From Service to Systems: How SkillBridge Helped Noah Chong Launch His Engineering Career

From Army engineer officer to fire protection and life safety professional, Noah Chong’s transition from military service to civilian engineering was powered by opportunity, trust and hands-on experience through WSP’s ‘Return the Salute’ program.

United States | Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Reading Time : 4:11 minutes

For many service members, transitioning from military life to a civilian career can feel like stepping into the unknown.

For Noah Chong, a former U.S. Army engineer officer, that transition became an opportunity to discover where his leadership, technical curiosity and sense of purpose could take him next with the help of the ‘Return the Salute’ Department of Defense SkillBridge program and a chance connection to WSP.

A foundation built on service

Originally from Columbia, Maryland, Noah attended the University of Maryland, where he commissioned into the U.S. Army through the ROTC program. Like many young officers, his initial motivation was practical.

“I wanted to use it to pay for college,” Noah said. “But once I committed to ROTC, I realized this might actually be for me.”

That realization deepened as he reflected on his family’s journey. With parents who immigrated to the U.S. and found citizenship through hard work and perseverance, service became a way for Noah to give back to the country that shaped his family’s American dream.

As an engineer officer, Noah led teams of roughly 40 soldiers, planning missions, managing resources and coordinating logistics. His experience included roles as a sapper platoon leader, executive officer and operations officer, along with multiple rotations to the National Training Center and a nine-month deployment to South Korea.

“It was a lot of responsibility early on,” he said. “You’re planning, resourcing and leading people every day.”

Noah Chong

Early Career Fire and Life Safety Engineer

United States

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Noah recites the oath of office at his promotion ceremony from first lieutenant to captain.

Discovering SkillBridge and WSP

Like many service members preparing to transition to civilian life, Noah had heard about SkillBridge through word of mouth.

“Everyone tells you, ‘Before you get out, do a SkillBridge,’” he said. “So, I kept it in the back of my mind.”

What he didn’t expect was how he’d find WSP.

Rather than entering through a formal veteran pipeline, Noah applied for a role he saw on LinkedIn. Only during the interview process did he mention that he was still active-duty Army, which led to an unexpected moment.

“They said, ‘Oh, we have a SkillBridge program for that,’” he said. “And I was like, wow! I had no idea.”

The name WSP immediately resonated. Years earlier, as an undergraduate, it had been one of the firms where he had hoped to intern.

“It felt like a second chance,” he said. “I had to try.”

An internship that didn’t feel like an internship

Noah joined WSP as a fire protection and life safety intern, working on building-focused projects across the U.S., from semiconductor wastewater facilities in Idaho to high-rise residential buildings in the mid-Atlantic and fire protection systems at Andrews Air Force Base.

Rather than being confined to a single discipline, Noah was exposed to the full spectrum of fire protection engineering: hazardous materials, fire suppression systems, alarms and life-safety design.

“Their goal wasn’t to push me into a corner,” he said. “It was, ‘Let’s show you everything we do and you can figure out what sticks.’”

That breadth was matched by trust.

“I didn’t feel like an intern,” Noah said. “I felt like an employee.”

From day one, he was given real responsibilities, access to the same tools as full-time staff, and the expectation that he would contribute meaningfully, even though there was no guarantee of a permanent role.

“That meant a lot,” he said. “They invested in me as if I was already part of the team.”

Learning, mentorship and belonging

Technically, Noah credits the internship with helping him develop critical skills, especially Revit, a foundational tool for fire protection engineering that he hadn’t used extensively in school.

But just as impactful were the people.

One standout connection was Chase Brockinton in WSP’s Arlington office.

“He’s like a walking encyclopedia of the sprinkler industry,” Noah said. “Any question you had, he either knew the answer or knew exactly where to find it.”

For Noah, that kind of mentorship reinforced what he was beginning to understand about WSP’s culture: knowledge is shared, not guarded.

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Noah Chong rides in the Army’s 250th Birthday Parade honoring 250 years of service, strength and sacrifice.
Photo credit: America 250

Choosing to stay

When it came time to decide whether to accept a full-time role, the answer became clear.

“The biggest thing was trust,” Noah said.

Despite being early in his civilian career, his team placed real value on his military leadership, education and potential, not just his technical experience.

“They said, ‘Don’t worry. We’ll teach you what you need to know,’” he recalled. “That kind of buy-in spoke volumes.”

For Noah, it reflected the kind of organization he wanted to grow with, one that challenges people, supports them and genuinely wants to see them succeed.

Looking ahead

Now working full time at WSP, Noah is excited by the possibilities ahead.

“WSP is so big, and there are so many different paths,” he said. “I’m excited to see what really clicks for me.”

From data centers and federal projects to specialized building systems across the country, the exposure he gained through SkillBridge showed him that a career in engineering doesn’t have to fit a single mold.

And for Noah, that sense of possibility is exactly what made the transition worth it.