Martin Ktoda

The Seattle Times Company

December 5, 2008

Martin Ktoda

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Martin Ktoda; Construction-company president

Now: Construction-company president

Then: House cleaner

Current Position: Founder and president, Bohemia Construction Inc.

First job: When I came to America in 1991, I didn't know much English, but I wasn't afraid to start looking for a job. I'd had previous experience doing it in Germany, where we had lived for two years after moving from the Czech Republic.

I consider myself a self-starter, so even though I knew only "yes" and "no," I got a newspaper and started looking.

I found a position as a home cleaner, working for Rent-A-Yenta, which I held for three or four months. Then I began looking for a better job and in one day got three offers: sales, valet parking and construction. I had studied construction back home, finishing with honors. So I moved on to construction during the day and valet parking at a hotel at night, picking up English on my own because there wasn't time for a class. Within a year, I moved into the construction business as a sole proprietor.

What I learned: Everything in the U.S. was different, from the pickles in the store to the social services available. But now I have more than 25 years of experience in residential construction, have worked on hundreds of homes and must say I'm still loving it.

Got a first-job story you'd like to share? E-mail us: jobmarket@seattletimes.com.

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