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Archives for March 2024

Occupational Therapy Program Director Uses Health Sciences Degree as Stepping Stone to Education Career

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For Andrew Min, an alumnus of the UW-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences: Health Sciences program offered through the UW Flexible Option, being a student helped him realize that teaching is his true calling.

Andrew, who graduated in September 2022 from UW-Milwaukee, is currently teaching in-person associate degree-level occupational therapy courses at Bates Technical College in Tacoma, Wash.

“I attended the program (OTA) that I’m teaching right now. I practiced occupational therapy for about the first five years, and then I got into teaching. For accreditation purposes, they need practitioners to have at least a bachelor’s degree, and I had one out of the country. But because I wanted to continue my education at the graduate level, I had to pursue a degree in the US.”

AndrewMin headshotAndrew wanted to leverage the experience he already had in the field and knew Health Sciences would be the best option for him. With Health Sciences, professionals who already have a license or an associate degree are awarded 60 credits toward a bachelor’s degree. Andrew also wanted an online competency-based education because he was a working adult with responsibilities at home.

“I was happy to find out about University of Wisconsin Flex, and I thought, you know what? This sounds like the perfect program for me. I did look at a few other competency-based schools out there, but it looked financially and timewise that this was going to be the best option for me.”

His experience in Health Sciences gave him valuable time management skills and the ability to learn independently. The program he’s currently teaching in at Bates recently evolved to a hybrid flip style (which combines digital and in-person delivery and flips the focus from instruction to interaction among students) and he was able to apply what he learned in his bachelor’s degree to his current teaching role.

“Being able to take what I learned just from my own experience in your program helped me provide some more practical suggestions to students just in the overall flow of how to schedule your time and your study habits. But I think, too, a few of the classes specifically related to what I’m teaching now helped to give me more in-depth knowledge in certain areas. For instance, I did an assignment on the Americans with Disabilities Act, and it was kind of like one that we’ve done here in the program. I didn’t teach that course myself, but just being able to delve a little bit more in-depth into ADA and do a little bit more work on accessibility standards was helpful in helping to guide some of the students on a similar project we were doing and helped to maybe tweak a few of our assignments based on my own experience with that one.”

Andrew also wanted to get his Health Sciences degree relatively quickly so he could move onto graduate school. “I felt like I was on a strict time and financial schedule to a degree. I basically carved out four to five days a week just in the evenings. I always had a set schedule.”

He completed 16 classes within one year, though it took a lot of dedication. “I always set aside a portion of my day or my week to make sure I would never fall behind, and that I would stay motivated, too. Because when things come up and you don’t do your schoolwork for a few days, or even a week, then you just lose that motivation. I feel like always chipping off a little piece at a time just kept me motivated.”

Andrew, who recently began working as a program director for Bates’ OTA program, took some cues on instructional design from his experience in Health Sciences. “That was one of the things I really wanted to do from my UW Flex experience was to make all the courses across my program more uniform,” he says.

He also appreciated the rubrics of competency-based education. “Having the experience of these robust rubrics was helpful for me to help model my rubrics. To introduce more of those partial, adult learning theory strategies, as well as some instructional design pieces, and further enhance my own program so that students feel a little more confident with the assignments and projects that they’re submitting.”

Now that Andrew has had experience practicing and teaching for OTA, he knows that education is where he belongs.

“I’ve realized that this is where I want to stay at this point. I don’t think I’ll really be going back to patient care. [After my bachelor’s degree], I went on to do my master’s in learning experience design and educational technology. Around that time, I was promoted into the program director role for the program. And then I was also offered the opportunity to serve as the interim Dean of Instruction for the campus. I served in that role for several months until that role was filled permanently. I was offered the position, but at the time, it wasn’t right for me to accept that full-time appointment. I really enjoy doing what I’m doing now.”

Andrew promotes the Health Sciences degree to his students because it worked well for him. “I know that [competency-based education] doesn’t work for everyone, but I think it does lend itself well to working adults. I tell my students, get into the field, see what you think. And if you want to pursue a graduate education, maybe you do want to go and get your master’s or doctorate in OT. I think this is a great option. You can work, and you can get experience while going to school. And it’ll position you to pursue one of those other options.”

The degree can also be a stepping stone to another role. “If you compare this education with a bachelor’s degree in, say, more specifically in a health science field, then it’ll open so many more opportunities for you. I mean, that’s what our other instructors that are now teaching here at the program also did. And by getting their bachelor’s, they were able to take on roles as directors of skilled nursing facilities and even regional and territory managers for the area.

“We have other students that have gone on and paired their bachelor’s with the education and experience from the OTA program and have gone on as durable medical equipment device reps for those companies. They go into health or equipment sales, that kind of a thing. There are a lot of different opportunities available that I really encourage students to consider, especially if they want to have greater opportunities for advancement in the healthcare field.”

Students also have an opportunity to teach once they’ve gotten an education. “It’s hard to find qualified people that can teach, or that have the experience. So that’s something I’ve really been pushing, as well, for a lot of our graduates and our alumni to consider pursuing some higher education.”

Andrew knew he always wanted to teach, and he loves advising students.

“I want them to come to my program. But I also want to make sure that it’s going to be a good fit for them. And if something else is going to be a better fit for them, then I don’t want to poach them just to bring them into my program. If they do choose to come to the program, I love sharing my experiences with them. I love just sharing how broad the field of occupational therapy is to give them as many options as they want, and then guiding them even afterwards.

“I love hearing the success of students, especially after they graduate, when they get jobs, when they take on greater responsibilities, management roles, or when they end up going into graduate school themselves, it’s really exciting to hear, and just to see and track that progress.”

Throughout his education, Andrew has benefited from the support of mentors. “The program director and instructor were extremely supportive. And even after I graduated, they invited me back to teach a few times, to teach a few units here or there, or to just share my experience with the students. And I did that for a few years. And so, I felt like that was really helpful in also helping me to foster that desire to come and teach full time.”

One of his clinical instructors also inspired him to pursue specialty certifications in the field, which Andrew says helped him advance. “Those were a few contributing factors to get me where I am now.”

For someone considering UW Flexible Option Health Sciences, Andrew says:

“I think this is a great way to advance your education. It’s an economical option. For someone who is already in a health-related field, this is really going to build upon the knowledge that you already have, and it’ll open so many more doors of opportunity after you finish this undergrad experience,” he says.

Think you don’t have time to earn a health sciences degree? Through the University of Wisconsin Flexible Option, you can earn a UW-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences: Health Sciences in an online, self-paced format that fits any schedule. As a UW Flexible Option student, you can start any month and learn at your own pace—as well as leverage your existing technical education and clinical experience to help you progress toward graduation more quickly.

Thinking About Getting Your Bachelor’s Degree? Consider a BSBA For Higher Earning Potential 

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People with bachelor’s degrees will make more money over the course of their lifetimes than those with a high school diploma – in some cases, more than $1 million more. Buffered by recent research indicating that 66% of Americans believe that public four-year colleges are worth the cost, if you’ve considered going back to school to get or finish your bachelor’s degree, such as a bachelor’s degree in business administration (BSBA), now is the time. 

A 2023 survey by New America, Varying Degrees, notes that a majority of Americans believe that people with undergraduate credentials (including certificates, associate degrees or bachelor’s degrees) are more financially stable than those without. More than 70 percent think individuals with undergraduate credentials contribute to greater civic engagement, lower unemployment rates, and better public health within their communities. 

According to the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities:

  • College graduates are half as likely to be unemployed as their peers who only have a high school degree.
  • Typical median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders are 84 percent higher than those whose highest degree is a high school diploma.
  • College graduates on average make $1.2 million more over their lifetime.

Men with bachelor’s degrees can expect to earn $900,000 more in median lifetime earnings than high school graduates, according to the Social Security Administration. Women with bachelor’s degrees earn $630,000 more over the course of their lifetimes.

If you already have an associate degree and are wondering if a bachelor’s degree is right for you, consider this: Not only will you have more marketable skills, you’ll also be positioned to earn more throughout your career. While workers with “some college” (meaning some college credits completed) will make more than a high school graduate, the biggest salary increase happens when workers complete a bachelor’s degree over an associates degree. For the average 25 to 34 year old, you can expect to earn $15,500 more per year, says Forbes magazine.

In 2022, workers aged 25 and older with an associate degree made $1,005 per week on average, compared to workers with a bachelor’s degree, who made $1,423 per week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

According to a recent report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, among higher-paying jobs expected to open each year in Wisconsin through 2030, more than half (54,802, or 58.1%) will be in occupations that typically require a bachelor’s or advanced degree for entry (see Figure 1). Another 5.9% require an associate degree or postsecondary non-degree award, such as a certificate or technical diploma from a community college.

Given Wisconsin’s job market over the last 10 years and the projected changes through 2030, a college degree will be an imperative for those seeking to fill many of the state’s higher-paying job openings. Consequently, while the cost-benefit calculus for each potential job seeker will differ, it does appear that higher education will hold value for many young Wisconsinites in the years to come.

With the 100 percent online University of Wisconsin-Parkside Bachelor of Science in Business Administration offered through UW Flexible Option, you’ll learn fundamental business skills you can apply immediately on the job while earning your degree on your own schedule, increasing your earning potential and opportunities for advancement.

Beginning careers for business graduates include: advertising and promotions managers; budget analysts; financial examiners; compensation, benefits and job analysis managers; insurance sales agents; market research analysts; public relations managers; sales managers; and securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents. The median annual wage for business and financial occupations is $76,850, as of May 2022, all of which require a bachelor’s degree. 

Shannon Fitzgerald, a graduate of the UW Flexible Option BSBA program and technical accounts manager for UniFirst, enrolled after speaking with an adviser, who was able to help him transfer some of his credits from Lakeland College and UW-Manitowoc, a two-year branch campus of UW-Green Bay. Once he completed the associate’s degree program, he continued with the online UW Flexible Option Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program with UW-Parkside. 

“I feel like the associate degree program set the table and the bachelor’s degree program fed me dinner. As far as course content that directly applied to my job with the associate degree, there was some, but when I got into the bachelor’s degree program, which is what I’m doing right now, that’s where I find nearly every course that I’m taking in some way applies to what I’m doing.”

If you’re interested in taking the next step toward building a better career, but don’t have the credentials, consider the UW Flexible Option Associate Degree program, which is 100% online and a stepping stone to the Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Whether you’re starting completely from scratch or already have some college credits, this program is designed for adult learners balancing busy work schedules and family responsibilities who are self-motivated and want to complete their degree.

To learn more about UW Flexible Option programs, or to speak to an enrollment adviser, click here.

UW Flexible Option RN-to-BSN Program Addresses AI’s Impact on Nursing, Healthcare

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As the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare becomes more common, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Nursing’s RN-to-BSN program offered through the UW Flexible Option is at the forefront of implementing new skills for graduates, educating the next generation of nurses about AI’s role in patient care.

As the use of AI is a relatively new addition to the nursing curriculum, it’s also an important one. While courses in UW Flexible Option programs are revised to cover emerging trends, students explore AI and its impact on healthcare in NURS 453X–Information Management & Healthcare Technology–in an assignment about quality in healthcare. Specifically, they discuss AI in the context of hybrid healthcare, which recognizes that neither clinicians and AI can function as one team.

Students consider the statement: “The dream potential is such that AI systems will one day unlock a new era of personalized medicine that would go beyond the capability of the entire task force of the specialists. As part of data skyrockets into the superfluous stratosphere of deep data lakes, AI will be an essential tool.” From there, they are asked to explain what that statement means for healthcare, AI, healthcare informatics, and technology. 

Learning about AI is pivotal in nursing school because AI can replace manual data collection processes, which improves the quality of care, according to course instructor Jill Saxton. For example, AI can read scans and spot tumors or fractures, alerting a clinician to take a closer look at a patient. AI can also help with things like charting, where a patient may hit several data points that indicate an infection, like sepsis.

“It would cause you, as the nurse, to go and assess and determine if these data points are true and if we have a major infection brewing,” Jill says. “A lot of what AI is doing is behind the scenes, but it’s helping us with alerts and flagging things so that the nurse knows to look deeper or notify providers. It could be life-saving, because if it’s something like sepsis, the sooner it’s discovered, the more likely our patients can get treated and recover.”

AI can help streamline processes and document items faster than humans. For example, blood pressure machines in hospitals automatically document data into a patient’s chart, eliminating the need for manual data entry. The system can also flag patients who have high or low blood pressure for treatment.

“We’ll hopefully streamline the care that we give and allow nurses more time to care for patients, instead of documenting and searching data to look for trends,” Jill says. 

AI is a significant asset in population health. In the case of illnesses like food poisoning, which could strike a large number of people, AI can gather data showing that a large number of sick people all ate at the same place. It can help organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local communities, and health departments collect and use data to track outbreaks of communicable diseases quickly. 

AI can also assist nurse informatics, who work with technology and computer programmers to bridge the gap between the people writing the programs and the nurses who actually use them. Simple things like streamlining documentation for nurses and the programs they use can pave the way for quality improvement, Jill says.  

While AI can help make processes smoother, there are some obvious disadvantages. “Everything can’t be just taken at face value,” Jill warns. “You have to go back and double check the data to see that things are accurate and that we’re responding correctly to what the AI is finding. You can’t just assume that it’s all 100 percent accurate.”

And for that reason, AI is only an augmentation of healthcare currently. 

“It’s always going to take human interaction to fully assess people and to ensure there’s not an error in the data collection. We’d always have to double check it,” Jill adds.

As AI technology evolves, so will the education that nurses need to provide great care.  While the UW Flexible Option RN-to-BSN program is in the early stages of addressing AI in nursing courses, Jill says she anticipates that in the next few years, students will be using it more for projects, ultimately preparing for a larger impact on healthcare. 

Are you interested in getting your BSN so that you can better help your patients and the community? For more information about this program, contact an enrollment adviser.

‘An Incredible Opportunity For Me’: Cybersecurity Expert Returns to School and Completes Online IST Degree

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With over 25 years of experience in IT, Torry Crass always wanted to earn a bachelor’s degree, but his demanding jobs in cybersecurity made it difficult to make room for courses. Between his career, military service, and volunteer activities, he needed a program that would work with his schedule rather than against it. 

Torry found it in the UW-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Technology (IST) offered through UW Flexible Option and completed his degree in spring 2023 using credits from an earlier try at college. Right before his graduation, the Wisconsin native was hired to work in an executive-level position for the state of North Carolina, where he now oversees cybersecurity initiatives throughout the state. 

Whenever he faced challenges in the 100 percent online program, Torry received plenty of support and guidance from Jenna Swartz and the Success Coaching team.

“They made a huge difference in both the value I came away with from the program as well as navigating the sometimes complex policies and options that can exist,” he said. “I can’t express enough the positive impact they’ve had on my experience and success in the program.”

Torry’s dedication led him to finishing the IST program with a 3.5 GPA. By completing his bachelor’s degree, he opened new doors for his education and hopes to one day earn a master’s degree. Not only this, but the program’s affordability allowed him to graduate completely debt-free.

Torry standing with friends and family outside of the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena following his commencement.

Learn more about Torry’s experience in the IST program below: 

“Look Mom, I finally did it: I graduated with a 4-year degree thanks to the UW Flexible Option! I chose UWM and the Information Science and Technology program through UW Flex for a few important reasons.

First and most important—flexibility. When I began the program as a nontraditional student, I was already tackling demanding jobs. These jobs meant that the ability to work on coursework at my own pace rather than on a rigid schedule was essential. Without this, I likely would have had to discontinue the program long ago or quite possibly have failed completely.

I’ve been extremely fortunate to advance as far as I have prior to receiving a 4-year degree, but the need to continue—and complete—what I had started in the fall of 1997 was both a personal goal and one that I knew would help with future opportunities.

Today, I have the amazing opportunity to serve as the State Chief Risk Officer for the state of North Carolina with responsibility for overseeing cybersecurity initiatives across the state—a job I started just days before heading to graduation in Milwaukee.

Being able to finally list a completed 4-year degree on my job application was the result of a great program and great experience through UW Flexible Option and the IST program. You might say, ‘Sure, that’s what degrees do, right?’ This isn’t always the case, and many times in the program, I was on the edge of failure. But perseverance and support from Success Coaches always came through, and as a team we made it to this finish line.

Torry standing with his Success Coach, Jenna Swartz.
Torry received support and guidance from his Success Coach, Jenna Swartz.

The major challenge was balancing a busy career in cybersecurity with classes. Technology jobs often come with long hours and unpredictable scheduling—mine were no exception. In addition, any ‘free’ time I had already competed with more than its share of volunteer activities that were personally important to me. To point out just a few:

All while also attending school.

These activities provided me experience that helped with a variety of coursework tasks, and that same coursework also provided refinement of my existing skills, things I was able to bring back to these various activities. Who would have thought it possible to both be taking a class and using real-life experience to complete the coursework while using bits of the course to enhance those out-of-school activities?

“The flexibility, quality, and affordability of what UW Flexible Option has to offer made this an incredible opportunity for me to finally complete my 4-year degree and begin to look forward to master’s programs in the future.”

Ironically, while I was engaged in public speaking activities outside of school—including for a Carter Center initiative on fair, safe, and secure elections where I was sharing cybersecurity expertise—I was also on my third attempt after appeal to complete the Introduction to Public Speaking course, the very thing I was doing as part of my career.

Retakes saved the day, and even with my experience it was extremely beneficial to have such flexibility for when school and other priorities collided in ways that ended up with my coursework temporarily losing out, and I just couldn’t get the material across the finish line.

Through all these efforts, I was also looking for a school that was more than just a proverbial ‘piece of paper’ accomplishment. A degree and program with a reputation that I could be proud to be a part of throughout my attendance and subsequent graduation was important to me.

Having grown up in northern Wisconsin where the graduating class size at Phelps High School is almost never beyond 20 students in a year, I had always been aware of the Universities of Wisconsin and knew there were great schools and programs that were a part of it.

Torry in a cap and gown receiving his diploma during UW-Milwaukee's commencement.

The UW Flexible Option program offered me an opportunity to return to my roots in Wisconsin and attend UW-Milwaukee in pursuit of an IST degree. While I initially chose to start my college career at the University of Kansas for a degree in Astronomy, life’s twists and turns simply weren’t seeing fit to allow me to finish that pursuit. In contrast, the UW Flexible Option degree program—with its structured All-You-Can-Learn [tuition model]—was a windfall a few times, allowing for focused bursts of effort that helped get me to the goal of finishing an IST degree.

Let’s face it: college costs are significant and certainly something I was looking at as well. The program’s cost was so affordable in comparison to other programs that I was able to cover tuition costs out-of-pocket without a need to take out potentially expensive student loans. Instead, I was able to budget enough money term over term to graduate with absolutely no student debt!

The flexibility, quality, and affordability of what UW Flexible Option has to offer made this an incredible opportunity for me to finally complete my 4-year degree and begin to look forward to master’s programs in the future. I can, without a doubt, recommend this program to anyone looking to pursue and complete their degree. I’m honored and excited to finally be a UW- Milwaukee alumni!”

Want to learn more about the Information Science and Technology degree? Call an enrollment adviser at 608-800-6762 or send an email to flex@uwex.wisconsin.edu for more information.

Torry wearing a cap and gown with a space-themed undershirt as he looks up at the sky.

Director at Microsoft and IST Faculty Member Uses Dual Careers to Help Others Cultivate Their Potential

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Dee Piziak’s career in IT is an illustrious one. Her CV includes roles at IBM, Northwestern Mutual, Johnson Controls, Oracle, and Google. She’s currently a Director of Data and Artificial Intelligence at Microsoft, where she leads pre-sales technical specialists on her team and works with organizations in the eastern half of the US to help them identify practical use cases and applications for AI.

In addition to her job at Microsoft, Dee shares her decades of industry experience with students as an adjunct instructor in UW-Milwaukee’s online Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Technology (IST) offered through UW Flexible Option.  

Originally from Gainesville, Florida, Dee earned her BS in Computer and Information Science from the University of Florida and received her MS in Computer Science from UW-Milwaukee. Her connection to Milwaukee goes beyond her graduate degree: it’s also where she got her first IT job at IBM and started a family with her late husband. As someone who has spent her entire career as an IT professional, Dee is grateful for the opportunities working in tech has provided. 

“Due to family circumstances, I raised two children on my own for a very long time, unexpectedly. I picked it up without missing a beat. If I didn’t have this career and all the opportunities and the breadth, what would have happened to us? I think about that every day. It’s very personal for me what this field has done for me, and how it’s enabled us to have a really good life.”

Dee has taught at UW-Milwaukee for over 28 years, and has played a role in the online UW Flexible Option IST program since its inception. She was teaching courses on campus when she learned about the school’s efforts to branch out into online learning and competency-based education.

She worked closely with Chad Zahrt, the assistant dean for UW-Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies (SOIS), to help build out the IST program and begin teaching online. Some of her courses today include INFOST 250X: Introduction to Network and Systems Administration, INFOST 350X: Introduction to Application Development, and the program’s Capstone course. For Dee, it’s a true joy being able to teach students from her alma mater and support other women who are working toward STEM degrees and careers.

“I have an emotional attachment to UW-Milwaukee that has stayed with me for decades,” she said. “I feel very strongly about what that school did for me. And it really drives and motivates my desire to be part of that community, as I have been for the last 28 years, and to give back.”

In the following Q&A, we spoke with Dee to learn about her approach to teaching, her career advice for working in the tech field, and how she helps inspire women to pursue STEM roles.

What can students expect from you as an instructor in an online degree program? 

I know what the work environment is like, and because I know what employers are looking for and how teamwork works and how collaboration works, I really try to bring that into how I write the classes and how I interact with the students. 

“Everybody deserves to be in a field that has a timelessness to it, that has sustainability to it, that earns them a good living, that gives them job security.”

For example, my telephone number: I hand it out. It’s on the syllabus. They call me nights, weekends, evenings. Oftentimes, they’re like, “Wow, thank you. I’m sorry to bother you.” And you know what? You’re not bothering me. 

In our business, things move so fast and we always have deadlines, that you [have] to be able to pick up the phone and call somebody and get a proper answer. I feel like I’m bringing that part of the culture, the can-do, always available, let me help you get to the next step, call me [kind] of a thing to the classroom, because I want to show students that as an example of how we work out here. 

What’s your favorite part about teaching in the IST program?

I’ve been teaching for a very long time, and I’m also in sales in my day job, so I have been interacting with people for a very long time. I consider myself to be a pretty good judge of people. What gives me the greatest joy is when I am working and speaking with the students and helping them. When I have that moment, that flash where I’m like, “Yeah, this person is going to be OK and they’re going to do great,” it’s almost as though they were my own kid. 

I can see their path to completion. They’ve got the motivation. They’re doing well in the program. If I were an interviewer, I would love them because they would interview really well. They’re going to be competitive for a good job. They’re set. I think that those are the most satisfying and gratifying moments for me, when I can tell, boom, they’re off.

I have a very interesting story. I was visiting FedEx in Memphis, one of my clients, when I was at Oracle. I walked out of one of the buildings, and walking in was one of my students. He’d gotten hired by FedEx in Memphis, Tennessee. I almost fell over with shock. He gave me a big hug. So you never know where they’re going to end up and how they’re going to do. You just wish them well wherever they are. 

As a sponsor for women pursuing tech degrees and careers, why is it important for more women to be represented in the STEM field? 

When I went to graduate school, there were 57 students in my Master’s class, [and] of that 57, only 2 women. So just some quick math, that’s 4 percent. It’s grown slowly over the years, but it really hasn’t gotten anywhere near [a] 50/50 kind of thing. 

“You have to show people the art of the possible and build their confidence and their potential.”

In many ways, I try to be gender-blind. I just think it’s a great field for everybody, really. If a gentleman came to me and asked for some help or coaching or mentoring, I would never say no. My door is open to talk to anybody.

That being said, I think that it happens in the early years, that women get deterred from STEM fields. My own two daughters are STEM graduates. I feel like I don’t have to worry about them. As a parent, there’s such a relief knowing that they’re established and they’re in a good place, and I think their educational backgrounds are a huge part of that. 

I want that for everybody, but especially for women, who have such demanding obligations in this day and age—family, children, job, daycare, …etc. I just think everybody deserves to be in a field that has a timelessness to it, that has sustainability to it, that earns them a good living, that gives them job security. Everyone needs that, but especially women. 

What are some ways we can support women who are pursuing STEM careers? 

That starts early. It starts by keeping STEM in their mind and on their radar. And then when they do enter an academic program that is STEM, giving them the support and making sure that they know where to go to get help. You have to mentor and coach people at the tactical level, but you also have to continue to give them that big picture strategic motivation. 

“Have patience and know that our business is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You don’t have to become CIO in three years. You’ve got a whole lifetime.”

And you heard my own personal story that, where would I have been if I didn’t have the career that I have? That’s why I feel very strongly that this is a good path for women, and I do whatever I can in my own small way to encourage and sustain that every day. I do that at Microsoft, as well. When I hire, I try to look for female candidates that are highly qualified. They’re out there. 

That’s the other thing, too, is that we do have women in the field, but they aren’t always getting elevated. Their potential isn’t always seen. And you have to cultivate potential, right? People don’t know what they don’t know. They don’t know how good they can be, and sometimes their confidence is not where it should be. 

You have to find that diamond and bring that out in people, and then allow them to flourish. Otherwise, they’re going to think they’re going to be a Python programmer their whole lives. When, no actually, you have the talents to be a Chief Technology Officer (CTO), for example.

You have to show people the art of the possible and build their confidence and their potential. I truly believe everything I just said. I’ve gotten so much help from people in my career—it’s just paying back. 

How does someone get their start in the tech field and advance their career?

To get your foot in the door, be open to all different roles. Unless you’re a really good programmer and have demonstrated that skill, usually the entry-level openings are like support or help desk. Get with a good company, the best [and] biggest company that you can, because then you can stay there for the longest [time] as possible and do different things. 

Once you get your foot in the door, do a really, really good job, no matter how boring you might think it is. And then learn. Look to the left, look to the right. Learn what other people are doing. If you have to pick up those skills, pick up those skills. Keep up with your reading. See what the mainstream high-value areas [are] to be in IT, and then just sort of raise your hand, volunteer. Let your manager know what you aspire to do. 

Be open to different opportunities and see what comes. You can always say no. But I like to say, the best compliment is if you get up to bat, right? When you swing, you don’t always have to hit the ball. But to be invited up to bat and asked if you’re interested in something is a huge compliment.

Also have patience and know that our business is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You don’t have to become Chief Information Officer (CIO) in three years. You’ve got a whole lifetime, right? And our business is also not just about moving up—our business is like a lattice. Sometimes you move over, then you move up. You might come down a little bit, move over. So again, be open. 

Why should prospective students consider the IST program?

So it is a competency-based program. You have to demonstrate, through assessments, that you have competencies in this area. If you’re already working in the field or have some experience, look through the curriculum. Look at the classes you have to take. If you feel that you could demonstrate competency through the assessments, then try it. You can mix and match [courses] at some level. 

But do try it, because it is faster than a traditional degree program. The speed, the economics, and the flexibility of it—that perfect storm has really worked out well for a lot of students.

Are you ready to earn your Information Science and Technology degree on your own schedule? Call an enrollment adviser at 608-800-6762 or email at flex@uwex.wisconsin.edu to get more information.