Graduate Connections – Meet Damauri Speight

Damauri, 22, was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. He completed the seven-month Electrical Applications program at Tulsa Welding School in Jacksonville in January 2026. 

Thanks for your time, Damauri. What did you do before coming to TWS?

I graduated high school in 2022, but I’ve actually been working since I was 15. My first job was at Harvey’s Grocery Store. I worked there for a while, then left and tried a few different jobs, mostly in grocery stores. Then, after high school I got a job working in a mail room. I was a clerk downtown at Black Knight Financial.

Where did the idea of going to trade school come from? 

While I was at Black Knight, I wasn’t even thinking about getting into a trade. But I saw a lot of maintenance guys coming through the facility. I started asking them questions about what they did because I was curious. One guy told me he had gone to school for it. From my point of view, watching them work, it looked like a good job. They worked both inside and outside. Sometimes they had a little downtime between jobs, but they always stayed busy. I asked about the pay, what the work was like, and if it was hard. At the time I still wasn’t planning on going to school, but it made me curious. 

So, eventually what made you take the leap to go to school?

After working there for about two years, I started thinking about my next step as I was 21. I began looking at job listings to see what companies were hiring and what they were looking for. I noticed a lot of positions for technicians – HVAC, electrical, and manufacturing jobs – but most of them required some type of training or schooling. So, I thought to myself, “Okay, maybe I could go to school for seven or eight months.”

Are you the kind of person who likes school?

To be honest, no, I’m not really the type of person who enjoys traditional school. But when I learned more about Tulsa Welding School and their hands-on training, it really interested me. I learn better by doing things instead of just sitting in a classroom listening all day. When I heard that the program was about half classroom and half hands-on training, I felt like it was something I could handle.

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What made you choose the Electrical Applications program instead of HVAC?

The guys I talked to at my Black Knight did a little bit of both – some electrical work, some HVAC, and other maintenance tasks. When I spoke with TWS before enrolling, they asked what I wanted to do long term. I told them I was interested in going into facility maintenance. They suggested that the Electrical Applications program would be a good path for that because it would give me skills that apply to maintenance work. They explained that I would still get exposure to different things but would have a strong electrical foundation. At first, I actually thought I might go into HVAC because I was kind of deciding between HVAC and electrical. But in the end, since I wanted to work in maintenance, I decided that focusing on electrical made more sense.

Did you have any experience with electrical work? 

Not really. I did construction work for a while before the mail clerk job, but we didn’t deal with electrical work. It was mostly brick work and heavy labor – general construction work. So, when I started the program, electrical was completely new to me.

With no experience, how did you find the program? Did it come naturally to you?

I was nervous. I knew I was going in with no experience. There were definitely days where I thought, “Man, this is a lot. I hope I don’t mess this up.” At first it did feel overwhelming because I had no experience, but once I took the time to really learn it and understand it, I was proud of the progress I made.

How did you make that progress?

The school taught us that if you don’t know something, you should always ask. That’s what your instructors and classmates are there for. I’ve always been the type of person who asks questions when I don’t understand something. Before I touched anything or started working on something, I would ask someone to show me how it worked. I also tried to learn a lot just by listening and watching. Not asking questions is the real mistake. If you don’t ask questions, you won’t learn.

What did you enjoy most about your time in the program? 

What I enjoyed most was definitely the hands-on work. I liked going in not knowing how to do something and then figuring it out. I knew I wasn’t going to get everything right the first time, and that was okay. The important part was learning and understanding it. For me, once I started to understand how things worked, that’s when I really started enjoying it. You feel good when you finish a project and see that everything works the way it’s supposed to.

You graduated a couple of months ago. Where are you working now?

After I graduated, I found a job with the Florida Department of Health. When I finished school in January, I needed a job, so I applied for a position downtown at one of their buildings. I started working there as a lab technician. It was a temporary position and didn’t really have anything to do with electrical work.

But while I was there, I talked to the maintenance and electrical workers in the building. A lot of them had been working there for 30+ years and were starting to retire. I’d just graduated from school, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to move into that type of role as openings came up. I was able to move into a facilities maintenance technician position at the end of February.

That’s awesome. How did you end up getting that position?

When they were hiring, they needed references. Some of my old jobs weren’t responding, so my manager asked if I could provide references from people who knew my work. I gave him Maureen’s number from Career Services and also one of my instructors, Joe, from Tulsa Welding School. They spoke with him and put in a good word for me, and that helped me get the position.

What kind of work are you doing now as a facilities maintenance technician?

I’m still pretty new, but right now we’re doing a lot of different things. We’ve been installing lighting and setting up rooms for administrative staff. We also handle plumbing issues like leaks, and sometimes we work on things like toilets or other maintenance problems. There’s also HVAC work involved. We deal with things like chillers and equipment in the plant area. It’s really a mix of different tasks, so there’s always something new to learn. I like the variety. Every day can be a little different.

Are you satisfied with what you’re earning right now?

Right now, it’s okay. A lot of people say the state doesn’t pay the highest wages, but I’m focused on learning and gaining experience. The more experience you have, the more opportunities you’ll have to make more money. I’m making about $20 an hour right now, working 80 hours every two weeks. For me, it’s a good starting point because I’m getting paid while I continue learning on the job.

Congratulations. What’s your long-term career plan?

I do have a plan. My next step is to take a merchant seaman class so I can work on boats. The program I’m looking at is about four weeks long. After that, I could work in the electrical trade on boats and ships. I’d like to combine electrical with maritime work and travel. I’ll always have my trade skills as a backup plan. No matter where I go, I can always come back and work in electrical or maintenance.

Sounds like a plan! What do you enjoy most about working in the electrical trade?

For me it’s figuring things out. When you finish a job and everything works – like when you flip the switch after wiring up a room and the lights come on – you feel proud. You look back and think, “I did that.”

What advice would you give to new students starting at Tulsa Welding School?

I would tell them to keep going and be willing to make sacrifices. You have to think long term, not short term. Think about where you want to be in five or ten years. Sometimes things happen in life. When I was in school my car broke down and other problems came up, but I stayed focused on my goal of finishing the program. You just have to keep pushing forward. Think about your future.

If you’re a TWS graduate and would like to share your success and be an inspiration to others, please email [email protected] to be considered for a Graduate Connection interview. Please include details such as your graduation date (month/year), program, and campus name (Tulsa/Jacksonville/Houston/Dallas).