 After several years balancing his second-shift custodial gig at Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a full slate of classes there, Michael Vaudreuil is moving on from the school that helped him reset his career at the age of 54. Vaudreuil, who received a degree in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute on May 14, will soon be employed by Connecticut-based Pratt & Whitney as an engineer with the aerospace manufacturer’s Production Integrated Product Team. “I’m going to quote one of my favorite movies—they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” the 54-year-old says with a laugh (and shame on you if you don’t get the reference). “I’m looking forward to the satisfaction and fulfillment that will come with the job.” 
 
 It’s a fitting start to a new chapter of his life. [READ ORIGINAL STORY: This 54-year-old custodian just graduated from the college he cleaned at night] 
 
 Although Vaudreuil was open-minded about all industries, his choice of a job in aerospace brings the middle-aged father full circle. “I was certainly welcoming of it, because I thought it would help networking-wise,” he says of the media attention. But there was a little bit left to do.” 
 
 On graduation day, he wrote “OLD DOG HAS NEW TRICKS” on the top of his mortarboard. Then, throughout the interview process, they spoke of the importance of life experience. You see this happen, things go viral—now it’s happening to me.” 
 
 Following his segment on NBC Nightly News, four people from Pratt & Whitney reached out to him on the same day, independently of each other. He starts in July, according to an article on the school’s website accompanied by a picture of him holding a sign that reads, “Old dog has new job.” 
 
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 “I really haven’t lost sight of the eye-on-the-prize type of thinking,” he told The Daily Herd, a campus news site. “It’s always been to me about landing a job, and when I landed a job, I felt like mission complete, and I felt the full satisfaction,” Vaudreuil said Monday. That’s the moment I fought for, for so hard, all of those years.” 
 
 Right now, he’s still working as a custodian at WPI—which he expects to continue through June—but his Auburn home is up for sale and he’ll soon be relocating to Connecticut. For him, it was a perfect fit, because years ago, he earned an associate’s degree in aeronautical technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology.
– Michael Vaudreuil first made headlines in May when the custodian received a degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts-based Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the very school the 54-year-old had spent the past decade cleaning. Now he's got another big announcement: a dream job with multibillion-dollar aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, where he'll work as an engineer with the Production Integrated Product Team, reports the Washington Post, which notes the job offers "poured in" following news of his graduation. "I feel like I won the lottery," he tells the school's Daily Herd. But he's got a message, too: Never give up. "Nobody's going to question my work ethic, my energy level, or my desire," he says. Vaudreuil's story of hard work paying off has resonated with many, but it's also the tale of a circle completed—he earned an associate degree in aeronautical engineering in 1982. He ended up working as a plasterer, but in 2008 his business folded and he lost just about everything, including his home. When he found himself scrubbing toilets and chalkboards at WPI, he decided to make use of the school's free tuition for employees. "The thought process was: This is it for me," he told the Boston Globe in May. "Your back's against the cliff. You either jump off, or you fight for your life." And fight he did. It took him almost 10 years to finish his degree, and even though his new gig requires a move to Connecticut in advance of his July 11 start date, he's still finishing the month as a custodian. (This teen was in a coma during his graduation, but his classmates made sure he didn't miss it.)