Great Falls College-MSU hosted a 'Meet the Experts' panel on Thursday, October 20, 2022, where current and prospective students got the chance to learn about Information Technology. The panel was organized by the College's Computer Technology Department.
Program Director Cheryl Simpson said, "The intention of the Meet the Experts panel was to be able to get a lot of experts from the community who work here in Great Falls to explain to my students and prospective students what a day in the life really looks like for these people. What are the things about their job that they like or dislike? What are the aspects of their job that you would need to have certain soft skills for? So having those different information from people actually in the industry gives them a lot more information."
Panelists included representatives from Raytheon, D.A. Davidson, Brightvine, Motion Encoding and Benefis Health System. Each of them answered questions from the moderator and audience about their experiences and advice for those who aspire to work in the technology field.
Vickie Nelson was one of the panelists. She serves as the Vice President and Chief Administration Officer at Benefis Health System. She noted the fact that the industry is so broad, which means the style of work can vary.
She said, "Depending on what area of expertise you're pursuing and working in, your job and your duties really vary. But that's the great thing about it. It's all about pursuing different avenues and having endless options that you can pursue."
Cybersecurity is one of four computer technology degrees offered at Great Falls College. The others are programming, information support systems and network security and support.
Student Jordyn Merchant said she didn't envision herself being in this field until taking some of the courses that were offered.
"I just found the cybersecurity part of it very interesting," She said. "I decided to add that on to the programing stuff. But it is always important to understand how things work and keeping everything secure, especially today."
Click here for more information on course offerings at GFC-MSU.
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