Valuable Investment

In March 2024, Alan Schley Jr. enrolled in Construction Ready’s Pre-Apprenticeship training at Westside Works. He had some HVAC/R experience on his resume, but he was out of work at the time. Today the 37-year-old is enjoying a rewarding career as an HVAC/Maintenance Tech with Meridian Management Group, a property management company, at Netherley Park Apartments in Union City. In the following interview, Alan details his journey into construction, his job responsibilities, and much more.

What was your first experience with construction?
I took construction classes for four years at Lovejoy High School. One week our instructor, Mr. Jacob Price, took me and a couple other students with him to a Habitat for Humanity project. First day, it was just a slab of concrete. By the third day, we had the basics done to where it was in skeleton form. I learned how to work with some power tools, like a drill, a circular saw, a band saw. Also measuring tapes, chalk lines … that was my introduction to anything hands-on.

What did you do after high school?
I spent about 10 years, from 2006 to 2016, just trying to find my way. Working warehouse jobs, security jobs, fast food, just trying to figure it out. Eventually you get tired of the same old thing. I was talking to someone who pointed out the difference between a job and a career, and that kind of stuck with me. I wanted to have something valuable that I could take with me.

I went to the United Education Institute [UEI] in Morrow in 2017. They had a nine-month program in HVAC/R. There was something about HVAC/R that I liked. I just ran with it. I went from earning $8.50 to $13 an hour to $18 to $27 an hour. I bounced around different properties in Atlanta working as a maintenance tech. It was good because it kept me employed. But the travel was hard.

How did you come to enroll in Construction Ready’s Pre-Apprenticeship training?
I was working at a property [near Westside Works] and a resident asked me how I liked my job. What skills did I have? Had I thought about going back to school and getting some more skills? What she said really got my attention. When I learned about Construction Ready, it was like a no-brainer. I could go ahead and sign up for the program, graduate, and elevate from there using the skills the program teaches.

What challenges did you overcome while you were in the program?
The hardest thing was staying committed. But looking at the bigger picture is what kept me going. I was investing in myself – that’s how I looked at it. And the classmates I was with kind of made it easier. We motivated each other.

What has your life been like since graduating from the Construction Ready program?
I was initially matched with a company that loads and unloads trucks with steel products. I got an offer from MMG to make $2 more an hour, and now that’s been almost a year [as of February 2025]. I work on the AC systems whenever there’s a problem here. I work a lot on furnaces. I also work refrigerators and stoves, I put in install toilets, light fixtures, doors – whatever needs to be done in an apartment. Just fixing whatever’s messed up, and then seeing the resident smiling, happy that it is fixed.  The skills have helped me since I graduated. I definitely use them.

Construction Ready made a difference in my life by helping me with my communication  and my time management. I think the training kind of got me ahead of a couple other people, just from me having the OSHA-10 [certification], and asking questions and answering questions the right way. [But] I’m not settling – I still want more.

What would tell someone considering enrolling in Construction Ready training?
Go ahead and do it. Don’t be scared. Invest in yourself. You’re worth it.  You deserve it now. They teach you more than just how to work with tools. They teach you life skills. They help you get in the door. You have to sell yourself.