Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Thomas.
Hi Mark, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I would say that I started out like most individuals and have had a rather good childhood. My family ran into some adversities during my senior year of high school and during these times I discovered my capacity to learn quickly, adapt and apply what I have learned to situations and solve problems. I would say that I became efficient in making logical and sound decisions. These skills along with a childhood affinity toward tinkering with things and engineering let me to a path of science. I attended AASU, now Georgia Southern, and Savanah state University graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Technology. After graduating I started and continue working at Terracon where I have become a special inspector.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey was fairly free from many hardships. I would say that my life has been characterized as a consistent sine wave with the highs and lows. In my childhood my father was significantly older than most fathers. He was in his eighties when I was in my teens and due to the loss of my parent’s lively hood in my late teen’s factors led to a dynamic of me essentially becoming “the man of the house”. After getting through those adverse 3-5 years, I ended up becoming who I am today. In my adulthood, like many others, I just find it difficult to navigate the path of balance between marriage, a family with four kids, five and under and work.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Special Inspector/ Field Project manager for my company. My work entails traveling to different job sites in the area and doing inspections on the different phases of construction; testing the soil, inspections on the reinforcing steel and other various inspections. I’m most proud of becoming one of the lead inspectors withing the first few years of being with the company. I would say my particular area of strength or what sets me apart from others is my ability to retain what I have learned and being detail oriented in my inspections.
Any big plans?
I plan on advancing my career by obtaining my Engineering In Training (EIT) license and my Professional Engineering (PE) license within the next 6 years. I also plan on furthering my handyman business, Mark of All Trades LLC., by possibly moving into larger contractual work so I may have more time to further some of my hobbies like playing the saxophone. I’m not a fan of big changes, I prefer to have a plan, executed sed plan with as many small deviations as possible.
