Jason Meaux's route to an engineering career may not have been the most direct, but it was effective. Each stop along the way built upon the last.
Meaux's most recent stop was the 麻豆夜市, where he found the master's in engineering & technology management program. The degree helped bring his diverse training and professional experience together.
After training to become a firefighter, Meaux earned an associate degree in fire science, then a bachelor's degree in general studies from 麻豆夜市.
鈥淚 would sit front row, raise my hand, ask lots of questions. Kind of a geek,鈥 he says.
After earning his bachelor鈥檚, Meaux went to work in the oil and gas industry and that鈥檚 where he鈥檚 been growing for over a decade as a project control lead in marine engineering.
Busy as he ever was, working full-time and raising two teens with his wife, Meaux dove back into academia, but the MBA program he enrolled in was not translating to his career how he had hoped. Then a class forum post mentioning 麻豆夜市鈥檚 M.S. in Systems Technology online program piqued his curiosity.
鈥淚 went to 麻豆夜市鈥檚 website, checked out the curriculum, and realized it fit the exact job function I currently have,鈥 says Meaux. 鈥淭hen I reached out to the program coordinator and the rest is history.鈥
Making it work
While in grad school, Meaux worked full-time in a role requiring regular travel between Lafayette and Houston, Texas. Work weeks could be 50 hours; they could be 70 hours.
The three factors helping Meaux meet academic challenges were organization, discipline, and instructor support.
鈥淚 have a numbered and alphabetized file structure. My job is basically project controls, which is cost and schedule, so I'm pretty apt for scheduling,鈥 he says.
While some students complete small school tasks each day, Meaux鈥檚 weekday schedule could prove exhausting. Flexibility was a must.
鈥淲hat I really enjoyed about the program was how it allowed me to crunch all of my schoolwork into weekends,鈥 says Meaux.
Faculty support was another key to success. Meaux found instructors in the program were consistently engaged with students and available for guidance.
鈥Dr. Joe Jordan, specifically, made himself available both in the winter and summer break. We continued to speak even when he wasn't in school,鈥 Meaux says. 鈥淭hat showed me the commitment the program has to its students.鈥
Room to grow
For an oil and gas professional with over a decade of experience in the industry, was a graduate degree worth it? Definitely.
One of Meaux鈥檚 most rewarding classes in engineering & tech program was on project management 鈥 the kind of work he already does 鈥 and it was as challenging as it was rewarding.
鈥淚'm quite experienced, so I expected it to be very easy. It was not. I had to work the most for that course,鈥 Meaux says.
鈥淚t shifted assumptions I held within my field. I think that's exactly what school is supposed to do 鈥 challenge you and give you the tools to move forward on your path.鈥
Graduate school also helped Meaux reach a new professional achievement: getting published in a trade journal.
鈥淪ome of the coursework really applied to my current job. I was able to use those tools to co-publish with the 鈥楽ociety of Petroleum Engineers鈥 in November 2020,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 worked closely with Dr. Jordan, who was instrumental in coaching me through my graduate project. I aim to publish it with his help next year.鈥
What鈥檚 next?
The degree has changed Meaux鈥檚 day-to-day operations as a project controls lead.
鈥淲e're implementing tools and technologies into our business that make us more efficient and do so under the watchful eye of project management,鈥 he says.
Meaux鈥檚 noticeable success through the M.S. in Engineering & Technology Management online program has made him an accidental ambassador for the graduate degree.
鈥淓ngineering Tech was so beneficial to me, and it was evident to some of my coworkers. It was easy convincing them to apply,鈥 he says.
鈥淚've already got one person in my organization to apply for the program, and it looks like I may have a second one coming soon.鈥