By Daisy Araujo
Alumnus Chad Billings attained his dream career after attending GateWay and is now working for the United States Geological Survey.
“I’ve always been a person that was interested in the environment, interested in outdoors,” said Billings who is working as a hydrologic technician for the United States Geological Service in Billings, Mont.
Hydrologic technicians spend a lot of time outdoors, which is what initially drew Billings to GateWay’s Water Resource Technology Program.
After learning about it through an acquaintance, who now works for the United States Geological Survey in Hawaii, he was immediately intrigued with the program, which was great because he didn’t know what he wanted to do before finding it. “I was going to school to get my Associate in Arts degree, general education certificate because I didn’t know what I wanted to do.”
Related Links
- Green Careers
- Hydrologic Studies
- Water Technology
Mario Castaneda, the program director, played a large part in Billings finding his calling. After Billings initiated and became the president of the Water and Various Environmental Sciences club (WaVES), he was introduced to the Tempe USGS by Castaneda, which led to an internship. After interning within the Water Resource Technology Program and volunteering at the Tempe USGS, Billings knew he wanted to be a hydrologic technician.
“I think it’s a great program that gives nature-loving people opportunities to work in the atmosphere that they love being in,” says Mario Castaneda about the Hydrologic Studies program at GateWay.
It’s the only college in Arizona that offers an Associate in Applied Science degree and it holds a special relationship with the USGS. The USGS visits GateWay twice a year to interview students for a potential summer paid internship, which GateWay prepares its students for.
The connections Billings made at GateWay were instrumental in his journey to getting this position. He says he received valuable experience for his future career and great professional connections. “Over the past year since I’ve been going to GateWay, I’ve met so many professionals in the water field.”
Billings coveted career of a hydrologic technician will cover many responsibilities such as checking the quantity of the water, the quality of the water, as well as the movement, distribution and availability of water. The job will require Billings to spend half of his time indoors and the other half outdoors, spanning from the borders of Idaho to the Canadian-American border, which fulfills the nature loving aspect in him.
After being anxious about whether or not he had gotten the job in Montana, he received the call affirming his position as a hydrologic technician for the USGS the day after his graduation from GateWay. He believes the school opened up a whole new world to him. “I think that’s why they call it GateWay,” he said, “because it’s like a gateway to your future.”