Graduate Connections – Meet Khalil Rmhen

Khalil, 49, is originally from Syria, but he moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in 2011. Khalil completed the Refrigeration Technologies program at Tulsa Welding School in Jacksonville in March 2024. 

Thanks for your time, Khalil. What did you do before enrolling in Tulsa Welding School?

Back in Syria, I had been plumbing since I was 19, so I was a master plumber there, I had my own plumbing shop. I was also an employee at a museum, and I also went to college to study law. I spent almost three years in school, I needed one more year, but sometimes life doesn’t work out the way you think. So, I had to stop, and then I kept working, working, working! I came to Jacksonville in 2011, and I never left.

Did you try plumbing over here? Or did you do other work?

I did some plumbing for friends or people I knew from Syria, but here you have to have a license for plumbing, you have to have license for electric, you have to have a license to open a window! Come on, I know how to do the job, why do I need a license? So, I just did some plumbing jobs for my friends, but I worked at a liquor and convenience store as a manager and a cashier for a long time.

Did you move here alone?

After I moved here in 2011, the war started in Syria. My family was stuck in Syria under the war. It was hard to live here without my family. Life was very hard; it was hard to do everything myself, hard to get my citizenship, hard to send money to my family with everything going on, and prices going up. Working at the liquor store, the convenience store, was hard. I had to deal with a lot of people there. That is one of the most difficult jobs you could ever have, dealing with what I had to deal with. I wanted to look for another job, but I decided to wait until I could get my family here, which finally happened in 2020. 

That’s great you got them here. So, where did the idea of going to refrigeration school come from? 

With my family finally here, I could be a little more relaxed on one side, but I still needed money to raise my family, to take care of them. I always knew I needed to go to school for something that would get me a license. But I wanted to go to school for something I’d like doing, something where I could make good money too. I wasn’t just going to spend $25,000 on school to just get a certificate or a license. No, I needed something that I would enjoy and that I could make good money doing.

So, how did you find your way to Tulsa Welding School?  

I have an older friend, and he did the HVAC program maybe 10 years ago, when he was 61 years old. He said to me, “Khalil, let me tell you something…If I could do it when I was 61, you can do it now in your 40s…and you’re smarter than me! You can do it!” That man is a very good friend to me, so he put the idea in my mind. When I saw it was a seven-month program, I said to myself, it’s time for me do it now.

What did you enjoy most about your time at TWS? 

It was hard; I can’t say I had time to enjoy it. I was in the morning shift; I finished at 12:30 PM and had to be at my job at 1:00 PM. So, I was always running, running, running. I did that every day for seven months. I got up before 7:00 AM to be on the road and I’d be home around 11:00 PM every day. I didn’t enjoy it, but I put it in my mind that I was going to do it, no matter what.

I did enjoy some of the instructors. We started with Basic Electric. The instructor for that was a very, very good man, and a nice instructor. His name was Mr. Clark, and I respect him today and every day. He was like 65 years old, and I tried to catch every word he’d say. English is my third language. At first, when we started, I felt a bit shy because of my English. But after one or two weeks, I’d say okay and when he gave us something, I would translate it on my phone, and I say, okay, that’s easy, that I know.

So, have you finally left the convenience store? Where are you working?

I work for JB Ritz Inc. They are a management company; they have almost 400 apartments on this property, and I work as part of the facilities team as a maintenance technician. We repair stuff like A/C units and plumbing stuff; whatever they need in the apartments or on the property, we are here to do it. 

You have been there more than three months, are you enjoying it?

Yes, and I’m learning too. I work with people who have been here 15/20 years, and they have lots of experience with A/C and other stuff. I’m learning a lot from them. I’m getting more experienced with everything. I also get to use my plumbing skills. The first thing they asked me to do was a plumbing job, so they could inspect my work. I did it perfectly, not just good, but perfectly. They looked at me and said, “Wow!” I said yes, I told you I have a HVAC certificate, but I was a master plumber first! 

Are you happy with the money they have started you on?

Let me tell you the story. So, when they interviewed me, they asked me how much I was looking for. I told them not less than $25 per hour. So, they wrote the offer for me to sign, and they put me right at $25. I told them not less than $25, you know what I’m saying? So that’s when I was like, “Damn, I should have told them $30.” But I said okay. It’s somewhere to start, somewhere I can prove my value.  

What’s your career plan from here, Khalil?

I really like this kind of job. I have some available afternoons and weekends, so I can still do some jobs on the side and that’s where the money is. So, in the future, I’d like to open my own company and make my own money…not wait every two weeks to get a check!  

What do you enjoy most about this new trade?

I enjoy fixing stuff and solving peoples’ problems. And we have a small group here, three or four people. So, we meet every morning and sometimes I’ll work with one or two of them all day. I like to make good friendships and be part of a team. Even the management of the place are good, they’re nice people here.  

Did you make some connections at school, people you’ll stay in touch with? 

No, not really. It was friendly, people would speak every morning, say hello and maybe chat with each other a bit, but after school, everyone had their own life. I had to rush off to work every day after class. I had no time to stay and make friends.

What advice do you have for someone to be successful at Tulsa Welding School? 

Whenever you start something, keep going until you finish it. Never stop in the middle; the middle doesn’t give you anything. Just keep going and finish it. The result is always at the end, not the beginning.

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).