69堂精品

Prime Office Location for South Grad: In the Field

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Posted on August 2, 2022

Thomas Becnel

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#MyFirstJob is a series focused on 69堂精品 graduates who are beginning their careers.

Chris Willhite keeps a field bag in his car, so he鈥檚 always ready to ride over to a soil test or construction site.

Hard hat, safety vest and steel-toed boots.

Have gear, will travel.

The opportunity to work outside the office is one of the reasons he studied civil engineering at the 69堂精品. The chance to get his hands dirty is one of the reasons he accepted a job with S&ME, an engineering and construction services company.

In June, Willhite moved to Huntsville, Alabama, and a job in an office park west of downtown.

鈥淚 spend most of my time out in the field, anyway,鈥� he said shortly after landing the job. 鈥淪o far, I鈥檝e gone out on two separate projects. We鈥檙e digging test pits and doing preliminary studies on subsurface conditions, helping clients decide if they want to buy and develop properties.鈥�

Willhite wasn鈥檛 too nervous when he interviewed for a position in Huntsville. The manager who wound up hiring him turned out to be fellow Jaguar.

鈥淗e went to South, too, so he had the same geotech professor I did, Dr. Eric Stewart,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 pretty sure he talked to him about me. I think that鈥檚 why I got the job, if I鈥檓 being honest.鈥�

ROTC and Scholars Bowl

Willhite grew up in Mobile. His family moved to Atlanta, then returned to South Alabama. He was always an advanced reader and honors student.  

鈥淵ou like to do what you鈥檙e good at, right?鈥� he said. 鈥淚n middle school, I started focusing on math and science.鈥�

At Baker High School, Willhite joined the Environmental Club. He competed in the Alabama Scholars Bowl. He also was active in the Jr. ROTC program.

His mother, who works in the business office at a Lowe鈥檚 hardware store, thought it would be good for him to get out of his comfort zone.

After graduation, he thought about joining the military, but decided to study engineering in Mobile.

鈥淚 think I was too scared to move far from home,鈥� he said, laughing. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 prepared for that.鈥�

It took awhile for him to feel at home as an engineering student.

鈥淲hen I first started, I didn鈥檛 know if it was for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wanted something that was more hands-on. But I decided to stick with it.鈥�

He joined the American Society of Civil Engineers and Society for Sustainable Engineering. He did an internship with the Public Works Department at the City of Daphne.

Real-world experience was completely different than academic training.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what my internship taught me,鈥� he said. 鈥淪chool is where you learn how to learn things, but it鈥檚 not necessarily what you鈥檙e going to be using on the job.鈥�

In May, Willhite graduated from 69堂精品.

At first, he wasn鈥檛 going to attend Commencement ceremonies. Friends and family changed his mind.

鈥淲hen I walked across the stage, I was glad I did it,鈥� he said. 鈥淛ust the culmination of everything I鈥檇 done at South.鈥�

Heading to Huntsville

Willhite had job offers near Mobile. He thought about staying closer to home. A professor told him to weigh the pros and cons of each position.

鈥淚 flip-flopped so much,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you asked me one day, it was one thing, and the next day it would change.鈥�

In the end, he chose S&ME in Huntsville. It offered the best opportunity to learn new things. It鈥檚 just a little outside his comfort zone.

Willhite calls Mobile nearly every day. He stays in touch with family and friends. He plans to return on long weekends.

鈥淚t鈥檚 only a 5-hour drive,鈥� he said.

In his free time, he鈥檚 starting to explore north Alabama. He visited Mount Sano State Park. People have talked to him about kayaking the Flint River.

Huntsville is smaller than the Mobile metro area, but it鈥檚 a high-tech hub that draws hundreds of young engineers and scientists.

鈥淚t鈥檚 weird,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l be driving around and see signs for 鈥楳issile Defense鈥� or 鈥楢eronautical Engineering.鈥� That鈥檚 crazy to me.鈥�

At work, Willhite enjoys problem-solving and applying what he learned at South. He jokes that geotechnical engineering is just 鈥減laying in the dirt,鈥� but his company offers services in everything from surveying to land development and environmental engineering.

S&ME is an employee-owned firm that encourages engineers to network and build relationships. Sometimes his job is shaking hands. Less field work and more marketing and public relations. 

Willhite has been introducing himself to business leaders at meetings of the ABC and AGC 鈥� Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. and Associated General Contractors of America.

鈥淚鈥檓 not bad at talking to people, so long as I know what I鈥檓 talking about,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he more I get to know our field, the easier it鈥檒l be for me.鈥�

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