College isn’t for everyone, but it was something that Chandra Pittu dreamt of. Growing up with a father who worked for the Central Industrial Security Force (a sector of the Indian paramilitary force responsible for their most critical infrastructure facilities like nuclear installations, space establishments, airports, seaports, power, etc.), he discovered an early obsession with aircrafts and Aerospace Engineering. In 2015 he graduated from the MLR Institute of Technology - one of the best engineering colleges in India, and had completed an internship with Boeing. His spare time was spent working with drone technology. He applied to a few American universities where he hoped to complete his Masters, eventually ending up at the University of Texas at Arlington because of their top-notch Mechanical Engineering program. In 2018 he began applying for jobs that included some of the top aerospace companies in the U.S.
“I was honestly submitting resumes everywhere,” he admits. “I was on Indeed and saw a job opening that included automation so I applied - I actually had no idea what the company was.”
The company was Prefab Logic. They asked him to come to Idaho for an interview and since he was already flying out to Seattle for another interview, he accepted. When the interview was over, then-CEO Curtis Fletcher told him he thought he was actually a better fit for a different company and asked him to come back for an additional interview. He was both skeptical and intrigued. But Pittu came back.
During a 5-minute follow-up interview with Rick Murdock, CEO and Founder of Autovol, Pittu admits he thought Murdock was a little crazy. But then again, Pittu’s mantra is that “no idea is a crazy idea.” He accepted an offer to become Employee #3 at a very new company called Autovol and in his first months he quickly came to realize that his own crazy ideas were deeply valued.
“Everything that was put out there was discussed to see how it could be accomplished,” he says. Pittu thrived in the hands-on problem-solving processes and the culture of learning at Autovol. And he has not had a single day of remorse for taking the job - even though he received a call from an aerospace company he had applied to shortly after accepting the position. It was the job he dreamt about as a kid.
“I told Rick, ‘I got this offer but I’m not taking it and I’m staying here,’” says Pittu. “And Rick told me if I wanted to take it he would support me 100%. I have never forgotten that conversation.”
Pittu has also come to realize what his passion really is and that engineering is simply a tool.
“At the end of the day it’s more about the difference you are making and the value you hold and how happy you are as a person to do those things,” he says. “I am a CAD drafter, designer, mechanical engineer, FEM modeler, but it’s not about the actual engineering, it’s about what engineering allows me to do and to solve. We are trying to solve housing challenges.”
He credits his parents for all of the opportunities that led to his current work at Autovol. However, they were less than excited when he first took the job. Watching their son studying and working so hard to get into Aerospace Engineering, they thought it was “interesting” when he started down a new path. He now has their full support having witnessed how happy his work makes him.
Pittu is excited to help change the way people see the potential of the construction industry - an industry he believes has been taken for granted and neglected. He would love to see more hands-on experiences available to students to help them develop their creativity and practice collaborative innovation.
“The U.S. education system is missing the opportunity to allow kids to explore what is out there,” he says.
Exposure and exploration will be essential elements of building the future workforce for offsite construction. Just ask Chandra Pittu.
A portion of this was previously published on Offsite Builder.