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22 G.I. JOBS | APRIL 2017 | GIJOBS.COM SUCCESS STORIES JUNIOR ENLISTED Ten years after getting out, Marine finds his career path as a safety trainer. PERSISTENCE PAYS WE HAD TO ASK! Age: 34 Military Service: Lance Corporal (E-3), Marine Corps (2001-2005) MOS: Combat Engineer (1371) LONG TIME COMING. It took Eric Escobedo more than 10 years after separat- ing from the Marine Corps to find his ideal career path. Escobedo, 34, trains new employees in Texas for Cajun Industries, a construction company specializing in structural concrete. SAFETY FIRST. It's a job he takes seriously, because, as in the Marine Corps, lives are at stake. "My biggest challenge is to try to find inventive ways to make safety stick to our new hires," he says. "We don't want them to just pass a test, we want them to live and work safely." NETWORKING WORKS. For Escobedo, getting hired at Cajun was like coming home. It was his first post-military job in 2005. He left, then came back in 2015. "I had com- pleted a welding program and began looking for a job in that field," he explains. He stopped at Cajun and ran into the HR manager he had known all his life. "She was able to bring me in as a processor. A position opened up for the new hire trainer; my management thought I would be a good fit, so I applied." EMOTIONAL TRANSI- TION. Escobedo enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2001 and participated in the initial push into Iraq in 2003. He decided to separate in 2005, but it didn't go well. "Honest- ly, it was an emotional transi- tion that I was not prepared for." His biggest concern: "Would I fail?" TEACHING SAFETY. Escobedo began preparing for his transition a month before his EAS. He didn't know what he wanted to do after the military. "It wasn't a decision that was made easily. I have only recently decided what path I'm going to take. I believe the best way for me to affect people's lives is through teaching them to live safely." BEST ADVICE? Persevere. Simply persevere. Childhood hero? My Dad Favorite sandwich, plus fixings: PB&JSJ;&T;&S; … Peanut Butter & Jalapeno Strawberry Jelly & Turkey & Salami. Look, it may sound weird, but you asked. Exercise you hate most? What's it called when you have to move your legs faster than they're supposed to go, your heart rate gets elevated quickly, when you think you can pull off the same 18.32 min 3-mile from 15 years ago but it turns into brisk turnaround to the car? Oh yeah, RUNNING!! Worst job? Kroger parking lot attendant What's in your refrigerator? All the ingredients for my PB&JSJ;&T;&S; and milk. New Hire Trainer Eric J. Escobedo Cajun Industries