(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Life after graduation for Texas State Technical College alumni can mean securing their dream job with a company that aligns with their values and goals.
For recent TSTC Building Construction Technology graduate Simon Alcala, his job with Vaughn Construction is providing him with a plethora of hands-on experience as part of the company’s work on TSTC’s Harlingen campus expansion.
“I have worked with the company for six months as a general construction worker,” Alcala said. “I help the team in any way I can with the various projects we’re doing.”
Vaughn Construction, a Texas-based commercial general contractor and construction manager with more than 1,000 employees, is overseeing the campus expansion. The projects are expected to be completed this spring.
Even though Alcala is no longer a college student, he said he gets plenty of on-the-job training.
“I’m learning more about field engineering and getting acquainted with AutoCAD by shadowing a team member who’s skilled with that program,” he said.
Andrew Cavazos, assistant superintendent at Vaughn Construction, said Alcala has played a part in the company’s projects in several ways, including supervisory roles, field engineering and hands-on labor.
“He’s done a fantastic job by helping to carry the load,” Cavazos said.
Hector Rosa, team lead for TSTC’s Building Construction Technology program in Harlingen, said Alcala was a self-starter in his work-study job with the program.
“Simon was proactive with the tasks that we assigned to him,” Rosa said. “(He) effectively used his soft skills when networking, which greatly benefited his career.”
Alcala said he is working toward becoming a field engineer assistant with Vaughn Construction but his long-term goal is to become a project manager.
“I’m absorbing as much knowledge as I can while growing with the company,” he said.
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in Texas earn an average annual salary of $67,650, according to onetonline.org, which projected the number of these positions to grow by 23% in the state through 2030.
Currently Building Construction Technology is available in Harlingen and Waco. The program will also be taught in Marshall, New Braunfels and Sweetwater this fall.
To learn more about TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
