My senior year in college, three companies in California called me and flew me to their facilities for on-site interviews: 1) GD in San Diego, CA (warfare simulation training systems); 2) INTC in Santa Clara, CA (computer chips); and 3) GD in Los Angeles, CA (missile design). At that time, in 1986, who knew that personal computers would become household items, or that electronic simulation would become so critical? So, I chose to move to Los Angeles to design missiles.
At GD, I designed, worked on, and tested a cryogenic cooling system for an infrared seeker chip in a shoulder fired heat seeking missile. There were many positives to working there, even beyond the work itself. I played on the corporate basketball team weeknights in the LA Sports Arena before Clippers (NBA) games, the weather was always good for golf, I went snow skiing on Mount Baldy on Wednesday nights, etc. So, what could be wrong with all of that?
Well, it didn’t take me long to realize that this was not going to be what I wanted in a career. I felt I needed more meaning, purpose, and self-determination in my life’s work. I looked across a sea of cubicles and felt inconsequential. I decided to call back home to some friends in North Carolina and see how they were doing. My best friend was working for a design build mechanical contractor. The more he described his job, the more fulfilling it sounded. So, I made the big leap back to the east coast and made the drastic change from missiles to HVAC systems engineering.
Did I make the right career change more than 30 years ago? I definitely did! I am continually blessed with challenging work. I get to see the buildings built and the implications of my design - monuments to my work are everywhere! I’m no longer in a cubicle farm. I am regularly out meeting and coordinating with building owners, architects, and field personnel. And, my involvement with ASHRAE has transformed my job/career into a very meaningful calling. In ASHRAE, I get to work together with my peers from around the world to make our buildings ever more comfortable, healthy, and pleasant, while making a big positive impact on mitigating climate change.