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Joseph's Story
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Goodwill Program: Construction Training
“Goodwill taught me every day is a working day. The more you know, the more you grow and the further you can go. This has been a blessing in my life.”
On paper, Joseph Bryant’s resume highlights his Construction Training with Goodwill. In person, the 45-year-old Concord resident will tell you Goodwill inspired him to transform his life.
Less than a year after completing the 4 1/2 –week training program, Bryant already owns his own construction company called “It Shall Be Construction.”
The training, he says, laid the foundation for a career that continues to evolve. He’s added HVAC tech training and is hoping to use his construction skills in the movie business. Becoming a licensed contractor is also on his upcoming agenda.
Bryant isn’t shy about his past and is a self-described “work in progress.” The father of three children, he overcame a past of alcohol and drug addiction, depression and even 11 months in jail – “bad choices” that inspired him to reinvent himself for a better future.
“I wanted to be the dad I was supposed to have been and the child that my parents could be proud of one day,” Bryant says. “You can make a mistake and rise above that experience. You can become even more successful.”
After a four-year absence from the workforce, what Bryant needed was someone to believe in him – personally and professionally.
With the help of New Life Fellowship Church and its pastor, John P. Kee, Bryant built up the “courage to face my fears and guilt of my past” so he would be ready to work again.
Next stop: Goodwill
Bryant worked in construction on and off over the years, but never with the proper certification – inconsistencies that led to lower pay and lost opportunities.
With limited funds to pay for proper training, Goodwill’s free job training program was the ideal “starting point” for certifications. He quickly created a resume that included the OSHA certification, construction math skills, forklift training and a proven attendance record.
“I really have something now that I can take to an employer in a professional manner,” says Bryant, adding Goodwill helped him work towards his childhood ambitions of being an architectural design contractor.
What he didn’t expect from Goodwill’s training – life skills.
“Goodwill taught me that you have to adapt. You have to change as life changes and evolves. You have to change with the economy,” Bryant explains. “They taught me how to set realistic goals and objectives.
“Goodwill taught me every day is a working day. The more you know, the more you grow and the further you can go.”
Bryant is now passionate on paying it forward to others – sharing his Goodwill experiences and hiring people who need an opportunity or second chance, like he once did.
“I want to just drive people to Goodwill and show them what happens within these four walls. If you leave your baggage at the door, you can walk away with some valuable information that can help you for the rest of your life,” Bryant adds.
“This has been a blessing in my life.”
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