Graduate Connections – Meet Anthony Guy

Anthony, 57, was born in Mesa, Arizona. He completed the Electro-Mechanical Technologies program before completing the additional courses needed to earn his diploma in Electrical Applications (EA) in October 2023. 

Thanks for your time, Anthony; what did you do before coming to RSI? 

Well, it’s quite a story. After high school, I served in the U.S. Air Force; I was active duty from 1985 to 1989, and then inactive for four years. I was in Supply while in the military and stationed in England. I did a lot of drinking, a lot of alcohol, a lot of partying. I did drugs for 28 years. I had my own home maintenance business at times. I was a recovery coach at times, I was a tin man doing duct work for Chaz Roberts for a while. I was also in and out of rehab many times over the years. But I quit drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, August 22, 2022. I actually left rehab early to enroll at RSI. I was supposed to start the 15-month Mechanical Maintenance Engineering associate degree program in October.

Why did you change your mind?

I didn’t want to be in school for 15 months. I wanted to express it. I was supposed to be in rehab for 90 days, but stuff there was pissing me off, so I left after two months to take this opportunity. The doctor agreed I should take it and run with it. I’ve got to say, out of the many times that I did go to rehab in my life, this time I really feel like I got it. It’s been really motivating for me, obviously in a number of ways. 

What made you decide to complete the two RSI programs?

From my home maintenance/handyman business years before, the only thing that I didn’t know much about was air conditioning. It was a no brainer for me. The thing that really motivated me the most was that the Solar class within the program. It’s dedicated solely to solar photovoltaic systems. I loved that class; I think Arizona should be number one in solar, but whatever reason we’re not. 

So, that’s why I did the EMT program first for the air conditioning and solar training. But that program encompasses some electrical classes, both commercial and residential. When I found out that I’d already completed three or four classes of the EA program, it was just an additional three classes to get a second diploma. So, I decided to get a student loan and pay for it myself, rather than the VA paying for it like they did for the EMT program. Because I’m a veteran, the VA was kind enough to have a program available that helped me; it paid for me to go to school and paid for the school lien. The program was called the Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program (VRRAP), but they closed it in December 2022.

How did you discover RSI in the first place?

I love music; that’s really what I wanted to do. I wanted to sing, and I wanted to play the tambourine; I used to watch YouTube, jacked out or whatever, in my little apartment. A video or commercial came on with this guy asking me if I wanted to change my life. Do I want to make more money than I’d dreamed? I kept thinking this guy was talking to me; just imagine the state of mind I was in though. I saw that video so many times that when I did get clean, I thought, I want to know more about RSI! 

That’s how impactful that particular video was to me. That’s the beauty of this whole thing. I even got my brother Chris to go to RSI with me – he’s finishing the Engineering degree in February – as well as a buddy of mine from rehab. He was the one who tipped me off on the VA stuff, on how to get the funding. So, from a video, that one little seed was planted in my brain and voila, I went from a junkie to getting two diplomas, and now working in the field. I’m doing better than I have ever done in my whole life, to be honest with you.

Well congratulations on the turnaround! What did you enjoy most about your time at RSI?

I think the people, the staff, the instructors, and their personalities; the way that each trainer taught was different. Each one was dynamic in their own way. From my initial intake experience with Deb, my advisor, to the Director of Training, David Heiman, it was always a pleasurable experience for me. It was always a very good positive reinforcing experience with each person I met. Everybody there was just fantastic.

Did the program come easy to you, or did you have frustrations?

I had a lot of moments where it was eye-opening to me, like learning the dynamics of electricity. Some of that stuff blew me away. But it took a lot of patience on my part, to just try and absorb what was coming at me. Yes, it was difficult, but it was all explained, if you know what I mean? That’s where the patience came in, as well as doing the homework and the dedication of the staff to help you through it. If I didn’t understand something, I guarantee you I was the first one to ask a question!  

So, where are you working?

I work for Quattro Climate Control in Scottsdale, Arizona. I just finished my first week. Quattro provides HVAC packages and installations for new construction projects in Arizona, Texas, Florida, and Missouri. They’re expanding and growing across the country. I’ve started as an installation helper/technician, a little bit of everything until we figure each other out!

How did you get the job, did Career Services help?

Cooper in Career Services did his part, getting me in front of people at job fairs, sending my résumé out, but for whatever reason a lot of people passed me over. Anyway, about a year ago, I was in Home Depot wearing my RSI shirt and I got talking to a guy – I’m a talker – and we hit it off. Everybody calls him Bob the builder, a great guy. Anyway, Bob called a friend at Quattro and got me an interview. I honestly thought this one would turn out like everything else, but it was fantastic. I explained that before RSI, the only experience I had was I was as a tin man for Chaz Roberts, a local air conditioning company – I knew how to hang and build duct work. I had no experience working on units or refrigeration. Anyway, it took a while for their Florida HR department to do the background check and all of that, but I finally got an offer letter, and I accepted it!

Congratulations. Are you happy starting off as a helper?

Yeah, it’s good because I’m pretty much a straight shooter. I know that even though I went to school, experience is key. These systems are complicated, and I don’t want to screw up a system. It’s good to get out there and be with a company who have put me alongside somebody who’s seasoned, to give me confidence that I do know what I’m doing. Repetition is important. You ask anyone, even doctors and lawyers, it’s always like 10% was what you learned in school and 90% was learning on the job, doing something over and over.

At 57, where do you see your career going from here?

I don’t see myself leaving Quattro; I like where I’m at and what I’m doing. Quattro has been good to me from the get-go, they really have. It’s almost like RSI in that every encounter was positive. So, could I have gone somewhere else and got a $5,000 signing bonus? Okay, but some of the other perks that I get and the people that I’ve met here outweigh that. 

I’m just going to shoot straight with you. Coming out of the fog of my past, it was time for me to step up and be a father and a provider to my kids. I didn’t know how to do that. I just knew how to do all the wrong stuff in life. For me to start over and try to be a productive member of society and figure this all out was difficult enough, so, I still don’t know what my future holds, but I can tell you this, I’ll just keep doing the next right thing…one step and one day at a time. 

That’s very inspirational. What’s your ultimate career goal? 

As I said, I don’t see myself leaving Quattro, but I would like to also have my own home inspection business on the weekends. There’s a DES Home Inspection program I was approved for that I’m moving forward with. That’s going to require me to go for six weekends to learn how to do home inspections, then I have to do 80 certifications or 80 inspections with a licensed inspector. I have all this maintenance experience, I’m pretty good at details like that, so I’m looking forward to it. So that’s what my future looks like right now as I see it. 

What advice do you have for new students to be successful at RSI? 

I like the idea of making a change to your life; look at me, change is possible. It really is. You don’t have to be everything that you used to be. You can actually be somebody who’s productive and worthwhile.

Honestly, to be successful at RSI, remember these three words: Trust the process. Some things are revealed to you early in the program that you may not understand at the time; you may just have questions and think it’s not making the impact it should…but trust the process. All will be revealed. It will come together. It’s worth it. We’re in Arizona; you can’t go wrong with an EMT education for A/C and refrigeration. How could that be a bad career choice here? It can only do you a lot of good, especially if you’re young, starting a family, brand new to it with your whole life ahead of you. It’s a wise choice to spend your money on education. 

If you’re an RSI 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) and program.