After a year of studying aerospace engineering, Greg Huba realized he wanted a more hands-on approach. Once he enrolled in the Aviation Maintenance program, he felt right at home in the hangar.

Huba received multiple job offers from companies he interviewed with during PIA’s job fair. After graduating, he accepted an offer to join Boeing as a functional test technician, where he performed electrical troubleshooting tasks. Since then, he’s been promoted to an aviation maintenance technician. He’s worked on several Boeing models, including the KC-46 Pegasus military refueling tanker, the 737 MAX, and the 787 Dreamliner.

“A lot of the work I do involves situations that traditional line technicians would never experience, because the planes we work on are brand new aircraft that are about to be delivered to customers,” says Huba. “For example, no one expects a plane in circulation to look new because it’s bound to pick up scuffs and scratches from typical wear and use. But when you’re presenting a new plane, it’s like seeing a car in a showroom — every detail has to be exactly perfect.”