What industry/job did you come from previously?
Prior to working for Wheaton College I worked at a company, that at the time, was one of the largest UNIX and relational database companies in New England.

Why did you choose to pursue your career in the higher education sector?
I really liked the place after my first interview, the campus was very nice, and the staff seemed like a really tight group. It sounded like an exciting place to spend a couple of years and gain Oracle experience, and it sounded like I could help Wheaton with this new major project. It sounded like a great fit. I thought I’d be here for 2 maybe 3 years. In fact, my hiring manager told me that was all that she expected and yet here I am ten years later.

What’s a normal day like for you?
My mornings typically start with reviewing reports and backups that keep me up to date on the status of the various servers and databases I’m responsible for. Once this daily task is done I typically begin working on whatever is the most pressing project.

What is the greatest benefit of working in higher education and why?
There’s a give and take relationship in higher education that you don’t necessarily find in the corporate world. I don’t feel like I’m committing a crime when I leave at 4:30. Wheaton is a very dynamic, challenging and rewarding place to work. I work on the same cutting edge technologies as my peers in the corporate world, yet I still get to have a full life outside of the college.

If I had to sum up my job in one word, it would be rewarding.