Continuing to Problem Solve

Rafael Ochoa (MPM '17) always considered himself a problem solver.

Growing up in Venezuela, he remembers an assignment where he and his classmates were asked to draw grid lines in their notebook. Ochoa had no ruler, so he used a notebook instead. To this day, he remembers his teacher addressing his creativity.

"She said, 'Well, look at this guy, he knew how to solve the issue,'" Ochoa said. "That stuck with me."

Ochoa still considers himself a problem solver, only today he does it as a project manager at W.B. Olson, a construction management and general contracting company. Each project brings its own unique set of problems to solve, and it's that variety that he enjoys most about his work.

On a recent fire station build, Ochoa took on the challenging task of essentially constructing two buildings in one — one side was the residential area for the firefighters, while the second area was the garage for the collection of firetrucks. The project also featured a stormwater retention system. 

"It was pretty interesting to deal with the firefighters and how their system works, how they operate, and try to accommodate all those things in a building for them," Ochoa said. "That was pretty fun."

On a different project, Ochoa navigated the difficulty of building a two-story school addition to fit specific needs of the teachers and administrators. The biggest challenge? Kids were still in school during the construction.

"Building a new building, it doesn't matter how small it is, it's always a challenge," Ochoa said. "The challenge on that one was more logistical than technical because we had to connect the new addition to the existing school building while it was being used with kids in classes, so safety was a big concern."

Ochoa doesn't believe most people understand the complexities that come with working as a project manager in the built environment sector. Candidly, he didn't either when he first moved from Venezuela to Chicago for Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Project Management (MPM) program.

Ochoa was drawn to the variety of the program's curriculum, from courses on negotiations in construction to more technical aspects of the construction business. He didn't know the terminology for the different roles within the built environment, but once MPM introduced him to project management, he knew that was the career he wanted.

Ochoa joined W.B. Olson as a project engineer intern after graduating from MPM. Since then, his responsibilities have evolved from project engineer and assistant project manager to project manager and his current role as senior project manager.

He has held his current job title since January 2024.

Ochoa credits MPM with helping him get where he is today. The program showed him how to effectively manage his time, taught him the value of effective communications, and reinforced the concept of open-mindedness toward new opportunities — all of which continue to help him as a problem solver today, not just in the built environment, but in life in general.

"The MPM program is going to have a positive impact on your life and career," he said. "Not only will you know and collaborate with peers, but you can also implement many technical and behavioral skills you learn to your life outside of construction. That's a huge benefit of the program."