Inside Goodwill’s headquarters on Orange Blossom Trail, Nate Williamson checks in with case worker Brian Vasquez.

“I am driving now you know, I got four wheels, better than two heels,” said Williamson with a smile on his face.

“Never forget where you came from, and never go back to where you were,” responded Vasquez.

Williamson served 17 years in the U.S. Army.

“They had me to do things I never thought I would be able to do. They put trust in me, they put me in charge of a million dollars worth of equipment. I have done things, the Army had a true saying back in the day, ‘I had done more by 9 a.m. than most people done all day,'” said Williamson. 

He left the Army in 2014, but his transition back to civilian life was not easy.

“I was going to jobs left and right, I was all over the place,” said Williamson.

He had skills, but he did not know how to present himself to employers.

“The fact is the workplace is changing,” said Bill Oakley, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Florida. 

Oakley said the issues Williamson faced with trying to find employment are the same many people face.

“People are getting entry-level jobs, and those may not last long. Those are the kinds of jobs that many employers are automating away. So it is those middle skills with some advanced training, and a commitment to life-long learning that are so important,” said Oakley.

And through Goodwill Industries job centers anyone, seeking a job can get help.

For Williamson, signing up for the job center help paid off. 

“They took all my job skill set from the United States Army and put it on a resume, and they refined and retained it,” said Williamson. “I didn’t even recognize who I was. I was like, ‘Who is this dude?’”

He completed Goodwill’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) and now works at Universal Studios. 

“Life gives us bumps and I feel like the bumps are there to either make us or break,” said Williamson.

Now enrolled in Seminole State College, Williamson’s end goal is to become a motivational speaker. 

“I don’t care what nobody said, Goodwill is the tip of God’s sword, I love Goodwill,” said Williamson.

The HVRP is just one program within Goodwill’s job center. To learn more visit the Goodwill of Central Florida website.

And in the next few months, expect to see a 10th job center at the Central Florida headquarters on Orange Blossom Trail.