James Owen Smith’s factory job in Rhea County went away. He was a displaced worker who found a new career at Chattanooga State thanks to Engineering Technology Dean Tim McGhee and Assistant Professor of Non-Destructive Testing Jackie Smith. He is the first Engineering Technology student to graduate with a double concentration in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC). After graduation, James has a job as a NDT technician and QA/QC manager waiting for him. Of the camaraderie he found on campus, James says, “It's hard to communicate the joy of being on campus, finding other students with a like mind for education, and struggling with them through one challenge after another.”