| “If I’d wanted to design large
office buildings, then becoming an architect would have been the right
choice,” Pagnotta said, “but I wanted to do home design.”
Pagnotta met with Architectural Engineering Technology program adviser,
Mike Brayson, who explained that the AET program would teach house design,
AutoCad skills and engineering, which would give Pagnotta the flexibility
to qualify for a number of career paths.
“There are so many avenues you can pursue with this degree,”
Pagnotta said. “None of the classes are fluff. I learned critical
thinking skills, technical report writing, and structural design. I
feel confident that with the skills I learned at MHCC, I can get a job
anywhere.”
Pagnotta also liked the way Brayson ran his classes as a business.
“Mike has a lot of industry experience, so he expects students
to perform just as they would if they were on the job. They have to
show up for class on time, fill out timecards and document how much
time they spend working on their projects,” Pagnotta said. “Being
late with an assignment is the same as not delivering plans to a customer,
it’s just not acceptable.”
Another feature of the program that worked in Pagnotta’s favor
was that AET students also take some of the same classes as Mechanical
and Civil Engineering Technology students. Not only did it give him
an exposure to all three engineering disciplines, it’s also where
he met his wife, Monique, a mechanical engineering student.
“Chris and I got to know each other when we worked together on
team projects for classes,” said Monique Pagnotta.
Monique, 24, was enrolled in the technical-prep program at Reynolds
High School as a mechanical engineering intern at Boeing. Monique began
drafting in high school with AutoCad and also has a keen interest in
home design.
“As long as I can remember I loved to draw, especially houses,”
Monique said.
With their common interest in building design as the icebreaker, it
wasn’t long before they got to know each other on a personal basis.
Chris and Monique were engaged shortly before their graduation in 1998
and were married a year later.
Monique went to work for a civil engineering firm and Chris started
working with a local building designer. After about a year and a half
of running his own design business on a part-time basis, Chris decided
it was time to devote his energies to Pagnotta Home Design. Chris now
works at home running the business while Monique still has a full-time
job and helps out with the paperwork evenings and weekends. Thanks to
positive word-of-mouth from satisfied customers, Pagnotta describes
his business as “steady” with many of his homes being built
in Fairview, Sandy and Boring.
“The AET program gave me a good base of knowledge, and along
with the instructor’s willingness to share his industry experience,
I felt very well-prepared to start my own business,” Pagnotta
said.
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