Aaron Viveros on Second Chances, Mentorship, and the Electrician's Path

Aaron Viveros walked up to a construction trailer outside San Antonio Hospital with nothing — his grandfather dying in the ICU upstairs, his family counting on him, and a willingness to work. The conversation he had at that trailer launched a twenty-year career. Today, he's the 2024 ABC Southern California Teacher of the Year, a master trainer, a licensed contractor, and the kind of mentor whose former apprentices still text him on Saturdays from the parking lot of the testing center after they pass their state exams.
In this episode of Build Without Barriers, host Chris sits down with Aaron for a conversation he rarely has out loud. Aaron talks about overcoming addiction and homelessness, the "iron sharpens iron" mentors who shaped him, why he calls the National Electrical Code "our secret language," and the daily habits — showing up early, staying late, doing what needs to be done rather than what you want to do — that turn first-year apprentices into master electricians.
He also opens up about the wall in his classroom covered in state certification slips, the squirrel-and-acorn lesson he gives every apprentice about California's seasonal construction work, and his core message for anyone facing a crossroads: don't be afraid to fail, because the door you don't open is the one you'll never walk through.
Whether you're considering the trades, mid-apprenticeship, or starting over after a hard chapter, Aaron's story will meet you where you are.
Listen now, and visit TradesForAll.org to explore California's four core trade pathways — Electrical, Plumbing, Low Voltage, and Sheet Metal HVAC.