After graduating from Vermont Tech in 1997 with an Associate in Civil & Environmental Engineering Technology, Peter chose Vermont Tech because of the size of the school, its location of being 3.5 hours away from his hometown, and his interest in the baseball program.
Peter was very involved at Vermont Tech, as a resident on campus he remembers the campus being vibrant and busy, stating, “It’s not like we were in a major city, but there was a lot going on.” Peter worked as a Work Study Student at SHAPE Center on campus and used that time to also keep the books for basketball. When he wasn’t working, giving tours as a Tour Guide, or camping with friends through the VTC Camping Club, Peter was playing on the VTC Baseball Team. He played on the team for three years, and his last year was the Capitan, he recalls, “We made Conference All-Star Team, so that was fun and interesting to make it that far.” (Find more about clubs and sports on our website at VTC Student Life and VTC Athletics.)
Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering Technology, Albert Robitaille, had the most impact on Peter. He said, “Every civil engineer who ever went to VTC remembers this day and this class because he taught us how to be engineers. He didn’t teach us the technical stuff at first, it was how to be an engineer. How to walk like an engineer, how to talk like an engineer, and how to write like an engineer…you see us walking up and down the paths because we were learning our engineering paces. Even on my first day, at my first job, the terminology and seeing how everybody acted, was spot on! I will always remember Mr. Robitaille and everything he taught us even though we thought it was silly, it couldn’t have been truer.” Peter also accounted for Professor John Knox’s teachings, explaining how his open-door policy was very helpful for him, expressing, “He was a great teacher and patient with us. He taught me how to be patient and work through my problems.” That’s actually something Peter still uses to this day, which is Professor Knox’s lesson: “Work through your problems, start off slow, and build up to it.” Peter explains, “That goes with what I do on a day-to-day basis – I’m not going to see the solution and not know what exactly what to do every single time but to use what you learned in the past and work your way through it, I take my time to find a solution. Patience, it’s like with everything.” (Learn more about Faculty at Vermont Tech).
Peter works at Stantec Consulting Services as the Office CAD Leader. He is in charge of all aspects of drafting and design plans. He does his design work in MicroStation and Auto CAD to work on his projects. He also is involved with helping train new employees and likes that the company also provides trainings for him to stay up to date on all the technology needed for his position. When he’s not working, Peter is around his family and alum, Heather Armata, Associates in Rehabilitation Engineering Technology, 1996. Peter said, “I met my wife at VTC, we’ve been married for 19 years and have three children; that’s probably the biggest thing I got from VTC besides getting my career!” See Peter’s office and his daily activities in the Vermont Tech Stantec YouTube video!
He would absolutely recommend Vermont tech to younger generations, as him and his son just did a campus tour and is currently looking at the Landscape Contracting degree. Peter went on, “It is a tough school, they throw a lot at you in a short amount of time, but it is a school and that is why you are there is to learn. Once you get over the difficult studies, and it’s time to look for a job, you will feel prepared. I felt I came to the workforce prepared, so something pretty important to think about.”
His advice is “to be prepared and ready to study…I needed tutoring and help, so use the resources VTC has to offer and be ready to learn.” (See our Center for Academic Success to learn more about VTC’s resources.)