Graduate Connections – Meet Deion Fulton

Deion, 22, was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, before moving to Tucson, Arizona in 2017. Deion completed the seven-month Electrical Applications (EA) program at RSI in November 2023. 

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

I moved here when I was about 16; I finished high school and got my first job at 18 working at a grocery store. I did that for a while, and then discovered that I loved working warehouse jobs. I drove a forklift and got good at it. But I happened to get laid off from the last warehouse job I had, and that was my gateway to RSI. 

What made you decide to go to a trade school, particularly RSI?

I looked at plenty of apprenticeships and different schools that offered in-field work as well as schoolwork, but none of them compared to RSI in my opinion. RSI might not put you in the field to go work as part of your school experience, but I feel staying in school is the most authentic way of learning this trade. I mean, anybody can learn how to connect wires from here to there, but it’s a lot more valuable to know the when, where, and why behind it, as well as the ‘how’. That’s what RSI gave me, which is very valuable in any trade that they offer, honestly. When I visited, I immediately knew that RSI was where I wanted to go.

Where did the idea of becoming an electrician come from?

I’ve always been interested in electricity. I grew up doing landscaping, contracting, things like that with my family. So, I’ve had experience here and there as far as trades go. But electrical is always something that came back up, and I really do enjoy it. 

So, you only considered the EA program at RSI?

One program that did interest me was the EMT program (Electro-Mechanical Technologies). That’s more HVAC mixed in with the electrical side. You get both of those skills all in one nine-month program, which is really a great, great program. But Electrical Applications was definitely the one for me. I loved all seven months of it, and I’m proud to say that not even a month after I finished school, I’m out in the field as an electrician!

Awesome – congratulations! What did you enjoy most about your time at RSI?

The positive environment, and the willingness to help from everybody that’s employed there. From your very first to your very last class, you’re totally supported front to back. Career services have your back, Financial Aid has your back, your teachers have your back, that’s the teachers you know and the ones you don’t. I mean, I got help and advice from teachers that I’d never taken a class with. 

Everybody loves you there and everybody treats you like family. When you have that type of support, it makes your schooling experience way better. If I didn’t understand something, I never felt that nobody had time for me. I could always call on a teacher to come and help me out, even if there was no one else in class.

Did it come easy to you, or did you have days where you thought maybe this trade wasn’t for you?

I can honestly say I didn’t have any days where I thought this wasn’t for me, I didn’t get to that point. But I did have moments where I was like, “I don’t understand this. I don’t know if I’ll pass this test!” Just a lot of “maybes” and “maybes” are hard when you’re in school to get an education. You do start to doubt yourself. 

How did you get past those moments?

I could always count on somebody to help me. So, even when I did have those moments, it was never for too long because whether it was a classmate or a teacher, somebody would always come to help me out.

So, ask for help. Don’t suffer in silence! 

Yeah, for sure. But I mean, RSI is so beautiful that sometimes speaking up isn’t even something you have to do. I saw plenty of teachers who were just like, “Okay, you’re a straight A student or you don’t really ever get a C, but I see that you see you got a lower grade on this quiz. Is there something that you need help with? What’s up?” And that’s just really commendable. There are those teachers who will come to seek you out. Ask for help if you need it, but not everyone is comfortable doing that.

Students at RSI are all at different points in life. Some people go to RSI who are well over 40, there are some in their late teens or early twenties. There are some in their thirties. So, a lot of people don’t feel comfortable asking questions. So, I found that really helpful, as far as the teacher check-ins go, because whether or not you feel prideful about asking for help or asking for clarity, you’re going to get that help no matter what! Whether you ask for it or not, if they see you struggling, they are going to help you. One of my teachers always said, “You like it or not, you’re going pass this class!

So, you finished school three weeks ago, where are you working?

I work with SAS Electric. They’re an independent electrical contractor out of Phoenix, Arizona.  

Did RSI Career Services help you find the job?

Oh yeah, for sure. Cooper in Career Services is a great guy, I love him to death. I was a Student Ambassador, which was a really great program within RSI. You help out at events, you’re tutoring. You just really get more in tune with the whole schooling experience. And you have better job opportunities. Cooper definitely helped me a lot; he helped me get the previous job I had through one of the career fairs that RSI holds every three months, which is a great deal. I mean, every three months you can’t beat that. Then he also helped me with my current job at SAS Electric. He actually sent them my résumé, and they called me back. They were super excited to hire me, and I was super excited to come on board. It was a beautiful fit! 

So, your previous job was while you were at school?

Yes. So, in my third month, phase three, I secured a job at an RSI career fair as a Maintenance Tech at a property. I was grateful that they worked with my school schedule, so I worked with them all throughout school. After I finished, I transitioned into being an electrician and started with SAS.

Was it exciting to get your first official paycheck as an electrician, albeit as an apprentice?

It felt pretty good. I’m above the pay grade that an apprentice electrician typically gets, and that’s just because I worked so hard in school. That’s what people have to understand. You can breeze through RSI, you can finish, you can have your trade, but what you make of your time at RSI will really affect your position when you graduate. I had 100% attendance; I never missed a day. I had a 4.0 GPA. I worked super, super hard to get where I am now. It wasn’t easy, wasn’t easy at all. I stayed up late a lot, I woke up early a lot, but I got through it. I got to a place where it’s good enough for me and it’s a great look for employers. 

Explain that a little more; I think it’s important.

If you take yourself seriously during your education, it shows that people can take you seriously anywhere else. If an employer sees that you have 95/100% attendance, that you always show up or that you call if you can’t, they see those things and they say, “Okay, we will hire this person because they take themself serious.” It’s not just about the grades, it’s not just about what you’ve learned and what you know. It’s about the work ethic that’s behind that, the hard work, how much you’re willing to do, the perseverance, all that. It’s not about what you’ve done, it’s about how you’ve done it.

That’s great advice. What do you enjoy most about your new trade?

I can’t stand repetition when it comes to a job. If I come in to do the same exact same thing I did yesterday or the day before, I’m not going to be very happy about coming to work. That’s something you never really find in the electrical trade. There’s always a problem, something you have to figure out. You have to think on your feet. You can’t always follow schematics or a blueprint to a T, sometimes you’ve got to get it there using your good old thinking cap. That’s what I really like about it, the problem solving, the speed of thought required, and the variety of work. 

There’s so much you can do in the electrical trade period, but even within one company, you can do so much different work. The sites are not always the same, the job’s not always the same. You might be working with some of the same equipment, or you might be doing some of the same operations as far as wiring this to that or taking this from there to there, but your core concern is not going to be the same, and that’s what I like about it.

What’s your ultimate career goal, Deion? 

I have it planned out for the next 10 years! So, I’m 22 now. I’ve done the hardest part, which is the schooling. I’ve gotten my 700 hours of schooling out the way, so I’m now working towards my 8,000 hours of in-field experience to be a journeyman or a licensed contractor. That will allow me to just to do my own work, make 100% of the money, stuff like that. That’ll take about four years. So, we’re looking at me being about 26 now. So, by the time 26 gets here, I’m my own contractor. I’m making pretty good money. That’s when I’m going to go back to school for an Electrical Engineering degree which will take four years. So, fast forward and I’m 30 and I’m now an Electrical Engineer. 

That is a real plan – love it! Do you see yourself staying with SAS for a while?

I don’t like to call things too early, like being permanent too early, but so far so good. I’m not really a person that bounces around too much, so if you treat me good, I’ll stay. And so far, they’ve pretty much treated me like family. I’d love to finish it all the way out until I go back to school at least.

Did you make some connections at RSI, people you stay in touch with?

Yeah, for sure. RSI has a great lifetime connection where if you finish school, you can always come back. There’s always going to be something for you to learn, someone that’s going to teach you something, you’re never alone. I still text one of my favorite teachers, Tom Morrow. I texted him yesterday actually about an AC unit I was working on. He’s not much of an AC guy, but he loves to help. He loves to figure things out. Whenever I need help, he’s always there with an answer. 

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

You might not always understand what’s going on in the moment but worry not. It’ll always come together. I told my classmates; you just have to get through the first two weeks and then the rest is okay. That first two weeks of school are just everything that you know nothing about. It is kind of overwhelming because you’re kind of getting dumped with all this information. From there, I can’t name a class where I wasn’t super confused the first week but persevere through the confusion. It will all come together beautifully!

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.