Connor Hetman
Degree
Why did you choose Virginia Tech?
"I am the third Hokie in my family, following behind my stepdad and stepsister, who both graduated from the Civil Engineering program which definitely played a big role in making me look at Virginia Tech. However, the amazing reputation is what really attracted me. For anything construction/engineering related, Virginia Tech is an incredibly well-respected school that will impress companies pretty much anywhere you go in the country. I made my final decision after my first campus tour. The absolutely beautiful campus, mixed with the feeling that every student and faculty member I talked to genuinely loved their school and wanted to go out of their way to welcome me, immediately made me realize 'This is home'."
Why did you choose Building Construction?
"When I first applied to VT in high school, I planned on following in my family's footsteps and applied general engineering. Unfortunately, I did not get accepted, but I knew VT was my home and started planning how to transfer right away. I accepted my offer of admission in engineering from another Virginia university, planning on trying to get the best grades I could and transferring into engineering at VT the next year. Well, I soon realized that my passion lay much more in the actual building side of a project than the design side. I wanted to solve problems, get away from a computer screen, and know that no two days would ever be the same. One of my Mom's friends had a son graduate from BC, and she told us about what he was doing in his career. After seeing MLSoC's 100% job placement and hearing about what construction management jobs involved, I knew BC was the program where I belonged. I met with Gary Kinder, one of the BC advisors, before applying, and he spent over an hour with me helping me build a schedule at the university I was at originally that would give me the best chance of being admitted to VT. While speaking with him and looking at all the students working together outside his office in Bishop-Favrao, I realized just how much of a family MLSoC is and how much all the faculty truly care about their students. I fell in love with the program, and that brought me to where I am today."
Career Goals
"A large portion of my interest in construction came from my stepdad, who is a Licensed Professional Engineer. He owns a chimney sweep company and does residential structural engineering inspections. After graduation, I plan on working full time to eventually take over as CEO of my family business, and I hope to eventually turn it into a franchise. I also want to expand on my dad's engineering background and my construction knowledge to do third-party inspections on new construction homes and act as an owner's representative to identify problems pre-drywall and after closing and work with homebuilders on behalf of the new owners to ensure that problems are corrected."
What would you tell students who are interested in joining MLSoC?
"This truly is home. As cliché as it sounds, MLSoC is a second family, and Bishop-Favrao Hall is a home away from home. Every professor and advisor will go above and beyond to do whatever they can to help you succeed both in and out of the classroom, and our relatively small program size allows you to form really close bonds. You will likely have several of your professors for multiple classes, and you often have many of the same students in your classes each semester. This helps you really get to know your professors' expectations and allows them to become mentors for you as you start your career. It also helps you go from barely talking to people around you in class to making your classmates potentially lifelong friends. Professionally, we have two career fairs each year with over 100 companies each time, and the company sign up sells out in hours. Even as hiring slowed down in many industries, companies continued to compete with each other to hire us instead of it being the other way around. Construction management is incredibly rewarding. No two days are ever the same, and you physically see what your work is doing as you walk a jobsite at the end of the day and see the progress. Picking MLSoC was without a doubt the best decision I ever made, and I would love to talk further if you have any questions about my experience."