McCowan, a 1998 industrial design graduate, works for American Specialty Cars, in Warren, Mich., the partner of General Motors that develops high-performance automobiles like the Cadillac V-Series and Corvette.

McCowan shifted gears in his career three weeks into his junior year when he was unable to get his circuit board to work. But his initial reaction was that his academic career had been wrecked.

"At three weeks, I failed the whole 12 weeks," McCowan says.

He called his parents in Fort Wayne, Ind., and told them, "Come down and pick me up. I'm through."

McCowan says his mother tried to calm him down.

"What do you want to do? For the rest of your life, what do you want to do?" she asked.

"I wouldn't mind drawing cars," McCowan answered.

Mccowan discovered Tech's industrial design department and after showing faculty members sketches of cars he had drawn in high school, he was allowed to switch majors.

McCowan knew he had made the right decision after his first homework assignment. He had always worked in black and white using graphite, but the course introduced him to water- color-based design markers that gave him "instant color." The completed homework assignment got the attention of the whole class. Even the professor asked, "How'd you do that?"

"Well, I did what you told us to do," McCowan said, pleased that his work had exceeded expectations. "After that," he says, "I had my color and the sky was the limit."

©2005 Georgia Tech Alumni Association