When All the Pieces Fall into Place

When Kimberly Moss was between jobs in her previous career as a lab quality supervisor, construction hadn’t occurred to her as a next step.

“I thought I would still be in quality,” says Kimberly, a native of Opelika, Alabama. “I had gone to a couple of Goodwill’s job fairs, and they contacted me and let me know about Construction Ready. Since I wasn’t working, my thought process was, ‘Why not try something new?’”

At that time, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers had already hosted Construction Ready’s Pre-Apprenticeship training in Columbus, Newnan and other Georgia locations. Now the partners were bringing the four-week program to Alabama, with Opelika Group 1 learning – as all CR Pre-Apprenticeship classes do – basic skills, safety practices, interviewing techniques and much more.

“The program gave us an opportunity to see what the construction environment would be like,” Kimberly says. “We learned about flagging, power tools, First Aid, safety. We got our OSHA-10 [credential], and after the program was over, we had the opportunity to do OSHA-30, which I went on and completed.

“A big challenge for me,” she continues, “was I always felt like I would do something wrong. But our instructor made sure everybody knew what they were doing, taught us the correct way to do it, and made sure we were able to do it by ourselves.”

After completing the program on April 25, 2025, Kimberly was placed into full-time employment with Thalamus, LLC, an electric and data contractor serving the Auburn/Opelika area.

Kimberly works as an Inventory Manager for Thalamus. She’s found the position and the company to be an ideal fit.

“It is very exciting,” she says. “The people are very helpful and family-oriented. Any questions I have about materials or about how something works, I can ask anybody who’s been here and they will answer. If they don’t know, they will point me in the right direction.

“What I enjoy most about my job,” she continues, “is the strong sense of teamwork and shared purpose. Everyone is committed to the mission, supports one another, and works together to make a meaningful impact. Being part of a team that is passionate about changing lives and helping people succeed makes coming to work each day rewarding.”

Kimberly is so invested in her new career, she’s building on her education by pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology through the University of Phoenix.

“I love computers and I love the inventory side,” she says. “I’m studying Information Technology so I can learn how to make the inventory process even better than what we’re doing right now.”

Kimberly’s story echoes that of many other Construction Ready Pre-Apprenticeship students who have discovered skills and career opportunities they never would have envisioned otherwise.

“This process has given me more confidence to let me know that anything you put your mind to, you can do it,” she says. “I never thought about being able to read a tape measure correctly or use a laser to make sure things are straight, or pick out different tools and be able to use them correctly. Not only is it helping me in my career, it’s helping me at home as well.”

To anyone considering a career change, Kimberly enthusiastically endorses Construction Ready’s mantra of “Trained, Credentialed and Ready to Work.”

“It doesn’t matter what you may have done in the past or what you want to do in the future,” she says. “This program will give you a chance to explore different avenues and be able to do a lot more than you’ve already done, and it can give you a chance to get partnered with a great company like I have.”