Ethan Elam didn’t just want a degree. He wanted an AI-resistant career that he could build with his hands.
“I wanted something that was hands-on,” said Elam, a Highlands College student graduating this May with a degree in civil engineering technology. “You’re not just getting the paperwork side. With civil engineering technology you’re seeing the actual hands-on elements of what contractors are working with.”
Originally from Missoula, Elam chose Montana Tech for its strong engineering focus and the opportunity to learn by doing. In the civil engineering technology program, that meant getting out of the classroom and into the field, testing soil, working with concrete and aggregates, and learning how real-world projects come together from the ground up. Civil engineering technologists help civil engineers plan, design, and build infrastructure and development projects. At Highlands College, there’s also an option to earn a certificate of land surveying within the program.
Students regularly use professional-grade equipment and even train in the Montana Department of Transportation’s labs, gaining experience with tools like nuclear density gauges and surveying technology that connects to satellites to pinpoint exact locations.
“It’s super high-tech,” Elam said. “You are learning how to get data from the same equipment professionals rely on.”
For Elam, the appeal goes beyond technology. It’s about balance and working outdoors collecting data, then bringing it back to the computer to design and plan.
“I like being outside, walking around, working in nature,” he said. “It’s nice to open a project on your computer and see all the data you collected in the field.”
That combination of hands-on work and technical skill is more than what drew him to the field. It gives him confidence about the future. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape many industries, Elam intentionally chose a path that can’t be easily automated.
“Job security is so big,” he said. “You’re not going to have a computer that’s going to hike 20 miles in the wilderness to find a little metal post that was put there in 1926.”
That job security is especially evident in surveying, where Elam has already gained real-world experience. During a summer internship with a Missoula-based surveying company, he worked on boundary surveys, mining claims, and drone-based mapping.
He’ll continue building that experience this summer with a civil engineering and surveying firm, working across multiple Montana offices.
The demand in the field is only growing. With many professional surveyors nearing retirement, Elam sees opportunity ahead.
“The demand for surveyors is huge,” he said. “The job security there is amazing.”
Starting at Highlands College was also a strategic decision. The program allowed him to explore the field in an affordable way before committing to a four-year degree. Now, after discovering his passion, he plans to continue at Montana Tech to earn his bachelor’s in civil engineering. He’s also enthusiastic to continue playing on the Montana Tech hockey club for two more years, building on the experience of competing across the U.S. and Canada during his time at Highlands.
Long term, Elam has his sights set on entrepreneurship, owning a small surveying or civil engineering firm and helping guide projects from the earliest stages. It’s detailed, essential work that lays the foundation for infrastructure projects.
As he prepares to walk across the stage this May, Elam reflects on a college experience defined by hands-on learning, close connections with faculty, and clear career direction.
“Montana Tech is such a great school,” he said. “With the smaller class sizes, you have a much more personal connection to your professors. It feels like they actually care and want to see you succeed.”
For Elam, that support, and a program built around real-world experience, made all the difference.
In a rapidly changing world, he’s confident he chose a path that will stand the test of time—one measured not just in plans and designs, but in the world he helps build.
