Abel Rosales’ lesson in pushing forward.
“I tried to run away from my problems out there.”
Listening to Abel Rosales speak is like walking into a motivational seminar. He is positive and motivated in a way that feels genuine. After listening a bit longer, you come to realize that this genuine outlook on life can only come from years of experience. To really understand the significance of Rosales’ journey after leaving SERJobs, it’s important to go back to the beginning.
Although currently living in the Houston area, Abel Rosales is originally from California. He was brought up on the west coast by his mother. When talking about his early life, Rosales didn’t say much except, “I tried to run away from my problems out there. I needed a new way to live…”
Sometimes running away is not enough to make a permanent change in our lives. Rosales found the new landscape in Houston to be challenging. “No car, no luck. I didn’t know how to adapt,” he says while reflecting on his past, “Just McDonalds and Popeyes weren’t working out for me, I wanted something else.”
He knew that he needed to do something to move forward in life, but he did not know what. As Rosales began to discover the career-growth possibilities in the welding industry, life had another plan for him. He was sentenced to fifty-six months in prison after being charged with a drug-related crime.
“Don’t just take the day pass.”
After serving his time, Rosales was free and full of ambition but no solid direction to place it in. Overall, “I just really felt a little lost” he says. Interestingly enough, Rosales found SERJobs purely by chance. He came to SER as an excuse to leave his halfway house.
“My idea was– ‘Oh man, I need a day pass so I can get out of here!’ By me getting that day pass, I really had to stop by the office to get a flyer to show that I actually went to the building so that I wouldn’t get in trouble.”
Immediately after walking in the door, something clicked for Rosales. “While I was there– I am the type of person that’s always pushing for something better–so, while I was there I saw that they were offering welding classes.” Once he realized SER had real opportunities for him he reevaluated; “So that made me tell myself, ‘Don’t just take the day pass,’ you know?”
This mentality did not leave Rosales once he began SER’s welding program. He remembers telling himself, “I’m not going to waste my time and I’m not going to waste these people’s time either.” When asked where this ‘go-getter’ mentality comes from, Rosales did not take one second to think about it: “I think I wasted a lot of time and I got in trouble a lot of times, too. I think that– I was just really ready for something different.” As it turns out, Rosales’ past is just what he needed to focus in on his future.
Ten months after graduating from SER’s welding program with a job, he was laid off. Rosales explains that this is how the industry works. “You’re going to go somewhere and work for six months, 10 months, or a year and then get laid off. Then, you continue.”
“I love SERJobs. I really thank God that I found this place.”
So, Rosales does just that; he continues.
He continues to be an example to those around him through his resolve to push forward. He reminisces over the friends he has had come up to him over the years, wanting to change their lives as he has. The thing about positive influences is that they’re are not always deliberate. Rosales knows that not everyone wants to change. He’s “just trying to do something good” for himself and becoming a role model is the side effect of that.
He continues to work every day to build a bright future for his two children. He wants to be a positive father figure for his children, because of his upbringing with a single mom. “I’m just trying to do something for my kids that someone didn’t do for me. I want them to know that their dad made some mistakes, but he became someone good,” Rosales tells us.
Establishing what motivates Rosales and the outcome of his positivity is necessary to properly talk about the journey his life has taken so far, but we were also curious as to what advice he would offer those considering dropping by SERJobs for a helping hand.
While his advice is specific to potential SER clients, his words resonate with anyone dealing with a hard time. He says, “Things get a little harder before they get better but once they’re good, they’re good. You have to do better than how you’re feeling at the time because I think it’s problems that make people feel like that.”
We had the opportunity to catch up with Rosales because he came into SER with his wife, in hopes that she can pursue some of SER’s services. He notes that even though he’s been out of our programs for a while, “they still offered to help me and that feels good.” He tells us that knowing he has this support system is what helps him keep pushing forward. “I love SERJobs. I really thank God that I found this place.”