Ryan Connolly is a third-year computer science student at the University of Cincinnati. He completed 3 co-op rotations with THP. We asked Ryan about his interest in IT and the AEC industry and learned what excites him about working at THP.
Why did you choose engineering as a future career?
As a computer science major, I have a few career paths to choose from. IT interested in me because of the analytical nature and the interaction with people outside of your department. Especially in matters of cybersecurity and IT support, there’s a lot of problem-solving and creative thinking. This is challenging and engaging. Often such work requires working or speaking with other employees to resolve issues, many of whom I wouldn’t otherwise have reason to interact with, which helps to round out the office experience and provide different perspectives to consider in future work.
What do you like about working in the AEC industry?
As an AEC company, the employees here at THP are project-focused and collaborative. This creates an active and communal environment, especially since employees have started to return to in-person working in the office. It’s exciting to see pictures of buildings and structures the engineers here have built, and to hear about job contracts landed and new company accomplishments to come.
What attracted you to THP?
My first co-op at THP was in spring 2021, when almost all work everywhere was still remote by necessity. One thing that stuck out to me about THP was how strongly their infrastructure supported remote work. Even before the pandemic, the IT staff had led the company to expand their network to allow a more flexible, hybrid model of work, which allowed them to maintain productivity and stability throughout the pandemic. As someone who likes to plan ahead, I found this innovation to be impressive. Another thing that appealed to me was the company culture. As a mid-sized company, THP has enough employees to feel large without feeling like you’re just a cog in the machine, as well as various company social events and monthly staff meetings foster a sense of community among employees.