Photo By Ayumi Davis | Derek Burleigh, diver and acting chief of the construction branch for the U.S. Army...... read more read more
FORT HAMILTON, N.Y. -- Tinkering with things on dairy farms as a child is where Derek Burleigh, acting chief of the construction branch for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District, first grew his interest in engineering.
“We were always building something on the farms,” Burleigh said. “I’ve always been interested in how things are built and designed and just the fact that I loved solving problems and coming up with solutions for those problems drove me to become an engineer.”
This interest, along with the opportunities that engineering held, pushed Burleigh to pursue civil engineering at Temple University, he said. However, it wasn’t the first career he pursued.
“Out of high school, I did get two teaching degrees my first round through college,” Burleigh said. “When I came out with those degrees, I decided that teaching just wasn’t what I wanted to do. I love teaching, but I was more of a problem solver outside of the classroom in a way.”
Instead of teaching, Burleigh started his own residential construction company, as well as attended night school to receive his degree in civil engineering. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science from Temple University and joined USACE June 8, 2009, as a designer.
Since then, Burleigh has worked as a lead designer, a resident engineer, a construction office supervisor and, as a secondary duty, is also a USACE working diver.
“I’ve loved it. The opportunities are boundless,” Burleigh said.
Burleigh is part of the USACE headquarters High Hazard Council for its dive safety program and certified with the Federal Highways Association to be a team lead for above- and below-water bridge inspections. As a hard-hat diver, named for the rigid diving helmet with an umbilical worn that provides oxygen, he inspects infrastructure underwater, a duty that combines a decades-long hobby with his job.
“When I hired on with the Corps, I never thought they had divers or would have thought that would be an opportunity, because I’ve been recreationally diving for three decades,” Burleigh said. “My wife and sons always joke with me that I get paid to do my hobby.”
Burleigh also enjoys the travel opportunities that come with the job.
“Over the past ten years, I’ve touched almost every state in the U.S. minus Hawaii,” Burleigh said. “I’ve been everywhere from Puerto Rico to the Arctic Circle to Japan to South Korea. So, I’ve been all over the place supporting the Corps and other military organizations, as well as other federal organizations.”
He describes working for USACE as an amazing experience.
“Who thought this would be possible, to be able to be diving as an engineer, seeing the world and helping improve facilities for our military and our servicemen and women? It’s an awesome privilege,” Burleigh said. “I’ve gone to a couple job fairs and when I talk to people about what I do for the Corps, it’s like ‘It’s just not the same thing every day, I’ll say that much. There’s a multitude of things you can do. The sky is the limit.’”
| Date Taken: | 02.22.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.22.2023 09:12 |
| Story ID: | 438927 |
| Location: | FORT HAMILTON, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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