Alumnus Jeff Chambers landed his position as a construction inspector for MoDOT after completing his civil engineering degree in the UMSL/WUSTL Joint Engineering Program and paying a visit to UMSL Career Services. (Photo by August Jennewein)

Jeff Chambers had worked in construction for five years when he decided to go back to school. As a project manager, he realized a degree in civil engineering would allow him to move up in the field he loved.

“I knew that the [UMSL/Washington University Joint Engineering] Program was what I needed,” Chambers says.

The program consists of two years of pre-engineering coursework at UMSL followed by three years of night classes on the WUSTL campus.

In 2012, a summer internship with the Public Works Department in Clayton, Mo., developed into a regular position. Chambers stayed for 13 months while finishing his last year of school and making the most of the resources in UMSL Career Services.

“Kristen [Wilke] did mock interviews with me, and she did not hold back,” Chambers says. “I don’t believe you’d get that kind of feedback from real interviews. She was amazing to work with.”

In July of 2013, Chambers took a job with the Missouri Department of Transportation, where he works as a construction inspector based in Chesterfield, Mo.

This story was originally published in the fall 2014 issue of UMSL Magazine. For additional Career Services success stories click here.