University of North Carolina at Asheville
Computer Science Graduates
Nate Conroy
I am the primary support person for the Payroll/Personnel Department at
the Herald-Sun newspaper. I am also working with the New Media manager to
develop products for the web site.
Among other projects, the New Media manager and I are also formulating a
long-term plan for reassigning Adseek, the Herald-Sun's online classified
site. Adseek 2 is an intimidating but exciting project that demands I use
many of the software development and project managements techniques we
talked about in classes at UNCA. Also, I am backup Circulation support,
which currently runs COBOL applications on an HP 3000 mini-computer. I
only foresee myself writing a few Circulation programs, if any at all. I
don't mind exposure to the legacy system though.
Sometimes I think I'm the biggest believer out there in the system
analysis methods taught at UNCA. I've been writing project plans, problem
specifications, and other formal documents often, and have been taking
projects through a structured development process. I've also involved
users as much as possible. The users really seem to appreciate seeing
their problem on paper... it shows that their problem is understood and
being given attention, which they might not always realize if the MIS
department becomes known for mostly 'putting out fires'. All of these
ideas come directly from the upper-level system analysis classes I took
at UNCA.
Overall, the mix of techincal and people-oriented computer classes fit me
very well. I really appreciate the faculty's drive to keep the department
focused on the foundations of computer science, allowing students to
choose where we want to take those foundations.
Jennifer Jones Scott
I am involved in systems design and implementation. I mainly work
with Visiting Health Professionals (VHP) which is a founding partner
of CCP. I have worked on projects such as Home Health and Auxiliary
Scheduling, and Home Health and Auxiliary Billing. I also do various
other small projects such as program changes and additions for
Payroll, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. Because I am
usually VHP's primary contact person, I maintain UNIX accounts and do
various other UNIX administration.
What I like most about what I do is being able to meet a customer's
needs and trying to make their day-to-day jobs easier. Also, it
seems
that in our department if it can be dreamed of, we can try to make it
happen. For example, another UNCA CSci grad, Janet, and I are
working on a package for VHP
that will allow the visiting nurses to collect answers to mandatory
questions using a hand-held PC. The hand-held PC's will then be
brought back into the office and docked. Janet is coding in Visual
Basic for CE and together we are trying to create a process that will
work hand in hand with VHP's current systems.
I think that my experiences at UNCA properly prepared my for my job.
When I look back I think about the communication and documentation
skills that I acquired. They have been quite helpful to me. I also
remember many of my group project experiences (that maybe weren't
always pleasant) and thinking that they would NOT occur in the real
world. Well, now I know that they can and often times DO!
Sandra Aydt
I just began my job and I love it. Right now I am in training. I
will be writing software
enhancements for cash registers. The people that I work with are very
helpful and
very
nice. I am in the
process of going thru formal training, which is
nice!
They are not just
throwing us into the fire.
I think that the Computer Science program at UNCA is
wonderful. I am
currently working with other recent grads from
other universities that have
not
been exposed to as
many things as I had at UNCA. The professors at
UNCA
also care about the
students as individuals and help them to succeed in
what
ever they are
trying to acheive!
Barry Johnson
I work for Jobscope Corporation, in Greenville, SC, which builds,
distributes, and implements manufacturing and
accounting software for over 200 companies in 12 different countries.
My position with Jobscope has several capacities, the first of which is
Visual Basic programming. We have developed our
software packages in several other languages in recent years, including
Delphi, Speedware, and Visual Speedware, and we
are now in the process of updating and rejuvenating these packages into
Visual Basic to make the user-side more efficient, as
well as optimizing the programs for database and network interaction. My
position, concerning Visual Basic, allows me the
opportunity to translate code from previous versions of the software,
revise their GUI's and documentation for re-implementation
in VB, and to design programs that assist the senior programmer in our
division in his tasks, such as registry and systems
settings programs.
I am also fortunate enough to be working with our marketing division,
which
affords me the luxury of designing and enhancing
graphics and images for our company. I also assist in the design and
manipulation of much of our advertisement materials,
as well as providing assistance to our customers concerning problems with
one of our software products that focuses on
engineering design and demands for our customers' products.
Our company produces software for use on several systems, including
Windows 3.1, 95, Windows NT, AS400 and
various HP models, so I have had an opportunity to work with several new
platforms and interfaces. I am learning a great deal,
and each day I am gaining a better understanding of how a computer system
works, whether it involves hardware, software,
networking, or interactivity with multiple users.
My experience at UNCA has provided me with many skills that I use on a
regular basis, most importantly one that helps me
every day: at UNCA, I learned how to effectively learn. By this I mean
that I was taught how to approach a new language, or a
programming objective, not with worry of "can I do this?", but "how can I
do this?" I learned to break a task down into
components that I know I can handle, ask for assistance about anything
that
I don't understand, and to stick with it until I get it
finished.
The variety of subjects that the UNCA Computer Science program covers is
extremely beneficial to me in my profession, and
that diversity is, I believe, the key to making it in this ever-changing
industry--you have to be able to pick up on new ideas,
concepts, and products with good understanding and efficiency, or you'll
be
left behind.
I am also very fortunate to be working with an office full of wonderful
people, and to live in a beautiful town like Greenville, SC.
I would like to say thank you to all of the professors at UNCA, especially
those in the CSCI department, for doing your job
with dignity and pride. You could have made it easy on us--given us the
hard parts of the program and made us write the rest,
but you forced us to think for ourselves, use our own skills, and solve
our
own problems. You knew that we would only benefit
if we reached our goals on our own, and you helped us do that. Thank
you.
Carol Johnston
While a student, I worked part-time in the MIS Department of Community
Care Partners (CCP), an organization of several Asheville, NC health-care
agencies. During this period of time, I primarily worked on designing
databases using Microsoft Access 97. Since graduation, I have
contracted with CCP to continue development of a Human Resources
database which will unite human resources data from all components of
the organization into one system. This gives me the opportunity to apply
my knowledge of information management gained at UNCA and of human
resources management gained through previous education and experience.
CCP is also considering marketing a database product which I developed.
I am continuing to work on enhancements for this system and hope to
be involved with all phases of producing and marketing it.
I love what I am doing. The MIS staff at CCP is very dynamic and
creative. My experiences at CCP have given me a rare opportunity to
participate in
the emergence of a consolidated system from several disparate systems
and to gain an understanding of the complexities involved in such a
venture.
In addition to consulting, this fall I will be an adjunct professor at
Mars
Hill
College, where I will teach a database management course. I also plan to
explore other contract opportunities for database development and
technical writing.
UNCA's Computer Science Department provided excellent preparation for
moving into professional work in information management. The course
requirements and electives gave me a sound technical background with a
broad knowledge of many aspects of the field. The emphasis on skills
needed to work with system users and on presentations is proving to be
invaluable. Particularly important was the accessibility of each of the
professors in the Computer Science Department at UNCA. Their openness
made my total experience at UNCA far more valuable than just the classroom
experience, as excellent as that was. I am very grateful for the
opportunities provided by UNCA and the Computer Science
faculty.
Programmer/Analyst
Herald-Sun MIS Department
Durham, NC
nhc@herald-sun.com
Systems Analyst
Community Care Partners
Asheville, NC
Jennifer_J._Scott@trh.org
Programmer/Analyst
Kyrus Corporation
saydt@kyrus.com
Programmer/Analyst
Jobscope Corporation
bjohnson@jobscope.com
www.jobscope.com
Consultant
Community Care Partners (CCP)
clsj@worldnet.att.net
Adam D. Bradley
Currently, I'm receiving a University Graduate Fellowship which pays my
tuition + a stipend
for my first year so I have freedom to investigate the department's ongoing research.
Starting this summer, I will be a Research Assistant for the "Commonwealth Server Project"
(http://www.cs.bu.edu/groups/cwealth), investigating issues surrounding building a distributed
web server with the desirable qualities of reliability, redundancy, high utilization and throughput,
and utilizing existing off-the-counter physical hardware in conjunction with novel and
mainstream software components. My personal project at present can be described on two
levels... at the higher level, I am developing a POSIX-threaded web server that will allow us to
investigate application-protocol-level queuing, request collection, and related issues. Within the
context of that project, I'm developing a module that implements a statistics-gathering HTTP
proxy; this proxy version of the server will be used in all the computer-science labs to help us
gather statistics about real patterns of WWW utilization and viewing patterns. (The project is
now almost in good working order; I know better than to call it "finished", as we all know
software is *never* finished...)
About half of the department is focused on systems and applications, and this allows a lot of
room for people like myself who are fundamentally hackers rather than theorists. What's more,
research group meetings are always rewarding, because the theory-oriented and
implementation-oriented members of the group are constantly bumping heads and keeping each
other in check. Even then, the networking topics we're covering are far from canonical, so there's
plenty of room within those camps for disagreement.
I cannot overstate the value of the liberal arts education I received at UNCA; in a field as
dynamic and rapidly-changing as computer science, it is vital that we have an understanding not
only of the main principles of our own field, but of the principles governing the world that we
interact with; if we truly are entering into an "information age", then we must be aware of the
cultural and civil forces shaping our technology, but also of the social ramifications of
implementing the technologies we study and develop.
The Computer Systems track did an excellent job preparing me for my graduate work. The
department's top-notch computer resources afforded an excellent environment in which to
explore current fields in systems and programming, and the faculty were consistently available
and willing to offer technical and theoretical assistance. Classes offered an excellent balance
between current applications and issues and the theory and concepts underlying them, but didn't
demand so much time as to preclude personal in-depth exploration of those topics.
I'm particularly thankful for the willingness of the faculty to encourage my explorations (and
exploits), and their ability to point me towards rich sources of information rather than just giving
flat answers to specific problems.
Brian J. Bero
I am currently working on financial trading applications and
analytical tools
for market traders. I get the opportunity to work with the latest
technology and develop products that will be used enterprise wide.
NationsBank gives all their developers a creative environment to work in
and all the support needed (through mentoring, training, etc) to really
grow your career. Not only am I growing from a technology standpoint
(working with Java, CORBA, enterprise framework products) but I am given
the opportunity to learn the business aspect of the company.
What I learned at UNCA definitely helped prepare me
for my work in the industry. The lectures (sometimes endless),
projects, and especially, the senior project, were worthwhile and
invaluable to my personal and professional growth. UNCA is somewhat
unique in the fact that they prep people who not only have the tech
skills, but can see the big picture in an organization. Without my
having been exposed to the skills like project management and system
analysis & design, I
wouldn't be where I am today. These are what lands you
the job and gets your career moving!!! Our IS department looks for those
with a business background, who are presentable, and are willing to focus
on the
bottom line/customer needs instead of people that hide in a lab and
munge code all day.
If there are any UNCA CSci grads
which are: 1) product focused (someone interested in seeing their work
implemented) and, 2) interested in the financial sector - send them my
way!!! This is just a great opportunity. He/she would be coming in on
the ground floor of an 5-year
major enterprise project using Java/CORBA/C++ and would not only start a
great career path with learning cool technology, but would get to learn
the financial business side of things as well.
Brad Bullers
I currently am working in an MIS dept. of four people. This gives me
the opportunity to work and learn about many
different aspects of MIS instead of working in one specialized area. I am
responsible for analysis, design, and implementation of any new projects
as
well as maintanence of existing programs. Most every project is analyzed
as a team but programmed by one individual. My job also includes
troubleshooting hardware related problems such as PC's and terminals. We
have a department beeper that is passed back and forth each week so that
nobody
is always on call. Programming involves areas such as accounting, sales,
timeclock, art dept., inventory and most importantly the specs on products
and orders.
I like working for a small MIS dept because I am involved in
almost every project that we take on. I like being able to work one on
one
with users to get what they need. I like being able to do many other
things besides just programming. Because I am in a small
department, I work
on
many different projects or problems that occur through the week so I do
not
get bored with one project. As mentioned above, we are responsible for
many different departments so the work is constantly changing.
I feel that UNCA helped me become a more independent person.
I
got the backround that really fits well with my job. This enables me to
understand issues and make educated decisions based partly on the
knowledge
I
received during college.
Amy Hargreaves
I work for a company that franchises Internet service to independent
telephone companies. I design and construct web sites for a variety
of business customers ranging from Christian fundamentalist publishers,
to video gambling machine sellers, from realtors, to manufacturing
companies. I write CGI, Java, etc. as necessary to enhance the sites
I develop. I set up web sites from start to finish, including working
with InterNIC on domain names, setting up virtual servers and e-mail,
uploading, modifying and troubleshooting sites, and tearing the entire
edifice down if a customer leaves us. I develop logos and do most of my
own graphics work. I developed, implemented and maintain Info Avenue's
web customer database and billing. I do training and consulting both in
and out of house, and enough customer service and support to make me want
to hide under my desk at times.
Although the job offers the variety and creativity I was hoping for when I
took
it, it is also very high stress as there is never enough time to properly
accomplish everything. This is largely due to the fact that Info Avenue
is
growing too fast to keep up with itself and is chronically short staffed.
I
am seriously considering girding my loins and going out to find myself a
hard
core nerd job rather than continuing to indulge my desire for a job which
will allow me to be artistically creative -- if I can only cut back from
these
10 to 12 hours work days so I'll have the time to do it. The fact that
the pay
for such jobs is substantially higher is added incentive.
While I have applied some things learned at UNCA to my work (though no one
can convince me that calculus will ever be of any use in the
"real world"), the benefit of being exposed to a variety of topics in
computer science, and the learning how to learn has been of greater help.
A
job seldom confines itself to the duties listed in the "job description",
and
technology is rapidly and constantly evolving. A solid base in computer
concepts and the flexibility to learn and change helps much more than
knowing
the minutia of the latest release of WindowsNT or C++. I think UNCA, with
its
emphasis on a broad liberal arts background as well as the hard science
provides
the base and the flexibility to build upon.
Janet Cody Mehaffey
I do a little bit of everything!!! I recently
developed
a scheduling system for the inpatient portion of the hospital using
Microsoft Access and VBA. In addition to creating systems, I also do
network administration,
troubleshooting of hardware and software, and a
multitude of
things to support the user.
I love interacting with users
(most
of the time). We are in the process of migrating from Windows 3.1 on
a
Novell network to Windows NT. And most of the users have no idea
what 3.1
can do for them, let alone Windows NT. I love to show them something
that
their computer can do to make their job easier. I also enjoy solving
the
puzzles that arise everyday. I enjoy sitting down to a machine that
has a
glitch and racking my brain trying everything I can think of to find
the
answer to it's problems, because I have learned that nothing is as
cut and
dry as one would hope it would be.
Although there are some days that I wonder what I'm doing in this field,
I am truly thankful to the faculty of UNCA for giving me the
ability to
reason through my problems and know when I have found the answer
that
will make at least one user happy for at least a few minutes (until
the
next problem arises). I enjoy the challenge of my job, and knowing
that
no matter how much I learn, I will never stop finding things that
challenge me.
I work on the Data Warehouse team at Belk. This operation involves
basically
everything from mainframe to PC.
We work in a three tier environment. At the front end we use a OLAP tool
to
generate SQL in GUI environment. Our data comes from a number of
enterprise
systems used here. Every night this data is downloaded from mainframe
to
DB2/PE for use in the data warehouse. We then selectively
(parallel)
process this raw data on AIX. Several reports are generated based on
this
data. These are made available every morning to various departments
and
vendors for sales analysis and decision making. These reports include
sales
data all the way the previous night's store closing.
I am also responsible for developing and supporting Lotus Domino
Server
based applications using Lotus Notes groupware. This involves some Java
and
LotusScript.
I like everything about my work. It has been such a great
learning
opportunity. All members of my team are cross trained in all the areas
of
this operation. As a result of this, in data warehouse operation alone
I
get to work with a number of disparate things like UNIX shell script,
AIX,
OLAP Tool (DSS Agent), mainframe (which in my opinion is not
going
anywhere), development in three tier environment, parallel
processing,
DB2/PE (soon to be replaced by UDB) etc.
I highly value everything I learned at UNCA. The computer science
classes
at UNCA gave me a good starting point in my career. The liberal
education
at UNCA truly enriched my life and I am very thankful to the professors
who
delivered this with such a great devotion. Attending UNCA has been
a
wonderful experience.
Chris Miller
When I first started working with the Buncombe County
Information Technology Dept. I was a part-time employee. My duties
included a little of everything. I installed networks, upgraded PC's,
troubleshot, and some operations
activities like backups, restores, etc. I did this for a little over a
year. Then in November of 1997, I was promoted to a full-time
programmer/analyst. My duties include maintaining and designing new
programs for the RealEstate Valuation Dept. of Buncombe County. Most of
these programs are written in COBOL; others
are writen in a program called Mantis which is mainly a screen
generator.
I am enjoying my job very much and I am very glad that I chose UNCA's
Computer Science major. At the time I was taking all of these classes I
thought that I was going to go crazy, but it has all payed off. Thank
you very much.
Graduate Student
Boston University
artdodge@cs.bu.edu
http://www.cs.bu.edu/students/grads/artdodge/
Software Engineer
NationsBanc Montgomery Securities LLC
Brian.bero@ncmi.com
Programmer/Analyst
Plastic Packaging Inc.
bradbullers@ppi-hky.com
Web Developer
Info Avenue, L.L.C.
amyh@infoave.net
www.infoave.net
Systems Analyst
Community CarePartners
janet_mehaffey@trh.org
Shokaib Arif
Data Warehouse Developer/Lotus Notes Application Developer
Belk Store Services
Shokaib_Arif@belk.com
Programmer/Analyst
Buncombe County Information Technology Dept.
chrissmiller@hotmail.com
Jake Millspaugh
I give pre-sales technical support for all of Sun's products (hardware
and software) to a
variety of customers. I primarily work with the State Government.
I really enjoy being around the leading edge technology that Sun produces. I have probably
become spoiled when it comes to new hardware and software. I also like the variety in my job,
it's not the same old work day in and day out. I may work on several different projects in a
couple of days, or I may work on the same thing for a week straight. I especially like working
for Sun as a company. The corporate culture follows a "work hard play hard" type creed. Scott
McNealy, Sun's CEO, has said time and time again "kick butt, and have fun." Sun takes good
care of it's employees and makes sure that everyone follows Scott's motto.
I wouldn't have this job if not for UNCA. UNCA CSci gave me a huge background on which to
build almost any computer related career. It has certainly helped me here at Sun, not just
technically but mentally. UNCA's "small school" atmosphere promotes close interaction with
students and faculty, as well as working with other people in teams or groups. I have found that,
in particular, to be very helpful in the transition from school to a work environment. In general,
UNCA and UNCA's CSci department was a key component in my career now, and my career
growth in the future.
Michal Marko
I am a Teaching Assistant, besides taking classes. I lecture twice a
week
2 sections of CpSc 120 (Essentials of Computer Science) - 90 students in
each section. That gives me this [false] feeling of importance. So as I
lecture, I make jokes about everything I can (including myself).
Seriously though, I do make jokes but just to make the material more
interesting for the students [who don't want to be there in the first
place].
Besides trying to be funny, I get to talk about stuff that I like -
computers. So I like teaching and wouldn't mind doing it at some point in
my life. Besides being a TA, I also [pretend to] do research, hopefully
towards a master's paper. My research is in Operating Systems, something
with virtual memory to be more precise. I get to hack the Linux kernel on
a daily basis; Who, just who wouldn't love that?? Plus, I get to do all
this in the town of 90/90: 90 deg. temperature, 90% humidity!
UNCA has the nicest CSci department. Being from a different country,
that sure was very important to me.
Daniel P. Maher
I combine my company's market-leading digital audio engine with MIDI
functionality for third-party developers. I get to create lots of
cool
code and teach other developers about new features that our company
develops.
I constantly stay on the cutting edge of the Digital Audio
Workstation
industry and am behind-the-scenes, helping shape the direction of
digital
audio. I get to see the results of my efforts in new features in
shipping
products, trade journals, and conventions. I work collaboratively
with
developers all over the globe in the leading companies in audio to
improve their products.
I also get the benefit of a full recording studio on my desk to
create
and
manipulate my own compositions.
My latest professional interests have taken me to Nashville, TN, where I
have jumped into a small engineering department, helping make computer-
controlled audio equipment for the music and film industries. Being in
such a small department has allowed me to advance to a real programming
position, making real changes to shipping code, and seeing the results
immediately on huge audio console systems. I work one-on-one with
customers, tweaking functionality until they are happy. Since we are not
limited to standard desktop computers and mainstream operating systems, I
have been exposed to some pretty cool stuff.
UNCA gave me the freedom and knowledge to combine audio and computer
science
into an education that is in high demand within a specialized field that I
am
totally interested and immersed in. I was encouraged to go as far as I
wanted
to with my talents and education.
Ken Woodruff
The company that I work for develops
network faxing software. 99 percent of our customers are big companies
who send and/or receive 1,000+ faxes per day. Our software is
client/server, RPC based and we support the SunOs, Solaris, IBM, HP and
NT platforms.
I do all of the things associated with making software and getting it
out the door.
This includes design, coding, debugging, testing, doing releases, etc.
I work almost exclusively in the Solaris environment (yayyy!!) but
sometimes work in NT environment (yuck). My favorite part of my job is
the actual coding. My least favorite part
of the job is dealing with the customers but luckily I rarely have to do
that (that's what Technical Support is for).
UNCA helped me in that it provided me with almost 24 hour access to a
network of computers and the internet. This "computer playland" made
me realize how much fun computers can be and gave me the opportunity to
experiment and learn what I wanted to at my leisure. I really
appreciated the flexibility of the C.S. department. The C.S. department
always seemed to be responsive to the personal needs of each student
which really made it stand out from the rest of the departments at UNCA.
I also really enjoyed those nutty Humanities teachers.
Jeff Dunning
My job involves
analyzing
client code for potential Year 2000 problems and making any necessary
fixes to
make the clients code Year 2000 compliant. Most of my work involves
mainframe
COBOL applications, so I spend my days looking through millions of lines
of
code. It has been an interesting job. The best thing I like about the job
is
getting to see the hundreds of different ways programmers have used the
date over the past two or three decades. Most of the applications I have
fixed were written in the late 1970's to early 1980's. Not all of the
applications have been written in English. Some have been written in
Dutch, Swedish, and French - it makes for interesting reading, not to
mention a headache. I also do some research and development work. I have
written several programs for the detection of Year 2000 problems. I think
the skills I obtained at UNCA have been very helpful in performing my job.
The degree
adequately prepared me for some of the disasters that are sure
to come.
Jennifer Pressley Morton
I am employed by the corporate office of the nations leading
distributor
of books and magazines, Anderson News Company. The corporate office is
located in Knoxville, TN and we have approximately 50 distribution
centers all over the US. My title is programmer/analyst, which is a
catch all title for "a little of everything". Mainly, I am involved in
analysis, design, programming, and support. I enjoy my job because no
two days are the same. By maintaining an in-house system, which is used
by 50 distribution centers, there is always work to do. I gain
satisfaction from my job through writing applications that help others be
better at their jobs. Although user-support can sometimes be
irritating, it's a good feeling when you are able to help someone.
The MIS department at Anderson News had never hired anyone right out of
college; I was the first. I had just graduated a month before I took
this job, and I will admit that I really didn't know how well I was
prepared for this job. From reviews and evaluations, I can tell that
they are pleased with my work -- thanks be to the CSci department at UNCA.
Along with my technical skills, I'm always being complimented at work on
how
well I speak in front of groups
of people, thanks the work I did preparing to present my research work
at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research and the many other
CSci classes
that forced me to speak in front of people (when you would rather not). I
value
my education that I received while attending UNCA.
Jon Bierce-Wilson
I was hired right after
graduation at Visiting Health Professionals, where I was writing code in
Informix-4GL to support the development of a new payroll system, and
doing
some
UNIX system support. When we merged with Thoms, The Summit, Green Tree
Ridge,
Mountain Area Hospice, etc. to become CCP, my job became much more
complex. We
now work in a multifaceted environment, with WinNT, Win 3.1, DOS, and
UNIX
stations, with TCP-IP and Novell networks extending to ten locations in
WNC,
and have many different software packages to support. We are starting to
explore the possibilities that Web technologies could help us to tie all
this
mess together. Meanwhile, I have become the Southeastern United States
expert
in the ASET programming language (which shows you the stunningly
underwhelming
popularity of the language). Before I got here, to get a system change in
the
hospital scheduling and patient data system, you had to go back to the
vendor
and request custom modifications. Now I work with the vendor to build new
reports and customizations in the software. Working here is constantly
solving
puzzles. There are so many different things going on, my analytic
abilities
are
constantly tested. We have a great team cobbled together from the
different
organizations, and we have been tremendously helped by the Internship
program my boss, Russ Taylor, put together with Mary Lynn Manns at
UNCA.
Believe it or not, I miss being at UNCA. The
computer industry is moving so fast that you have to
remain in learning mode. It would be nice to be able to
afford the time to take classes, although the homework I
could do without!
Systems Engineer
Sun Microsystems Inc.
jake.millspaugh@East.Sun.Com
Graduate Student
Clemson University
marko@cs.clemson.edu
Software Engineer
Digidesign
dan_maher@technologist.com
Software Engineer
The Bristol Group
impmat@earthlink.net
Software Engineer
Alydaar Software Corporation
jldunning@worldnet.att.net
www.alydaar.com
Programmer/Analyst
Anderson News Company
mortonj@andersonnews.com
Programmer Analyst
Community Care Partners (CCP) at Thoms Rehabilitation Hospital
jon_bierce-wilson@trh.org
Vicki Tziavelis
I work for Administrative Computing Services at the UNCA Computer
Center. My main
responsibilities include analytical and programming support for UNCA's Student Information
System (SIS) with special emphasis on web applications, the admissions module, and several
side systems that have been developed at UNCA. I also provide support, consultation and
troubleshooting for SIS users and serve as campus webmaster.
I like the fact that something different is always going on, whether that be system upgrades, or
user questions that I have to figure out. I enjoy the challenge of working directly with users in
educating them and answering their questions. I also enjoy working in an educational
environment such as UNCA (really!) because I'm always in an atmosphere of learning.
The most significant thing that going through the UNCA CSCI program taught me was probably
the fact that I had to learn how to always learn. Since this field changes so quickly, you have to
always work at not "falling behind the times".
Heather Phung
Most of my time is
spent at the customer's site. My job requires 85% of my time traveling.
I
liked it at first but it gets old very quickly, especially weeks after
weeks
of
travel for 8 months. But I get to see a lot of different places that I
want to
see, although some places are very boring. Besides traveling, I do
consulting type of work. I get involved in the complete life cycle of a
project. I
and 14 other IBMers from different IBM sites recently designed a payroll
system for
McDonald's in Chicago (you might guess that I am very sick of McDonald's
food). I do most everything from high level requirement gathering to
designing, coding, testing, implementation, and quality assurance (QA).
I've been coding mostly
in
C/C++ and using Oracle Database.
This job is very high stress (they
put
me on a leash 24hrs). However, I can turn my pager off after I get off
work,
as I walk out to the car. We don't take turns carrying pagers,
but
it gives me an opportunity to learn how to interact with customers (although
they are a pain most of the time). I enjoy the challenges in building
relationships with customers and giving them advice on how I think
things would
be beneficial to them as well as to us. There are a lot of opportunities
to
grow and
new challenges to take in the 'real world'. I have to keep myself up to
date by reading some of the technical magazines. IBM has a lot of
opportunity for
me to grown and learn different things and to build my confidence.
UNCA is a great place to attend, especially the
CSci
department. I like that fact the I was able to browse on the internet,
and
watch other students play pranks on other professors (*you know who you
are*
*grin*). I also like that it's a small school and I could get
one-on-one
help/discussion with my professors about my studies. The professors there
were
very helpful. The senior project also helped me a great deal in preparing
for
my 'real job' in the 'real world'. It helped me learn how to interact
with the
users and solve complex problems and how to make the users happy. It
also
gave me experience in how the life cycle of a project
works.
Applications Programmer
UNCA Computer Center
tziavelis@unca.edu
Information Technology Specialist
IBM Corporation
heatherp@us.ibm.com
Christopher E. Justice
As a Product Manager, my primary focus is the success of various data
warehouse products
and consulting services for the Data Warehousing division of PLATINUM technology, inc.
Therefore, I am involved with the marketing, business development, software development,
technical support, and the consulting services provided for various products within the division.
My position also requires that I develop strategies for integrating data warehousing products with
other PLATINUM software and other third-party software products.
The position allows me to be an integral part of the entire software development life cycle. I also
have the opportunity to "get my hands dirty" and write my own software applications for use
with our products. I particularly enjoy the external communication with third-party software
vendors, and building new relationships with existing and potential customers. Finally, my
position allows me the freedom to make decisions, and I feel personally responsible for the
success of the software which I manage.
Many times during my university education, I felt as if much of the course material was not
relevant to what I might be doing when I graduated. However, I have discovered that I have had
the opportunity to apply almost every computer science course I had taken while attending
UNCA. I still refer to many of the text books required for my computer science classes. The
personal attention given to me during my studies by each of the professors in the Computer
Science department has shaped me into the person I am today.
Scott McMahan
I work for a small company, SoftBase Systems, and do a lot of stuff! My
main job is
developing client/server products. My current project is a checkpoint/restart utility called
Client/Server Checkpoint. It's currently written in C, but we're porting the checkpoint/restart
paradigm to a new object oriented framework. We're going to implement it in Java and C++.
Working in Java on a serious project was a lot of fun.
My current work has two aspects I particularly like. First, I get a lot of experience in many
different areas. For example, our company sells mainframe programming tools, and I've learned a
lot about MVS in the years I've been here. I also get to evaluate and recommend my own
development tools (since I'm the main client/server programmer here), so I get experience with a
lot of new and cutting edge tools. Second, I work for a small company and wear many hats. I run
the network, develop software, etc. It's not boring. There's always something interesting and fun.
We're also a fast moving company which pounces on new opportunities. It's never the same old
same old.
In addition to my work at Softbase, I do a little web programming on the side for SK Web
Construction. In return, they've given me some room to put up web pages on their server. I've put
up just about everything I could think of at my site. Shareware and free programs, my Cyber
Reviews book reviews, poems, artwork, music, you name it. It's a playground where I can be
creative and really test the limits of what you can do on the web.
I have also gotten an article published in the December 1997 issue of Windows Developer's
Journal, fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a published author.
What I liked most about UNCA was the unrestricted access to the UNIX workstations, the
Internet, etc. For someone who enjoyed learning on his own, it was a perfect environment to
explore things of interest. I don't know if any other school would have the same combination of a
small, informal CS department with big-time equipment.
Allowing me to do a lot of independent learning has helped me in my current job, too. That's all I
do! Since I've graduated, I've had to learn one new technology after another: Delphi, Java, DB2
Universal Database, Windows NT, etc. I have to constantly try to stay on top of new technology.
The single most important quality a computer professional can have is an unstoppable drive to
learn as much as possible as quickly as possible.
The importance of the humanities studies at UNCA for computer science majors can't be
underestimated. The people who design our computers often have no appreciation of the human
condition, and live in an insulated ivory tower (or machine room) out of touch with the impact
technology has on human lives. Without an appreciation for what it means to be human and an
understanding that it is our job as the people who are creating the future to make the human
condition better, you will not have a direction for your career in
computer science.
James G. Arnold
After graduating, I worked for three years in Spartanburg SC writing
software for controlling brakes on passenger transit vehicles (e.g.
Amtrak, NY subway, etc). The software provided anti-slip and anti-spin
protection and increased the life of the wheels by a factor of 10! (from
~100,000 to over ~1,000,000 miles). Other software provided brake control
by modulating valves to apply the proper amount of pressure. I also got to
do some fun PC programming for various test projects where the PC
controlled equipment that tested electronic control units.
Last fall I decided to go back to school. Now I'm attending Clemson for a
Masters in CS.
This field is so broad, and the market is so needy that I'm enjoying
trying different things right now. I really enjoyed the embedded
programming. Now, while in school, I'm doing some Access programming and
Web page development as part-time work. I'm also trying to learn more
about Unix and system administration stuff.
CS jobs seem to have good work environments. People (managers) generally
appreciate CS people (since they are hard to come by) and that encourages
them to treat CS people well and try to keep them. Of the places I've
worked, I usually was given a project to do and then left to my own
devices
to schedule and complete the task. This arrangement may not be appealing
to everyone, but I really prefer it.
My favorite thing about UNCA was that the student:teacher ratio was small
enough that I could get one-on-one help from any of my professors. The
friendly open-door atmosphere of the CS department really facilitated
learning.
M. Chris Orr
My job is half support and half system integration. The support aspect
is to maintain the PC-based computer systems that are used by the
patient-care providers and administration of the health system. I
trouble shoot software, upgrade PC hardware, and provide training for
users. The systems integration part involves evaluating existing
software packages and performing gap analysis, then configuring and
installing the software packages after the purchase.
Before joining Mission St. Joseph Hospital System, I spent almost four
years employed with
Cambridge
Technology
Partners, where I filled roles as Senior Developer and Technical Team
Leader. I worked as a systems integration consultant that provided
Strategic and Mission-Critical systems for Fortune-500 companies such as
UPS, Hasbro, Carlson-Wagonlit Travel, and others. These systems
typically were E-Commerce or customer support Call Center applications.
My roles varied between projects, but the process was always the same:
identify a "pain" area for the customer, propose a solution that will
provide 80% of the benefits in 20% of the time. Then we would implement
these systems in a very short tmieframe (6-20 weeks) using client
resources as developers to empower them to maintain the system once we
left. This was an exciting and high-powered but very stressful
environment, so I decided to leave before I burned out.
The UNCA experience prepared me for both of these very different
positions by giving me a "ground up" knowledge of computers from the
physics of semiconductors to advanced software constuction concepts.
This broad base of information provided by the staff at UNCA has allowed
me to adapt to any situation I have been put in and has prepared me well
for the workforce.
Product Manager, Data Warehouse Solutions
PLATINUM Technology, Inc.
cjustice@erols.com
www.platinum.com
System Developer
SoftBase Systems
scott@lighthouse.softbase.com
www.softbase.com
www.skwc.com/essent
Graduate Student
Clemson University
jarnold@cs.clemson.edu
www.cs.clemson.edu/~jarnold
Technical Software Engineer
Mission + St. Joseph's Health System
mcorr@hotmail.com
Daryl Sampson
Technical Consultant
Broadway & Seymour
daryl.sampson@ccmail.bsis.com
I am part of a software development team working in both an Application Developer and Database Administrator role. Our team is responsible for creating, enhancing and maintaining a Windows-based decision support product, which is currently used in 12 financial institutions nationwide. My development work is primarily comprised of using Visual Basic, C++ and COBOL. My DBA responsibilities are maintaining 5 SQL Servers which run on NT Server, writing TSQL Scripts to manipulate data and schema, as well as implementing other administration related activities (i.e., recovery strategies, regular maintenance, hardware/software upgrades, etc.). We also provide client technical support for issues that our QA/Support group can not resolve.
What I like about what I do:
- Client/Server Environments rule. Technology continues to change
and the challenges keep coming.
- The fulfillment of seeing my efforts come to life in a production
environment. (Banks actually use this stuff and depend upon
it).
- Limited travel, but fun places when required.
UNCA was a cool place to attend college. The professors are down to
earth,
approachable yet very intellectual. My experience with other
universities
in the N.C. public collegiate system did not possess this quality in
the
educational process. I personally found that being able to discuss
topics
and questions with my instructors on a more informal basis a very
positive
aspect. The CSCI department contains a broad variety of backgrounds
which
compliments the different areas of interests student have about the
computer/software industry. Computer Center facilities and staff are
an
extremely valuable resource for students as they navigate their quest
for
a
bachelors degree.
Steve Fleming
I maintain the website for the National Climatic Data Center,
Asheville, NC. I like what I do
because it's at the forefront of what is happening in the world.
I found UNCA to be an excellent education at a livable price. The course work was challenging
but rewarding. The instructors were outstanding and the curriculum prepared me for the
challenges I face today. I would recommend it to anyone.
Webmaster
National Climatic Data Center
sfleming@ncdc.noaa.gov
www.ncdc.noaa.gov
George Preston Pruitt
I do almost any and everything concerning computers:
I like what I do because it is so diverse and
challenging.
When you work for a small company or
for yourself you have to do everything - from the menial
to the
complex. One day you're putting
stamps on letters; the next you're being interviewed by
the
Wall
Street
Journal. I don't think I would
enjoy working in this industry as much if I worked for
a
large
corporation.
UNCA gave me a great well rounded inexpensive liberal arts
education. I have to attribute a large portion of my professional success
to this education. The Computer Science department at UNCA is one of the
best. I left UNCA with a sound understanding of computers, hardware, and
programming. The most beneficial courses for me were: Compiler Design
and
Discrete Math (I have developed a very large data parsing program
utilizing
finite state automata), FORTRAN and Pascal and C programming, computer
architecture, and operating systems. When I first started working, I
quickly discovered how important my computer science courses were. I
utilized almost everthing that I learned during the previous 4 years,
from
FORTRAN format statements to graph theory.
Janet Schroeder Shearon
Sonopress is converting its manufacturing systems to SAP with a project
deadline of Jan.
1999. I am working on the Financial team, managing all the configuration, reporting and
scripting for the AP, AR and GL areas. Other responsibilities include configuring and coding
any/all EDI, timekeeping and current Financial software needs for Sonopress. Myself and a
part-time contractor support our two AS/400's along with all the peripherals, including a 25
station Radio Frequency Network.
There are two reasons UNC-A is fond to me.... 1) It gave me the opportunity to get an education
in which I can support myself and 2) It gave me the opportunity to meet my
husband!
Kevin Fitzpatrick
Nortel, founded by Alexander Graham Bell, is a leading manufacturer of
telecommunications equipment. We design and build everything from the
telephone to the giant terabit switches and 20 gigabit fiber optics
transport systems.
I work on a product called AccessNode. This device gathers the copper
telephone loops from up to 20,000 individual telephone subscribers,
digitizes the information on the loops (voice and data), and places
that digital data on a optical fiber back to telephone switch for
routing to its destination. I manage four groups of software designers.
My groups specialize in
an area of telecommunications called Operation, Administration,
Maintenance, and Provisioning (OAM). OAM is the set of functions a
telephone craftsperson does to maintain the telephone system. My team
builds the tools and systems to monitor and maintain the AccessNode.
I like working with bleeding edge technology. I like being in the
position of defining the next generation (generation after next
actually) of technology. We are literally designing the third
generation internet! But apart from the technology, I've found I like
managing people and
projects. I like taking a new college graduate and developing them
into a senior software designer or manager. I like taking a complex
set of requirements from a customer and crafting a project plan around
them and then managing the day to day crises along the way.
I didn't realize that the quality of the CSci education at UNCA was so
high until I started Grad School at Clemson. The grounding in CSci
prepared me for graduate courses without having to take any
pre-requisites. And while most graduate courses delved much deeper
into subjects covered at UNCA, I found that most topics we covered had
been presented at some point at UNCA.
Apart from the technical education though, the variety of courses I
took at UNCA shaped the way I see and interact with the world. As
someone with a liberal arts education working in a world of engineers,
I bring a different perspective to problems. Out side of work I am
very involved in the community and the arts. Many of these
involvements are extensions of courses, lectures and performances at
UNCA. Courses in physics, political science, classics, and humanities
encouraged to ask the question "what do I REALLY beleive?". The
philosophy, art, and history lectures, the wide variety of visiting
musical performances, the art all over campus, the environmental
activism, the personal attention from professors extended to every
student... all of these shaped the values and perspective I exercise
daily. I can't imagine how much less exciting life would be today had
my professors concentrated on just teaching me to program a
computer.
Kenneth Anders
I write and revise computer
programs. The language we write is COBOL. What I
learned from the COBOL courses I took at UNCA was very helpful.
In fact, I don't think I could have done without them. Also, the things I
learned in other courses I have taken at UNCA will, I'm sure, come in
handy in the future.
Kip Shearon
I build information interfaces for automated production lines.
We are constantly adapting new technology to our automation
projects. It leaves us room to dabble in just about everything
from databases and web pages to hardware interfaces and
machine control.
I had the opportunity to go to any university in North Carolina
and turned it down to come to UNCA and I have never regretted
it. I think I received a better education at UNCA than I would
have
at any of the other state schools. It was a good fit for
me.
Director of Research
Futures, Inc.
Futures@a-o.com
a - hardware and network maintenance (Macs and PCs)
b - human resources for computer professionals
c - programming in FORTRAN and C++ on Macs and
PCs (prefer Mac)
d - technical writing and desk top publishing
e - speak and lecture at seminars throughout the United
States
f - expert witness for US government on expert
systems
designed to
trade markets
g - author and co-author of several commercial
applications
h - author and co-author of several articles published
in
trade
journals and periodicals
Business Analyst
Sonopress, Inc.
janet_shearon@sonogate.sonopress.com
Senior Manager, AccessNode Software Design
Nortel, Inc
kevinf@nortel.ca
Software Engineer
Mission St. Joe's Hospital System
sdanders@bulldog.unca.edu
Manufacturing Information Systems Engineer
Square D Company, Groupe Schneider
shearond@squared.com
Michael Brown
I work for Administrative Computing Services at UNCA providing
analytical
and
programming support for SCT's Student Information System (SIS). My
primary
areas of responsibility include Financial Aid, Billing and Receivables,
and
Housing, along with lots of quick and dirty COBOL programs to help make
things
here a bit easier.
The work here is sometimes hectic, and always diverse. A typical day can
include everything from installing system upgrades, to working out a
difficult
series of reports, to showing a student how to access the Internet (even
explaining a time or two what the Internet is.) Never knowing who might
stick
their head in my door to ask a question is a benefit only an educational
environment can offer - which also means I get to keep learning.
Aside from UNCA, I write articles and short stories. The articles have
been
published in everything from local newsprint to the occasional regional or
national magazine. As for the short stories... well, I'm working on it. I
recently started an online magazine of fiction, more as a source for other
writers than myself. The submissions are trickling in, some good, some
bad.
Take a look if you like at http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/nightlight.
I enjoyed UNCA as a student for several reasons, but mainly because I have
as
much of a penchant for literature and arts as I do for science. Two of my
favorite courses here were Physics and Humanities. One taught me how to
look
at the world, the other how it worked - a strange mix maybe, but one where
UNCA seems to excel. Much of the success I've had in writing is a direct
result of the required writing courses that I, along with most other
freshmen,
dreaded. (My record is a bit odd. I've sold every piece of non-fiction
I've
written, and zero fiction. Maybe I should have taken a creative writing
course
too.)
Applications Programmer
UNCA Computer Center
mbrown@unca.edu
Kathy Hawkins
I do system analysis and design. I enjoy development of new systems.
My job allows me to
move from one project to another during the analysis and development stages. It is rewarding to
work on a project for two to three years and participate in successful installations.
My years at UNC-A were an exciting, stressful time in my life. Working full-time and attending
college part-time presented continuous challenges. The environment at UNC-A promoted a sense
of "belonging" for both resident and commuter students. My Computer Science classes were
time-consuming and difficult, but the professors and students were cohesive; promoting a
learning environment that was enjoyable. I don't really look back at my college years as the
"good old days," but they were an important time of learning and growing
in my life.
Dee Dee Anders
If you are not aware, the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville,
NC
is the largest archiver of weather data in the world.
My job deals with mostly web-programming activities. I am backup
webmaster of our website (see URL above). I
am also responsible for writing web-based application software for
ordering our products and publications along with accessing our online
data. We are presently undergoing a transition involving migrating most
of our data from the old Unisys mainframe to an Oracle system on
workstation technology. I am helping in this effort also.
Basically I love my job. It is challenging and rewarding, although
frustrating, at times. I love learning new technologies and anything
involving the internet and web sites is definitely new and changing!
My years at UNC-A have served me well. I came to UNC-A in the Spring of
1992 after attending 2 years at UNC-Chapel Hill. Because of personal
family issues, I moved back to Asheville and decided to live at home and
attend UNC-A for one semester before returning to Chapel Hill. I found
that I was learning more and loved UNC-A life a lot better than the big,
bustling University atmosphere at UNC-Chapel Hill, so I stayed! I love
the small, intimate setting of the UNC-A campus along with the small
class size and easy access to professors, and the cost ain't bad either.
I began the Computer Science program when it was in its infancy and found
the field extremely challenging and fun. I grew to love the instructors
in the department and they provided much support to me as a student and
through later years in my career.
I would be glad to talk with any
students regarding the field of Computer
Science and life in the 'real world' as a programmer!!
Computer Scientist
National Climatic Data Center
khawkins@ncdc.noaa.gov
Computer Specialist
National Climatic Data Center
danders@ncdc.noaa.gov
www.ncdc.noaa.gov
Greg Mull
I manage a team of Business Analysts
that provide Performance Measurement reports for an audience ranging from
Banking Center Managers to State Presidents. Our team is responsible for
the
design and development of technical specification documents for the
programming
team. I enjoy my job because I get to learn a great deal about the
banking
industry while staying apprised of the ever changing technical
environment.
During my years at UNCA, I really liked the friendly small school
atmosphere and the fact
the
professors knew your name. I enjoyed participating in Intra-mural sports
and
attending men's and women's basketball games. The women's basketball team
won
the national championship during my years as a student.
Jim Robinson
I moved to Greenville shortly after graduation and took a job as a
programmer with Business Systems Inc., a software firm in the cable TV
industry. I spent 2 years there and then moved to Gastonia, NC and worked
for a year and a half with Public Service Company as a programmer analyst.
(Greg Mull and I had the opportunity to work together for a while.) In
1989
I moved back to Greenville and took a position with Bowater, Inc., a large
pulp and paper manufacturer. I spent four and a half years with Bowater
doing project development work. In November of 1993, I was presented with
an opportunity I had always dreamed of. Rob McClure and I started
International Micro. International Micro is a solutions VAR. We offer
accounting and networking services and solutions to businesses throughout
the Carolinas and beyond. We've modified our base product to be
multi-lingual and multi-currency capable and have installed our software
in
Mexico, Chile, Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia. We are a small
company with 7 employees. As general manager, I do everything from sales
to
programming, from marketing to customer support. I enjoy the process of
building a relationship with the customer and the challenge of learning
new
industries.
UNC-A was a great time in my life. I was very timid coming out of high
school so my college years were a time of discovery, of gaining confidence
and establishing goals. I work with college students on a regular basis
at
my church and they often remind me of myself a few years ago.
Thank you for your investment in my life. The Information Systems faculty
were very instrumental in the choice I
made for a career and you will
never
be forgotten.
And finally, our business is growing rapidly and we are often looking for
graduating CSci students for possible employment. We look for someone
with an
interest in Windows NT networking or application
programming.
Assistant Vice President
NationsBank
greg.mull@nationsbank.com
Owner and General Manager
International Micro
jim@interplas.com
www.intermicro.com
Margie Durham
I work as a member of a self-directed team and our job is to
produce timely, accurate databases within budget and/or contractual
constraints which meet the database marketing needs of the client. We
create client files utilizing software utilities, write record layout
specifications, verify accuracy of results, perform post processing QA,
and
provide technical support to clients. I also conduct training classes for
clients and create analytical reports for the clients.
I work with a great bunch of people and I
enjoy the environment of the self-directed team. I've had great travel
experiences as a trainer, including Vancouver, London and Australia. Our
clients are from a variety of industries - financial, telecommunications,
publishing, and travel and have different approaches to creating and using
a Marketing Database. Each day brings on new challenges and offers
opportunities to enhance my career.
Prior to attending UNCA, I had an undergraduate degree
in Marketing, and an MBA. I took a year of classes at UNCA to add the
Minor in Information Systems to my resume. I have utilized the
experiences
of that year each and every day in the workplace. My textbooks from
System Analysis, Database Management, and Project Management are on my
desk
at work and co-workers are constantly borrowing them!
My year at UNCA was a wonderful enhancement to my career. I met
many people who helped ease my transition from the workplace to the
classroom. The CSci faculty were extremely competent and knowledgeable
and
the classwork was very applicable to the "real life" work environment.
If you are interested in a career with a premier database marketing
company
and enjoying the beautiful Rocky Mountains, you'll find our job hotline
at:
http://www.customer-insight.com.
Customer Insight Company
Database Administrator
Margie_Durham@customer-insight.com