I am in the 1% group. Having come up in the industry under some of the most knowledgeable and aggressive men in the business, I worked my way up through the ranks. I walked onto an offshore platform in 1986 with no experience and before I went in after 2 weeks, I was equal or better than seasoned hands. After working my tools for 6 years,I stepped up into a supervisory position and have never looked back. Since then, I have supervised some of the largest projects on the planet, taking pride in being a rigging specialist and being able to take a group of guys from all walks of life, and completing difficult projects safely and with high quality workmanship. After spending 20 years offshore and reaching the top of my game in that arena, I broke ground in refineries, shipyards, water towers, grain elevators, tanks (exteriors & linings) & paper mills. I finally joined the union and focus my efforts and energy on the massive bridge structures in America. It doesn't get any more intense than having 250,000 cars per day driving right through your work area, Many men have died painting steel structures and my prayers go to their families. True painters are a dying breed and with the average age of union painters being 55, one can only wonder just where this industry is going. God bless all who read this and may God bless the United States of America.