'm really passionate about plumbing. You know, remember I told you that what I want in my future is to get my own company, right? Yep, become a master plumber, get my own company, and uh and that's still it, that's still the plan. I'm gonna and I'm gonna be honest, right? Uh this is not what I wanted to do, right? The the plumbing. You know how I went to Construction Cures Academy, is managing schools, they go and they like to show us what they have to offer, they show us a reason why we should join them. Yep. They came to our school, and I I I'm gonna tell you I applied for almost all of them, right? There was one I did not apply, but it was because I'm gonna be honest, it took a whole essay. I'm not I'm not really this person, you know, to like have an essay. Right? I only had a paragraph, right? And most of them only needed a paragraph for why they should have sent you and and why you want to be in their manga school, right? Right? And it and all I had to do was just switch three little things in the paragraph and and just put it on every other one, right? I've done that before. Yeah, so so like like like that that's all I did for once, but so I didn't want to apply for one, which is the communication arts, right? It's uh it's that one's based about like theater, uh video design, stuff like that, right? Right. But that one was the one that took the paragraph. So that's the only one it not applied to, right? That's awesome. And so I applied to pretty much all of them. Well, this type of school is based on the drawing, right? So you don't get uh they kind of like draw your name depending on how you how you're at school, grades, stuff like that. If you filled write-ups, things like that, right? Right, right.

SPEAKER_04 3:42

They looked into your records, type, type, type of thing in the schools because they they won the best for yeah, they're very selective of the accept into the program. There's not a lot of people. So and you were what what grade were you in? Seventh, eighth grade when you had to do make that selection? Eighth grade, eighth grade, eighth grade. You were in eighth grade or so awesome.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Yeah, we had uh I think it was starting uh spring. Uh and we had all that time to uh they came like uh during uh December around and then we had all that time during spring break to make sure we got our letters out and and sent to I think no, actually during spring break is when we were getting our our letters if we got accepted or not, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I was one of the unfortunate ones that did not get accepted. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah. I I probably never told you this. I I I was yeah, uh, but my brother, my brother actually got accepted into two schools.

SPEAKER_04 4:38

Damn, ballers. Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

So he got accepted into business careers and construction careers. Ah, yes. So what we did is because I really wanted to go to the schools, right? I wanted like to expand my knowledge because I knew going like to regular uh high school, it was in I wasn't like gonna like it or like I I wanted something to do, right? Yes, there's something extra peer career, stuff like that. So I told my brother which one which one is the one that you want to go, right? And which one is the one that you don't want to go. But uh so when you sign up for the construction careers, they tell you like which which uh brand or what do you want to join? Like uh so there's construction management, engineering, architecture, plumbing, electrical, and carpentry. Yep. And even though he put uh I think it was engineer or architecture, uh, he he his last choice was plumbing, so that's what they accepted him for. Oh so I was like, if he well, he and that's why he didn't want to go. So I was like, you know what? Let me let me hater, hater.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

The whole point was to go to architecture, you know. I don't even know why I played plumbing. I was like, I I mean it's an option, there's there, right? Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

So yeah, so um, so then we contacted the school and we were like, hey, can can I take my brother's spot? Like I really want to join, I really want to join the school. And and uh they actually said yes. So that's how I got construction careers.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

Wait, so so you went out of your way to go ask them? Yeah, like they didn't tell you anything?

SPEAKER_01 6:22

No, no, no. Uh I I never received a letter from construction couriers, but I did receive from uh uh science and engineering, which is uh John Jay, and business curios. And for those I did not get accepted. Uh uh for construction courage, I never got a letter. So what we did is we called them or we sent an email and we called just to see maybe maybe uh I can get into it, right? Yeah, and they send me a letter, and and that's how we started. Cool, man. That's that's dude, that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 6:57

Like, I didn't know that. That's even more amazing. Like, right? I mean, you gotta make it happen. Yeah, yeah. You can't just accept no, or you know, too many times we'll we won't get a response, and then it's like, well, oh well, they don't want me, but you didn't do that. You said, Yeah, yeah, oh no, let's um hey Emanuel, like hey, let me take your spot, bro. Yeah, and since you're twins, they probably never would have figured it out, right? Right, right.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

You know, being myself.

SPEAKER_00 7:29

Yes, sir. Well, and so you make it.

SPEAKER_04 7:32

Yep, fake it till you make it, and so for our audience, because they're you know, our we have listeners all over the country, and and actually it we're we're kind of fancy. We got some international listeners, we have a few people that listen to us in Canada. So I want to explain like construction careers. So here in in San Antonio, Texas, the deuce dime, baby, we have these magnet programs, right? So students in middle school, they'll apply to different programs that are really focused and targeted down a particular career path. So the curriculum that they'll study is really geared in that direction. And and we recently, you know, Jose and Emanuel took advantage of a kind of a pretty significant shift in our education system where they're they started really focusing on on investing on the trades and vocational type work as a career option. And there's multiple on just about every high school in San Antonio has these magnet programs, and construction careers academy is actually within what is it? Warren High School? Yeah, Warren, Warren High School. And then business careers is actually within Holmes High School. Is that correct, Damon? Yes, Homes High School. Yeah, and so you'll go to the school, but you really your curriculum is pretty focused and in-depth in that line of study that you selected as an eighth grader.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

Yeah, yeah. They make eighth graders pick uh right? You gotta pick now. This is now baby.

SPEAKER_04 9:05

Pick now or never never know. And and I think Jose, you're a fantastic example of of the system actually working because you're working in plumbing right now. Yes, yeah. So Emanuel, how about you, man? What what do you want our audience to know about you, my friend?

SPEAKER_02 9:21

Uh well, I do have a a kid, you know. Oh, yes. I actually like want him to like study, get into the electrical jobs too, you know. Or maybe into like IT, which is what I originally was planning to to do. Yeah, like my my goal is to get him into the the IT, uh, to the electrical field too, because you know, it seems kind of I I like it, so I hope I I feel like he'll like it too. It's it's nice. Okay. And I got him.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

You're in the electrical field right now?

SPEAKER_02 9:52

Yeah, I'm in the electrical field right now. And I got him, I got him uh uh like a little tool set earlier. Like a little kid's tool set, and he like loves playing with them. So like I feel like he's it's gonna make it gonna make it, he's gonna make it. How old is how old is your son? He's about to turn one on um on November.

SPEAKER_04 10:15

Oh man, right around the corner.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

Yeah, right around the corner.

SPEAKER_04 10:18

He's about to turn one. Wow, starting a family early. That's good, man. Congratulations. Well, for our audience and you guys, this is the first time we've ever had four people in an interview. Yeah, so it may be a little clunky, man. We're trying to figure it out, but uh, you know, we'll just we'll just jump right on into it. So, Jose, when you were in middle school, but I mean you talked a little bit about you know, you're applying to these these different magnet schools. What did you want to do? What did you you you think you wanted to be when you when you grew up? Well, I was the theater kid, right? Okay. So that's what I wanted to do, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Like, so did you want to act or did you want to be No, I was more more of the the they call it tech theater, right? It's like those people who uh like set the sets, build the sets, stuff like that, right? Yes, that's what I wanted to do. Okay, but then when you had a good communication arts, you had to write a whole page. And you didn't want to write a pen. I did not want to write a whole page. Okay, right? But that's what I wanted to do, right? We we're like math is like one of our strongest things that we we know, right? We like we're really good at it. You were you and your brothers, yes. So then after that, I was like, you know what, maybe I'll become a mathematician, right? Ooh, right, and and actually that's that's what I did for college, right? Okay, so so we attended uh university in Carnival, right? Um, I went to study education and mathematics. Okay. Unfortunately, because of money issues and work and things like that, we we we weren't able to attend anymore, right? The plan is to go back, but not to UAW, because I I I don't know if anybody knows, but UAW is kind of expensive, right? It's like it's it's one of the one of the best schools, right? Yes, um, and it's kind of like high up there, right? So that's why it's like kind of expensive. Uh but they the reason I wanted to go there is because they had a good uh education program. Were you thinking of being a teacher? Yes, yes. Okay, what what level? Uh I was looking more into like the high school level, um middle school, right? Yep. I'm I'm not an elementary, right? So so because for elementary you had to learn pretty much all of them, which was uh English, uh reading, writing, stuff like that, science, right? But I wasn't meant for that. Like yeah, uh, I'm more of a math person, right?

SPEAKER_03 12:50

Yeah, yeah, no essays, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

No essays. So that's what I wanted to do, right? But because money and stuff like that, yeah. Uh I just came back to the construction field.

SPEAKER_04 13:03

Came back to work. Okay. 10 4. Well, we're gonna definitely explore that some more. Yeah, but before we do, Emanuel, how about you, man? Maybe to set set the stage a little bit. Like when I was in middle school, can you guess what I wanted to do? A rapper, maybe a rapper. Close, close. I want I wanted to be a professional baseball player. Oh, should have figured, should have figured or a teacher, or like some kind of performer. So y'all are y'all are pretty damn close. Uh I ended up becoming a plumber, which I mean I'm proud of, right? But you know, we all have different ideas when we're that young. So, Emanuel, how about you, man? What was what was in your mind at that time?

SPEAKER_02 13:46

You see, I I at that time I honestly wanted to be a policeman. Oh right. I was like, I'm gonna go study because I know there was a school about that, and I'm gonna be a policeman. And then um, that was in sixth grade, and then seventh grade, I was like, Yeah, I don't want to be a policeman anymore. So then I joined I joined a um a a mariachi group like in my school, and I was like, I want to be a mariachi. I was a mariachi through like all the way to um all the way towards the end, and then I was like, actually, I don't want to even be a mariachi anymore. So that's what they they they started the whole like like the whole Megan school thing, like they were gonna show you, right? And I at that point I just didn't know what I wanted to be, so I was like, oh man, like what do I do? Do I sign up or do I just like right right? But the whole time I was like starting to want to be a policeman during sixth grade, and I thought I was gonna I was gonna stick with it, and then seventh grade I joined mariachi because I hadn't like do a fine arts and like nothing really interested me other than like you know mariachi because I'm Mexican. You know, you're gonna love whatever you like chente. I was like, I'm gonna be chante. But apparently, but like then we finished the whole mariachi thing, and I was like, Yeah, no, I don't think I'm gonna I wanna be a mariachi. Like they're good, I I liked it, it was nice. I I like playing the violin and all, but yeah, at the end I was like, Yeah, no, I don't want to be a mariachi anymore. So eighth grade was like my deceptive time where to pick what I wanted to be, and I didn't know, so I applied to like like you know how like my brother applied to most Magnet schools? Yep. I applied to like three of them. It was the the business careers, the construction careers, and the science one. And I want to get accepted to like constructions and um the business careers, and then uh uh I did the whole IT course. I since I went to business careers, I did the whole IT course and everything. Yep, and then uh when we fin when we graduated, I went back, I I went to UAW again and I started criminal justice to go to the course of a policeman again. So I don't know. And then uh because of money reasons, I had to like stop going to school and everything. I actually like I knew uh one of my friends, her dad was a nutrition, and I really needed a job at that time, and I was like, uh, why not? Let's do it. Now I'm an electrician.

SPEAKER_04 16:09

Nice. So you're what a first, second, third year apprentice now?

SPEAKER_02 16:14

I'm a I'm a I'm uh what uh I'm going to my second year of apprentice.

unknown 16:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:21

Yeah. I'm very like it. I I like it. It's nice. I like I like going on the roofs and like running wires. It's kind of weird. Yeah, on the attics, it's fun. I like I drive drilling holes. I hate why like wires sometimes they're they wanna, you know, they wanna like how do you say like prevelar? They want to be rebels and they don't want to go into the inside the holes and they like you know you can bend them sometimes the way you want to, but other than that, it's fun. It's fun.

SPEAKER_04 16:47

Okay, good. So that's interesting. Like you were you went to business careers, you were you were in the technology vein. Um, you still sounds like you still have a an interest in um law, right? Some sort of interest because you went to UIW to study criminal justice, and then you got you said, Man, I need to make some damn money. Yeah, you got a job as an electrician, and then discovered that you like that work too.

SPEAKER_02 17:14

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_04 17:15

Okay. Did what does did that surprise you at all?

SPEAKER_02 17:18

No, um when I was like in middle school and like uh high school, like I was really like into it, like anything. Like I'll do like any type of jobs, like if I had to, or like I was I was into most like when we had like what like events when we learned how to do stuff, I was really into it. Like I would I would like I've had interest on everything, except for writing, of course. I I I do y'all both know y'all don't overwrite writing, so like the whole time, like whenever came when it included to writing, I was like, yeah, no, I'm not about to like do that part, but like if it was like math, science, yeah. Actually, at some point during high school, I wanted to leave business careers to actually like go into like because homes had like this little like you know, side um classes too, like the side stuff, like like fields, right? And I had a science one, and I was like, I want to be because by that time I was studying environmental science. Yeah, yeah. And I was like, I want to be an environmental science person. I I was like all over the place where it comes to like what I wanted to be. Yeah, and then uh towards the end I just finished being an electrician and I like it in my nice. And I still know some IT stuff, like I I I still do some IT stuff and I have some certifications, but like since I'm doing really good in like electrical, I'm like I'm gonna stick it with that, and then if I have to, then I'll go and work for IT.

SPEAKER_04 18:45

Man, I I'll say this, and you know, Renee, we talked about a little while ago, right? Renee's 26, 26, 26 years old. So Renee's 26. Both of you guys are 22? 20, 20. Oh, 20. Oh, god, even younger. So who's the oldest? I am Jose's ah, I am I'm the oldest. Okay. Um, and so I'm just a little bit older than both of y'all, or the three of y'all. Oh, okay. I'm 43.

SPEAKER_02 19:16

Combined, not a lot combined like I'm the younger one between all of us, but no, just a little bit older.

SPEAKER_04 19:30

I love it. Um, but here's here's something I've I've I've learned, man, that hopefully you put this in your back pocket, and when you when you feel a little lost, pull it out. Man, what I've learned is you don't have to know right now. The decision you're making right now is not a life sentence. And everything, every decision you make is gonna lead to relationships, to new learnings, and it's gonna expand your mind. And so just fully embrace that in the moment when you feel like, man, maybe I made a bad decision. It's okay, man. You're learning, and you can always you're learning, you're creating relationships, and you can always carry that forward, and that will benefit you. Uh just in case. Because I know when I was y'all's age, man, I was there were times where like, chingao, I'm in a ditch and it's freaking cold outside, and like, man, I made a bad decision. Uh but you know, it's turned out pretty damn good for me. And I'm I'm you know, hell, I'm right here talking to you guys. Like, never in my life did I think I would be on a podcast. So thank you, Manuel. So, Jose, I want to go back to when you we were doing those mock interviews at CCA. You were a junior, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:48

That year I was a junior, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:49

Yep, you're a junior, and so the the school, the administration there, which they're amazing people there, meaning they do a lot to help prepare these the young you guys to prepare them students to enter into a career. And so I I had the privilege of interviewing Jose, and also at the time I was working for T D Industries, and one of my responsibilities was was to hire people and find talent. And so we were we were interviewing Jose, and you know, my memory has a uh I have something specific in my memory, but Jose, can you tell us what that interview was like for you? Do you remember what you said, what you were thinking?

SPEAKER_01 21:29

Um I think I can tell a little bit. I know, I know I'll be honest, I don't I never understood why we had to do it, right? But I mean it was good because like they they would show you the steps of what you have to do for an interview. Because a a lot of kids or or like when you're in high school, right? A lot of people or a lot of like teens really don't know what a an what is it, like an official or a professional type setting of interview is, right? Yep. Like uh and they don't know how to act. And I'm guessing that like that's one of the the goals they have, you know, to to show you how to act, what kind of questions to ask, things like that. Or a lot of teenagers don't think about asking, right? Like what what is something you offer for me? Or so they gave us a long list of questions. We had to answer them all, right? Because you never you you did not know what questions they were gonna ask. I think it was like 12.

SPEAKER_04 22:27

Uh so that was your assignment. They said here ask the you gotta fill this out and bring it back to us after you okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:33

You didn't have to fill it out, you just had to make sure you you were prepared for them to answer the question. Ah, got it. Yes, for like an assignment, just for a grade. They they they asked us to answer two questions, right? Okay, you're not gonna know what kind of questions they're gonna ask you, right? Right. So you just but you had to have the knowledge.

SPEAKER_04 22:50

So, how about when when you got all these old dudes and or old people in the room and they started asking you questions?

SPEAKER_01 22:56

It's kinda is uh you know, it's kind of note-wracking because uh it's kind of usually only one person, right? But that day when you're looking at three people just in a room closed, sitting, and they're all I uh like ice on you, right? And it's kind it's ice on you, and you have to to act professional, right? And come come on, we're teenagers 17, uh 16. What do you what do you expect from a teenager? Yep, don't want to write essays, don't want to write essays that like at that time I I was working at Six Lex.

SPEAKER_03 23:31

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

So like when I went to an interview, they they ask you why why you want to draw, what do you want to do, and then right after that it will tell you you're hired, you're not hired, right? Like it's just uh you turn in application and then that's pretty much it, right? So like I was I was working at six at Sixlex. Like I'm I'm not used to a lot of people putting tension at me. It was really scared because cause it they're just all about you, right? And I think that's uh that's good because you feel what what it's supposed to like actually uh look like and feel like, and they told us you kinda come dressed. I think it was not casual. Well, it was kind of like casual fancy type of thing, right? Yep, yep so you they want you to take it like if it was an actual thing, and not knowing like what kind of questions they're gonna ask you or things like that, it's also like kind of hard because you're you're not prepared, right? Yeah, but yeah, but I'm I'm glad I'm glad I I did that because for uh juniors that was actually an optional, you didn't have to do it at the time, but for seniors, you had to do it, right? I I left uh those interviews with a lot of knowledge and and actually knowing like how to to act.

SPEAKER_04 24:43

Well, I'm glad you did it too, Jose, because that's where I met you and said we need to hire this young man. If you were nervous, you did not get any indication that you were nervous. I was like, Man, this boy, he's I took theater arts.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

Oh, that's what it is, right? Yeah, man, if I can face if I can face an audience with uh like right, and they're just spot like there's a spotlight on you, yeah. Then it's it's like three people looking at you is it's nothing.

SPEAKER_04 25:13

Good four. What I remember that really, really stood out to me, and I said, Man, I I got we gotta we gotta get this guy, was I you know, it's like okay, so where do you see yourself? You know, the typical where do you see yourself in five years? Yeah, um, and and Jose was like, I'm gonna be a master plumber and I'm gonna have my own business. And like, son of a gun, like what do you mean? He's like, Yeah, I'm gonna be a master plumber and I'm gonna have my own business. And I remember asking him, and this is really what got me. Like, I absolutely this is it, we gotta get this guy. I said, Okay, so what makes you think that's gonna happen? Like, what makes you think you can make that happen? And uh you shared a story about your mom. Yeah, can you would you mind sharing that story with our audience?

SPEAKER_01 26:01

Um if I remember correctly, uh, I think it was a question of who do you see as your hero, right? And and I said my mom. Uh, because my mom, she brought us well, we're originally from Mexico, right? So we came here probably first grade. Our mom brought us here so we could, you know, get a better future, right? So my mom, I I I said my mom is my hero because even though through through a a lot of the things that we we've been through and stuff like that, she's always she's always moving forward, right? She's she sees the problem, she goes and does uh and it's always working. And one of the reasons I think I said I wanted to be a post-premise is so she didn't have to work anymore, right? Because all this year she's worked for us, and and I don't want her to work anymore, right? Um and I think that's that's uh what I mean a kid coming from from Mexico and seeing the parents work a lot, I think that's one of uh the things they always want to do, right? Like I don't want my mom to be working for the rest of her life, right? Yeah yeah, and so like I said, my my mom's been like one of one of my biggest heroes because she she's always been working, always moving forward, no matter the situations, she's always uh wanting us to fix the problem, you know. Um if if we have any issues, things like that, she's she's always always one step ahead, making sure that we move forward and we don't get stuck.

SPEAKER_04 27:26

Yeah, what I took away was you know, you've seen your mom sacrifice and work hard, and no matter what, she kept moving forward and she made it happen. And because she set that example for you, there was no doubt in your mind that if you just keep moving forward, you can make it happen. And I said, Man, this young this youngster here, he's got some real insight and some real wisdom. Awesome. Thank you for sharing that. Yeah, Emmanuel. How how how does your mom feel about the both of you guys being in the in the trades? You know, we got Jose, the plumber, you're an electrician. What's her thoughts about that?

SPEAKER_02 28:04

Like where where we used to live at, there was a lot of like um, like uh what do they call? They're like the people who do rocks, like they they like the bricklayers. The houses, the brick peoples? Yeah, yeah, brick layers. Yeah, the brick, yes, yeah. So like most of my family over there worked on that, or like my grandfather worked like selling um what is it, like yukies, like what ice shaped ice? Oh, yeah, yeah. So like when she came here, I think like her thought was like, um, since we were really smart and I was really like into like IT or being a policeman, I think it was like they're gonna be like big higher uppers and stuff like that. Yep. I think when she heard that we were gonna go into construction, because that's the whole thing like she was trying to avoid. Yeah, I I guess she was like a little bit like you know disappointed, but then she like she saw how like we were dedicated and how really like how much we wanted to do it and uh how hard hard we were working. So after a while she started like understanding that like we're we're trying to make it not only like I just want to be an apprentice the whole rest of my life, like we try to like we're trying to make it into a big like even if it's like we're gonna he's gonna be a plumber, but he's gonna own his company. Yeah. And like I want to be an attrition, and like uh I think like electricians and plumbers like having their own companies, right? Yep. So at some point I want to be an attrition and like have a merch company where we're gonna we're not only trying to be like apprentice, we like actually want to make it big. Oh well, I guess after she realized that we're not just trying to be apprentice, we're not just trying to be like, you know, just somebody who does electrical work for like some other person, she like started getting the idea that it's okay that we went into construction, and like she knows that we also want to study some other stuff just in case the whole plumbing thing doesn't work, or just in case we're not into the plumber. So she's not like really mad about it, always understanding about it. Like she understands that like this is what we want to do, and this is like our how we're gonna do it, like this is our path, or so and she's always says that like uh God always has a plan for you, or God always has a way for you. So she's she's always been that kind of person that like if if you if right now you have to be a plumber, right now you have to be an electrician, it's for a reason, or or right now you have to go through a construction job, it's for a reason. So yeah, I feel like right now she's understandable, she's like she's liking it, or she's not she's not mad at us because the whole time the whole reason why she wanted to leave Mexico is that we wouldn't be stuck working in a construction job from like from early in the morning all the way to like late at night. Yeah and just went back to like you know doing that one thing she was trying to afford. You know?

SPEAKER_00 30:47

Do you feel do you feel like you're stuck or or I I don't feel like I'm stuck.

SPEAKER_02 30:51

I mean, sometimes when I'm working, I'm like, uh really like do I really want to be here? Like like sometimes I wake up in the morning, I'm like, I don't really want to go to work. Like I'm I'm stuck there where like uh like do I really wanna work? Do I really do I really need the money or something like that? Like, but then my motivation is like I have a kid, like I I have to show him the example the same way my mom showed me that like even if she's down, she's like you know, like not doing good. I have to like set that example too, where like I'm gonna go to work and I'm gonna be okay because that's the that's the way to do it. Like you have to be okay. Like, even if I get stuck, I'm like, okay, well, I got I got a future to go to, I got somebody to like think about. It's not only me right now, it's me, my son, uh, my girlfriend. So like I have to like to plan for our future too.

SPEAKER_04 31:41

So is your girlfriend right there with the sartén making sure you you say this, or is that coming from the heart?

SPEAKER_02 31:47

Uh just like a tongue right here right now with uh she said she said I had to I had to say wife, but like I haven't proposed, so I can't you're a brave man.

SPEAKER_04 32:01

Yeah, man. Woman's um so you know both of you guys talked about that y'all took a little stint at um UIW, University of Incarnate Word here in San Antonio, um, and there were some some financial burden that that was difficult for you.

SPEAKER_01 32:19

Tell us some more about that. Yeah, well, after uh my senior year, I I I I think you were there, right, when we got uh back with TDI, right? Yep. And and at the time I was also going into college. Yep. And and that's when I went to UIW. But the situation was I worked for TDI, right? A construction seven to three, right? In college, when you had to take certain hours, right? And those certain hours had to be set. Yep. So with working from 7 to 3:30, right? I had to work my schedule for college to be after 3 30. But the closest I could get it was three. And at the time, I didn't have a car. Um I would have to take the bea bus. I would have to take my my mom would drop me off at at work in the mornings, but then after work, I would have to take the bea bus or get a ride from co-workers, stuff like that. That was the whole summer, but then when college started, at the time I was working at Trinity University.

unknown 33:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 33:21

Oh, so you're right down the road there.

SPEAKER_01 33:22

Yeah, I was down down the road. So I could leave at at uh I had to talk to my my college teachers, and I told them, look, I work in construction. There's gonna be times where I come in late, dirty, from work, straight to class. Straight to class. Yes, dirty. I walk in with my boots and I'll be like that uh five minutes late, walking in, you hear the little dun dun dun, right from the boots, you know, because the boots are heavy, yeah, right? And and with my hard hat, because I like I said, I would have to take the beer bus to school. Right. So at that time I was working with Trinity. I don't know if you remember Felipe Farra. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I was working with him. So he he understood, and and the superintendent at the time also understood that the the construction for some people is just a temporary thing, right? But yeah, so for some people, but and then they get stuck, but so he understood, and and Felipe would let me go early or as and I would go, but then project is done, right? Yep, so you have to go somewhere else. Another project, yep. Yeah, so another project. So then after that, I was working at uh the colonnade.

SPEAKER_04 34:28

Uh oh, that's way further than yeah, but over by uh uh what's what is it?

SPEAKER_01 34:34

Yeah, by uh uh I-10 and and 1604. 1604, right? Oh yeah, there's a lot of traffic, yep. Yeah, so uh so I had to be there, right? At that time, I was working two jobs, six racks and construction curators. I mean, and and TDI, right? So I had two jobs, and then I was also going to school, right? So for 19-year-old, 18-year-old, right? That's a lot, right? Yeah, it's uh it's tiring and stuff like that. So the fuse the first week I was there, it wasn't good. I one time I showed up to work late, uh, and then one time I just missed my alarm. I didn't wake up, so I I didn't go to work, and then I got sick on Fridays. Fridays was the only day I could not get a class after three. So I would have to, I would I would have to miss the day for work, right? But I had told Felipe, my superintendent at the time, hey, if there's work on the weekends, let me know. Like I want I have to go to work so I can complete you know the the minimum hours that you have. I think it's like 42 or or something around there. So so my contract would be okay. But uh, but unfortunately there there wasn't any time at the time. So I would have to miss Fridays and I would leave one hour earlier because of how far I was and having and and having to take the beer bus. And the superintendent didn't like that and he saw a problem with it. So then uh they have Todd Ferguson come, talk to me, and tell me, well, it it started a whole I'm not gonna say an argument, it's just I realized what's more important to me that time. Yeah, I realized what was more important because there there was one question, and I'm always gonna remember this question, and he said, It's either school or work. Oh man, negative on that, right? So, so then that's when I realized, yeah, see, when you when you're gonna ask questions like that, right? And and I'm I'm I'm a really uh passionate person, like if I want to do something, I'll do it, right? Yeah, and and at the time, I'm gonna be honest, I was like, man, I do I really want to work at TDI? Like, is this what I want to do, right? Right, right. I I literally I looked at him and I smiled and I was like, well, I'm going to school. So then that ended that ended my career for TD Industries.

SPEAKER_04 36:55

So I was how old were you at this time?

SPEAKER_01 36:58

I was I was 18. 18. Right out of high school. Right out of high school. Yep. It was like uh colleges had started. It was like a uh a month into college. Got it. The reason why I was in TDI is because that was where my income for school was were coming. A six flex was more like my spending money because it was only a weekend job, right? Right. T D Industries was the uh was paying for my college, right? Any money I got from there, straight to my college, straight to my college. Nice. So that's how we were, that's how I was able to afford uh UIW because I was paying with with the money I earned. That that's how I made it. But then you had to quit. Then I had to quit and I had I lost my income and my and so I think we only did one year of college, and we finished the year. That's the time where I realized, well, is this what I want to do? You know, go to college and spend all this money, you know, when TDI at the time also had oh the apprentice program, right? Yeah, I was going to college, I couldn't do the apprentice program, and I was part of the contract, so that's another another motivation that that gave them to fire me or or make you know, so and and unless uh like I had taught talked to Todd way before I started working, and I asked him, can I still go to college while I'm working? Yeah, and I remember him saying yes, because if he would have not said yes, then I would have not worked. If he said no, then I would have been like, I'm I'm gonna go to college. Yeah, but he he told me yes. So I did my best to try to work for uh work my schedules and stuff like that, and unfortunately didn't work. So I left col I I I left and I only went for one year. So what brought you back to to T D? I well, I needed the money, right? Ah yeah. I couldn't spend my whole time working at six legs. Yeah, I had to choose between well, is do I have to I go to school, I have to get more scholarships and things like that, and and it's kind of hard. So then I was like, I'm just gonna go back to T D industries. I talked to Rick, and Rick was all like, yeah, I could you you can come back, but you're gonna have to start all over. But when I started with TD Industries the first year, I didn't do the the temp, the the the temp, you know how they have the temps? The staffing agency, yeah, yeah. So the staffing agency three three months and then they pick you. When I came back, he's like, Well, you're gonna have to start over and and we have to see if you're gonna commit to it. And I told him, I was like, Yeah, this time I'm I'm not gonna leave. And I I haven't left. I'm going to the apprenticeship school. The dream is to go back to college, but maybe online. You know, well, right now, uh right now everything's online, so it's a little bit more easier. Right, right. I wanna I wanna at least get my journey meant and then go, you know, get my my uh my associates in in construction management and and then see if maybe I can actually go back to mathematics. Because I had I had a thing. Well, I go to mathematics, right? Maybe I can go into the offices and you know, do the estimating, do the things like that. So it was it was something that was still gonna be beneficial for TD Industries. Sure. But I guess because of all all the situation, it it didn't work out. So then I can't I I decided to come back and since then I've been working with TD Industries.

SPEAKER_04 40:18

Um, Emanuel, I mean both of you guys are you know what two things. First, with we're talking about math, right? You guys have have been bragging and making me feel dumb because y'all are math geniuses. Uh no, seriously though. Does uh do you think how rather how has math helped you as an electrical apprentice?

SPEAKER_02 40:39

Well, there's a lot of like measurements you have to do in math. There's like lights you have to put like uh the turn the the recess cans. Like we put rhesus cans, we put like what's a recess can. So have you ever seen those lights? They're like flat in the ceiling, not not the big long ones, but the circular ones.

SPEAKER_04 40:56

They're flush with the colour. Yeah, they're flush, right?

SPEAKER_02 40:58

Oh yeah, yeah. But they're circular, right? Yeah, those those basically so there's two ways you can put them. You can put like a normal, like a circular electrical box, uh or you can put like a recent recess can which goes into the roof, like it's a flat thing, it goes in like a flat circular box, it goes in inside the roof, and you just put a recess, like a trim that's like flat into it. So, like a lot of people get it because it looks nice, like it makes the room look more spacious. Instead of having like it's gonna be a room like like the the name we have for this lights are like kind of weird, but we call them like boob lights, like the T lights, you know, there's the blow ones and they have they have like the little things sticking out of them, and you have to like twist it. Okay, what we call them like yeah, if you look it up, they're actually called that. So I'm I I just thought, I just thought they were like and my my coworkers were just like you know, calling them that because if you look at them, they actually look like that. But then one day uh I was watching like this video because I watch like a lot of electrical videos because I don't know why I just get interested in it, and they were talking about light, and then the person said boob light, and like this is a professional guy saying boob lights, like why they're not using them anymore, and we're or like some of them why weren't they using it and some places they keep using them? And I was like, if this professional guy is saying it's called boob light, it's because it's called boob light. So so so the whole reason why like uh use them is because they don't want to have those lights. So anyway, yeah, so anyways, like most of the stuff I do is like measurements and like um uh like there's some rooms like they just don't look the same, like um, they're a weird shape and stuff like that. So there's also like later uh measurements, and sometimes uh I don't even have a laser. So my my best friend is the ruler, uh the measuring tape. My best friend is the measuring tape. So there's also that, like I have to like make it fit into there. And uh we actually have this electrical ruler uh or like I don't know if it's a uh uh we call it an electrical ruler, but like they also heard they call it like the architecture ruler that it transforms into like the page into the the actual size of the of the room. Yeah, so sometimes we use those when we're doing like new constructions. Oh, you're talking about a scale rule or yeah, scale ruler, yeah. Yeah, but like they call it like in Spanish, they call it like rule uh no legra architecta. So that's why I I thought it was called like like you know, because in Spanish never translated the same in English.

SPEAKER_04 43:44

Say it again? I can't even say it.

SPEAKER_02 43:54

Uh your architectures usually use it. Yep, yep, yeah, yeah. So uh we use those rulers to like because in the new construction it's kind of hard sometimes or like in in remodels too it's kind of hard to like actually get it into the face most of the times I use math in um and remodels because uh there's sometimes studs yep and you don't know where those studs are at you're not talking about me right no I'm talking about the other one no okay okay the the the the the two by fours that are in the wall the two by fours that both for the wall on the roof sometimes there's those and uh we have to measure like the like we have to put on the lights and sometimes they don't fit perfectly right or like we put a uh like a screwdriver a swivel and we like check and sometimes there's a stud there so then like we have to like measure it or like subtract like one light and like once you move that light the whole like system is broken so now you have to like figure out like the measurements to move those lights but since you already know them how to move that one light like if you just subtract or add you basically know how to move all the other lights. Yeah so were you surprised to to discover how much math you use on a daily basis in the trades uh no I knew that like in some like construction works you do have to use math you know like my brother last time he was talking about like because I use a level to make it like straight right oh yeah and my brother uses level to like how to run water and stuff like that. I knew like math in construction is like really like like you use it a lot. Yes I I knew that much but like I didn't know like different people use math differently on different like like are like different fields like the whole plumber like like when my brother said like that's like not leveled I was like it's level in my point of view which is like yeah but like if you go to a plumber that's like that's wrong.

SPEAKER_04 45:59

That's like you don't make stuff it was an eighth off and I was like no that's level I was like that's that's straight he was like no that's an eighth off I was like you know what I don't understand what you're saying so I was like I don't I don't I don't understand what you're saying so I'm just gonna leave it the way I see it yeah that's awesome so for our for our audience it in in at plumbers we typically when we're installing the the vent system or the sanitary waste system we intentionally install that piping with uh an eighth or a quarter inch off of level and so level would be completely straight horizontally right completely flat 100% and when we're when we're checking or installing the sanitary vent storm drain systems we want to make sure it has a minimum of one eighth inch of fall per foot maximum quarter inch of fall per foot and the purpose of that is to make sure all the waste flows in the direction it's intended to flow so for like Jose the being a plumber's apprentice like no that's not that's not the right level and Emanuel is like saying yes it is it's so manuel you said it you said it fantastically right it's um the application of math varies by each discipline but man math is everywhere and if any like in construction it is crazy everywhere but the fact that you all have a command of math is absolutely gonna propel your careers because you probably noticed that your peers maybe aren't as good as math at math as you are they may not be able to add and subtract fractions in their heads and do conversions the way you guys do. So that'll make you stand out you know above like that on top of the perseverance that y'all bring to the table that you learned from your mom like you guys got a lot going for you. You know and and both of y'all have have talked about your passion about continuous learning. And when I say continuous learning I'm referring to the time that y'all spent at university at University Incarnate Word.

SPEAKER_00 48:12

And I so far Renee have you gotten any indication that these guys are gonna give up on to on learning more and expanding their knowledge no hell no you know um to talk about that you know I feel like kind of humbled I guess in you guys' presence because you were talking about that story about how you had to go to work from 7 to 3 30 had to ask your boss you know to get off early in an hour to make it to school and you showed up in your uniform and stuff all dirty and stuff with a hard hat in front of all these college kids and then take the class and then still go home on the bus I was like dude like I feel I I feel kind of shitty to be honest with you because when I was your age I I didn't have half those challenges you know and I was bitching and complaining about taking a a class that wasn't in my degree plan you know what I mean and and that was enough to make me fold you know like that was enough like hey I don't even know why I'm doing this you know I want to be a paleontologist why am I taking a a history class on you know United States government or whatever you know what I'm saying like I the those kind of small first world issues what was enough to make me fold but you had the most you had to go through the ringer to get there you know what I'm saying and like that's why I feel like I was like man like I'm kind of blown away by you guys's perseverance and stuff and your challenges that you had to overcome so I I I mean there's no there's no way I have the most faith that you guys are gonna continue your education right like it's obvious like you guys are gonna y'all are gonna have a huge impact on the world for sure and so on on that line I mean you're both Jose you're a plumbing apprentice what second third year now uh well by by hours yeah by hours by hours I should be uh getting close to my third year when when you go into construction cures as soon as you're able to get your license they get it to you and and uh since we're taking classes with St.

SPEAKER_01 50:29

Phillips the ABC program so so technically I already had one year of school and hours and then when I went to T D industries I worked for three months and then uh so that adds hours and then I'm back and overtime that just adds up to to almost three years of of doing this plumbing.

SPEAKER_04 50:53

Yeah because you were studying you were studying plumbing when you were in high school yes right like you you got your OSHA 10 certification you learned about the tools the fittings yeah yeah we also uh had a partnership with St. Philips for for dual credit in the plumbing yeah so you're you're well on your way both of you guys are and man i i'll tell you this just keep learning whatever whatever it is keep learning i mean you're doing it just keep doing it don't give up and like renee said man you got yours y'all's story is I hope that other people hear this story and have the same feeling that Renee has because it's real man like you guys I mean well you got a a a one year old baby yes a soon to be wife she left soon to be wife what you're working y'all went to school you tried it because of financial reasons you had to make a different chain a change of direction and we all experience that man but you keep moving keep moving forward so that's burdensome that's hard right jose job at six flags full time job with T D going to night school taking public transportation right in San Antonio we call it the via right the via via the via bus transportation asking for rides uh like man you i'm y'all may not realize this but there are so many people out there that would give up at the first that that first roadblock and y'all just keep on pushing through and I mean one y'all absolutely hats off and and man much love to you guys you're an inspiration and and also or maybe even more so to your mom right because your mom set that example I mean your mom I would I got to meet your mom and it was awesome because she seemed like when you were interviewing or when y'all uh Jose when y'all came into T D to start that internship right because you did a summer of internship yeah actually working in the field with uh T D industries as a junior on your way to being a senior in high school and I remember your mom was just kind of like beaming with pride and a little nervous but she it was like yeah that's my mijo right I think your little sister was there with you yeah yeah my little sister too it was like a whole family thing and like wow look at look like yeah maybe she didn't want you guys to be suffering in the elements and working with your hands but it's evident that she's very proud of you guys and you guys are doing a a fantastic job of representing her and representing representing y'all's family.

SPEAKER_01 53:37

See Renee all these years you thought I was being hard on you right yeah for sure for sure that's what I'm talking about like I feel I feel kind of silly because I remember one of the things I would complain about is uh Jesse would convince my mom to put me in summer camps for like college preparatory classes and stuff and I didn't get to fart around with my friends and and I was pissed about that but like I said you guys I mean that's that's gonna be nothing for you you know yeah so I encourage you to stay on that bus like don't lose that dog that that driving you man stay on that bus so emmanuel you were you were a mariachi yes and and you wanted to be Cente so how do you feel about singing us a little a little piece I haven't sang in a long time honestly honestly I haven't sing in a long time like in a long time so like I completely understand we gotta respect the artist right yeah yeah oh man I love it what impact do you want to have on the world in the in your future honestly um I want my like my kid to like actually like see that uh to be an electrician right yep even if he was doesn't want to be an electrician I want him to like feel like pride of like workers like uh construction workers out there and I only want my kid but I want everybody to see it like that like construction workers are like they're even if they just look like they're not doing much like they are doing something like they build bridges they build like houses like they build like like big structures and stuff like that but like I guess like my point of view is like to inspire like um basically like to normalize the like constructions not only for like like um like immigrants because most of the like people say like like like immigrants are the ones who do the constructions but like I want them to like know that it's for everybody like it's easier to like it's not just an easy way out it's a like like a way for you to like inspire like yourself to be a hard worker and to like I just want to like people to know like it's hard work like um I want people to know like in this world it's like it's gonna be tough but hard work is where it's gonna get you places like even if it seems tough like even if it's like really tiring on your back really tiring on your on your legs or even on your mind like on your mental health hard work it's what's gonna get you through like even if it's just by studying just by like reading like that hard work is going to get you through your whole life uh dedication too like hard work and dedication is what like it's gonna get you through yeah man and you're living it you're you're you're living it by you're showing people just by the way you roll beautiful how about you Jose what what think footprint do you want to leave up live on the wall one of the footprints I want to leave it's it's uh more about like plumbing I I heard your the your first podcast right you know how I asked you uh I want to hear right yeah um you were talking about how people see plumbers right um and and how they like make fun of them and things like that well see when when I got into plumbing I had this teacher and I know you I know you know him John Aubrey he was telling me that one time he went to those meetings you know those uh those meetings that the you have with the license you go your punctuation into uh yeah continuate right and he was telling us that the reason why you see a lot of old people in construction is because younger adults don't see construction like they they don't want to do that they they try to get away from it and and I want to show that like it yeah it looks like hard work it's knowledge is something that you can use to your advantage you know it's it's a it's another like like let's say put it like in a video game right it's an achievement right like in the like a a little like like you got this right right so so yeah so even though people see like plumbing as a bad thing right I I'm I'm a I'm a witness of that right plumbing yeah they make fun of it and stuff like that but I've been working in it and and and it's not it's not what people say right yeah you got those typical plumbers right yeah but but then there's others you're starting to see a little a lot more uh apprentices young young adults right and and we're all range from the 25 I think the oldest is 25 we all range from 25 to 18 so so that's that that's like the youngest so I just want them to see that like plumbing it's not it's not a bad thing it's it's not the stereotypical it's not it's not oh look at uh plumbers crack stuff like that you know yeah yeah yeah you know fat and and you know how they like some people think that plumbers have fat right yeah I'm gonna tell you that's not true can I add something to that right so I've been having a hard time to find an electrical tool belt because they're all big I think it sounds like you need to eat some more tacos uh I I eat a lot with with those with with with the company I'm working at we eat a lot of takeout right yeah so I gain a few pounds like I used to like I weigh a lot and now I weigh like I used to weigh what like 110 and I weigh 130.

SPEAKER_04 59:27

It was a full like 20 pounds like that I gained just like yeah yeah well I have no sympathy for you in my I'm jealous you you're struggling but that that's awesome I mean and that's the reality right like and really that's the purpose of this podcast is there's this stereotype right that that the public at large thinks um construction workers are just big fat uneducated feral beasts and and you guys are evidence that that is not true you guys are educated very smart driven and right now skinny start getting that dad bought in a few years you know hey yeah the dad bots coming in my man you better watch out so yeah man I appreciate you guys um on many levels uh one I appreciate you guys giving us your time um and working through you know the tech little technical difficulties we had at the very beginning oh yeah um it's cool like thank you for dealing with all of that I appreciate you guys for and for representing our industry you guys are are fantastic representations of of what can be in our industry right and and also you're also representing your generation right because a lot of a lot of the gray hairs the a lot of the a lot of the dudes with the kannas like like my highlights right my silver highlights um a lot of people think uh employers believe that young folks don't want to enter the trades because I mean you probably heard it right because they're millennials and they don't want to work with their hands and all of this and you guys are proof that that that's that again that that is false. So you're not only breaking the stigma around construction workers you're also breaking the stigma around around your generation right the people of your age group that are thriving and can actually add tremendous value to these companies if they would just open their eyes a little bit and and go and recruit and find the right individuals so thank you for that for continuing to do that.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:47

And so in closing Jose what advice do you have for the eighth graders out there that are going to be selecting making uh selections for the next four few four years you know what I actually have an answer to that one my high school just contacted me because uh they're taking aluminis to go back or or to talk to to the the the seniors that are graduating and and and one of my advice is uh apply to all of them right because you have nothing to lose just another like a little achievement right on your on your little video game popping up you're gonna learn from it it's maybe see this as a a future career is something that you're knowledgeable about and that you have experience on and it's always good to know more in life you can't just know one thing right you gotta know a lot like I'm I'm a witness that like I I bought this car I had to fix the the radiator it was overheating right I didn't know anything about mechanics but I had to learn to let's say like survive renee I saw you smile when he talked about fixing a radiator yeah no I'm like thinking I'm like dude did you buy my car because I had a car just like that I bet you anything some of the skills you apply on plumbing apply to the to fixing your car right how to use the tools right exactly like how to use the tools yeah and same thing I had I have this freaking 1996 uh accura integrain fast in the furious Vin Diesel and and it would it would blow up on me and I go outside I'm I'm like okay cool and I I freaking finish the shower real quick and I walk outside and I see a smoke coming from the hood of my car and my car is off I lift the hood and there's an electrical fire in there and it's because I had the the radiator fan wired to the battery to make it work it was only gonna work that way so should have called the electrician and I should have called Emmanuel you know what we call that like us electricians we call that a mexicanada okay somehow it has to come out somehow and that's that that's like a top 10 mexicanana like that i i never heard about that one that was actually nice hook up the radiator to the battery just to make it work I guess I guess that was good stuff all right so last question for you Emanuel got a you got a one year old son what wisdom do you have that you intend to share with him as he's becoming a young man honestly hard work dedication and like not judge people by the like their their ways of looking you know how the whole like the Black life matters and the whole like you know every everything that's going on you know that's why I want to leave like him to like like not judge people not judge somebody by the cover of like how they dress how they do like what they do like I just want him to understand that like there's the you're one person and everybody else is like another person like they're they're they're living their own life so like it's okay for them to live their own lives like sometimes you just gotta like even if it's not your point of view like you just have to agree with them.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:16

Like that's what they believe in and that's what they believe in you know and like the hard work because um like um sometimes he you know he's a little kid so like he's trying to get something out like you know he's trying to like put things together that they don't work and like and like I'm one of those persons that like um last time we were playing with the little tool set and he was like playing with the little screw like little screw right and he really wanted to put it through a hole and he couldn't do it. So so I was like you know what like the if it doesn't if it's not gonna work let's try it another way. So then I tr like helped him out to see if like to make him go through another way. So like I just want him to like know that it's hard work. Like he has to like understand that like if it's like that like He's gonna find a way. Like it's all about the thinking, it's all about working hard. Even if it's like uh I know one time he wanted like uh rip an airplane apart, like a little like wooden airplane, and um uh I I was showing him like basically how to do it, but I didn't really want him to do it. Next thing I know, he like slammed it to the ground and it broke, and he was so happy about it. I was like, if that's what makes you happy, that's okay. Like so it broken. So I had to fix it though, but like it was broken, so now it's like if he wanted it to break, so it's broken now. Like it's just hard work, do whatever you feel like it's right. Uh don't judge people on what they their appearances, their like uh sexuality, their like their beliefs. Basically, that's what I want to leave him. I want to leave him to like not judge hard work and dedication, like do whatever you think it's right.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:53

Yeah, man, that is that is beautiful advice for your son and for the rest of the world. Accept people for who they are, work hard, find a way. It's about the thinking. That's beautiful, man. Well, Renee, you got any final comments? Since you were so rude and you didn't ask me.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:18

One piece of advice that I I'd like to learn, and I I guess it's it applies to you guys too, since since you're six years younger than me. And I don't even think you really need this. I think you already know. But for the for my son and for the rest of the world, life is not a race. You know, I was so set on I gotta go to college and I gotta get this certain degree, and if and if I and I was I had this path in my head that if I I believed in my head that if I got off this path, it was over for me, and that's it. Like I missed the bus, and I'm not, and the next bus is not ever coming. That's what I believed when I was your age. So I I missed I missed the bus and I I got on a path of self-destruction. I'm on the right path now, and I realize it's not over, and I'm I'm doing I I my my uh I work in uh the water, I work for San Antonio Water System, right? I'm a I'm a leak detection technician. I had no idea I was gonna end up here, you know. I I had no idea I was gonna be working with my hands and working with a pipe wrench and fixing water main. I didn't ever I had no idea I was gonna do that, but I only got here because I missed the bus per se. And I love it. I love this job. You know, it's not over for me, and and it doesn't have to be over. If you if you miss, if you if you didn't get on, if you didn't stay on that path that that you thought you were gonna be, there's always there's always something else, and it can be it can become meaningful.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:54

Well said, life is not a race, guys. This was this was awesome. I really appreciate y'all giving me your time, sharing your insight. Uh we learned a new word, mexicanadas. Mehicanadas. That's a new word I'm adding to my vocabulary. Um, and man, I I really I look forward to to interviewing y'all again in the future, right? Because there's no doubt in my mind that you guys are gonna y'all are gonna do amazing things. Um, so thank you. Thank you for your time, and we'll do this again next time. Well, that's the end of this episode. Thank you for being gracious and sharing your time with us. We ask that you show us some love on social media, give us some honest, actionable feedback, uh, help us understand if we're headed in the right direction and and providing an entertaining and insightful experience for you. You can also give us that feedback uh directly via email at jessie at learnins and missteps.com. So thanks again. Be cool, and we'll talk at you next time.