WASHINGTON — Working underground, you never know what can happen.
That thought never was never far from Leroy Friend’s mind during the 18 years he worked in the coal mines of West Virginia. Mining is difficult, dangerous work. But like many people who grew up where he did, the Oakland, Maryland native understood that you stick with a steady job that offers good pay. But deep down, he couldn’t dismiss that feeling, “It wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
Then one day, the married father of two found the air conditioning had gone out at his home –so he called a tech to come and make the repairs, and watching the tech work—he thought that was it. He’d worked on the equipment in the coal mines, and his skills as a mechanic were transferable: he wanted to become an HVAC technician. But that would require training and certification.
Friend did his homework, looked around and decided to make the move. He would change careers and that meant pulling up stakes from Western Maryland to Montgomery County. He was hired by Shapiro and Duncan, a Rockville-based firm that offered an apprenticeship program with classes leading to certification at Montgomery College.
Ed Roberts, Instructional Dean at the Gudelsky Institute for Technical Education at Montgomery College, explains the apprenticeships lead to certification through the U.S. Department of Labor, and those certificates are valid anywhere in the country. “So those qualifications are portable,” he says.
Going for the certification meant a four-year commitment: Friend took classes two nights a week and worked full time. “I loved it”, he says, adding he’d like to return to get his associate’s degree, and eventually, he’d like to get a master’s.
Friend, who spoke at MC’s commencement ceremonies on Friday says anyone who feels as he did—that they are in the wrong job—should find what it is they want to do, and get the training and education they need to make that happen. “I preached it to my kids and you know, I lived it.”
Kate Ryan contributed to this report
