Future Engineers Seek Career Advice from Professional

Some of the future engineers of Fountain Valley sat in the Little Theater of Los Amigos High School Tuesday morning as they listened to guest speaker Thomas Ionta, a civil engineer from CH2M Hill, give a short introduction to his profession.

Ionta grabbed the 100 students’ attention immediately with photographs of cars, motorcycles, airplanes, as well as “Famous Engineering Feats,” such as the Pyramids of Egypt, Great Wall of China, Italy’s Eiffel Tower and San Francisco’s famous Golden Gate Bridge, as evidence to show the significant technology advancements made with the help of engineers.

To help spark further interest, Ionta showed a three-day taping of how a portion of the high-traffic Oakland Bay Bridge, connecting Oakland to San Francisco, underwent repair by engineers. Students were able appreciate how efficent the process was as they watched a sped-up video of the old deck being knocked down while the new deck, which was built parallel to the side of the bridge just days before, slid into its new home.

Other tools people depend on daily, for example, roads, buildings, potable water, transportation, electricity and more, are made possible due to the engineering field, Ionta said. And the profession seems to only be expanding. With future projects, such as the high-speed rail set to begin construction in California within a decade, the field will be in demand for more professionals to help create the future of tomorrow. “There’s still time for all you kids to go get your degree, just in time to make all this happen,” he said. 

Ionta provided initial advisement to students who are interested in entering the engineering field. He encouraged students to seek for a summer internship and begin researching for colleges and their different programs. All entry-level engineers will need to complete a Bachelors of Science degree and pass the Engineer in Training (EIT) Exam. Other tests are optional for advancements, but further up the later means endless possibilities. “From there on, the control is in your hands,” said Ionta.

Selected computer drafting, robotics, product design, auto career and physic classes were invited to attend the presentation. Guidance counselor Cathy Draeger said Ionta’s presence was a rare occasion for LAHS students to explore into a professional world. “Our students don’t get the opportunity to get into other field very often, so this is a real pleasure having a presenter here with us today,” she said.