From archives to libraries, from digital assets to user experience research, the newest alumni of the iSchool have made their ways into very interesting new career paths. Recently, several May 2014 graduates talked about where they are and what they're doing with their new MSIS degrees. Here are the stories of alumni Catherine Bell, Kristin Bongiovanni, Tim Mapp, and Harry Ostlund.
Catherine Bell
What and where is your new position?
I am currently with the Smithsonian Gardens Archives of American Gardens (AAG) in Washington, DC as an intern for the archives. I am helping promote different projects within the Smithsonian Gardens and also helping them create a workflow for a future transcription project.
What do you feel best prepared to do in your work? Has anything surprised you in your new position?
I've only been in this for a short time, but I have felt very capable in every task that has come my way so far. Something that has surprised me the most is how interested people have been in the iSchool (I am surrounded by horticulturists and landscape architects). I feel extremely prepared for this internship, and my coursework at the iSchool has outfitted me with a set of skills that is beneficial at AAG. I am able to take the ideas discussed and analyzed in class and apply them here at work.
What would you say to the current and new students pursuing the MSIS degree here at UT-Austin?
I think something I really benefited from as a student was participating in different events and activities held by the student groups. As consuming as the workload could be, it was important to me to take breaks and meet other students.
Kristin Bongiovanni
What and where is your new position?
I am working as a UX researcher/designer at SolarWinds global headquarters located on the southwest side of Austin. My two main projects currently include building a new database of our UX research participants and researching/testing configurations for current products undergoing rebuilds.
How do you feel that your time at the iSchool impacted your current position and future outlook?
I connected with a recruiter from SolarWinds during my Capstone presentation. After explaining my project, we started talking about other projects and my areas of interest. Before I knew it, I was scheduling an interview with another team member! My MSIS was recognized by my hiring manager and qualified me for a higher starting salary.
What would you say to the current and new students pursuing the MSIS degree here at UT-Austin?
Take a variety of classes and don't feel like you have to stick to a specific area of specialization. Explore because you may find that your interests go beyond what you originally thought! Go to panels and events that the school offers, you'll learn a lot about the professional world and make potential job connections.
Tim Mapp
What and where is your new position?
My title is "Image Archive Coordinator" at Lucasfilm Ltd. in San Francisco. Despite the word archive being in the name the job is really all about digital asset management.
Is this the job you expected to be doing after graduating from the iSchool?
No, not at all. My background is in photography and I concentrated on archives and digital archives at the iSchool. I was applying for jobs related to photographic archives, but I had my eye open for digital asset management job listings and I could not pass up the opportunity to work with Star Wars. I am using a good combination of skills from my previous work as a photo editor at Contact Press Images and my studies at the iSchool. I am doing a lot of work with digital images, metadata and workflows getting the correct files from point A to point B. My department supplies assets for film, video game and television production as well as marketing and licensing. All of these industries are new to me, so everyday has something unexpected.
How do you feel that your time at the iSchool impacted your current position and future outlook?
Studying archives at the iSchool has given me the perspective that the work I am doing now, adding metadata to assets and organizing them, contributes to both meeting an immediate deadline and also making the assets valuable in the long term.
What would you say to the current and new students pursuing the MSIS degree here at UT-Austin? DAM - Digital Asset Management. People will happily pay you to help them keep their digital files organized. I'm happy to talk to people about working in media and what kind of iSchool skills are useful in this area.
Harry Ostlund
What and where is your new position?
I am currently a high school history teacher/school librarian at the Young Women's Leadership Academy in the San Antonio Independent School District. The Young Women's Leadership Academy is a public college preparatory charter school and provides students from economically disadvantaged families with the extra academic support they need to achieve college readiness.
What do you feel best prepared to do in your work? Is there a part that has surprised you?
Leaving the iSchool, I felt more confident and prepared than at any other time in my professional career. I had to adjust to a new professional environment but was ready because of the skills I acquired at the iSchool. I quickly realized Dean Dillon was correct when he stated that all of the theory and abstract concepts we read about in our classes would one day prove pertinent. In our lives we will encounter situations with no apparent right or wrong answer. I draw upon the theories and abstract concepts I acquired during my time at the iSchool, on a daily basis, in order to resolve situations with no apparent solution to the best of my ability.
What would you say to the current and new students pursuing the MSIS degree here at UT-Austin?
My professional advice is to stop by the iSchool Career Development Office and pay close attention to all of the emails Tara Iagulli sends out. With Tara's help, I had a full time job waiting for me six months before I graduated from the iSchool.
I would also recommend that you take a minute to stop and appreciate where you are and what you are doing. To be a part of the iSchool is both an honor and a privilege. I will never forget the first year orientation held in August when Dean Dillon said, "for every one of you sitting here two people are not." Appreciate this amazing opportunity that you have worked hard for, connect with the superb faculty and staff, and enjoy this incredible experience.