. >> reporter: john cogswel will probably tell you he's finally found his ideal job at this cancer institute in boston. >> i have found a sense of purpose and that sense of purpose is the patients here. >> reporter: it's been a tough road getting here. marine corporal cogswel served in operate desert storm, but it was when he returned to the u.s. in 1991 that the real challenges began. years later, cogswel found himself homeless and desperate for direction. >> i couldn't do it by myself, i couldn't flail around in the dark not knowing what to do. >> reporter: for thousands that first step back to independence has started here at the training center for homeless veterans. the program teaches them how to manage money and how to market themselves. >> so you're not only capable of doing this, you do it under pressure? >> yes. >> reporter: also available, vital job skills, in the kitchen and -- >> the most important space is the space you're driving into. >> reporter: and behind the wheel. >> if you don't have a driver's license, you don't have a certificate and you don't have a degree, you don't