Thank You Georgia Tech.
I like to give credit for my life. My wife taught me how to love others. My mom ingrained the importance of truth. My dad inspired me to dream big. My kids gave me back my child-like imagination. My GTCCF campus minister introduced me to the grace of God. And, the Georgia Institute of Technology taught me every problem has a solution. It’s my responsibility and calling to find it.
I’m often asked how Georgia Tech equipped me for the future. The answer is Georgia Tech taught me that the impossible is simply a problem in need of a solution, and she gave me the courage and confidence to face all challenges. Though my degree is in Computer Engineering with emphasis in the area of hardware and software interactions, the lessons I learned at GT apply to all areas of business and life.
I remember my freshman year, discovering challenges bigger than myself. (Adjusting to no longer being the smartest one in class.) While Engineering Design (EGR1170) was a blast and the foundation for my professional career, it was a painful Physics class on electromagnetism (EMAG) that introduced me to solution-based thinking. A thinker’s mind was born.
Then came my Controls and Concurrency class taught by Jim Greenlee. The first day of class, we were given an assignment that involved writing a program in UNIX C. The only problem was he wasn’t there to teach UNIX C. Rather, he wanted us to learn the value of shared resources and computer logic. To be candid, I didn’t think too fondly of him during that first week. But, by the end of the quarter, I had learned how to be resourceful with a team of fellow students (while picking-up a new computer language to boot).
Jim taught me that most problems are better solved as a group.
The advantage Georgia Tech gave me also extended beyond the campus. Through their co-operative education program, I found a job at Scientific Atlanta as a staff engineer. Every other quarter I got a slice of real-life training while earning credits. Upon graduation I was not only ready, but wanted by the technology workforce.
In short, Georgia Tech deserves a major credit in my life and so many others. That’s why I’m still involved and very happy to report GT has the largest voluntary co-op program in the United States. We’ve even formed an alumni affinity group to reach new employers and students — as any GT student knows there is always room for improvement. It’s also no wonder that Atlanta has become the hottest growth market for venture capital and technology startups. Georgia Tech’s continued leadership and able alumni community know exactly how to attract and create the best solutions. It’s integrated into our DNA.
Now is the time. Georgia Tech and Atlanta are ‘this close’ to becoming an epicenter for technology that will rival the Stanford/Silicon Valley connection. All it takes is for us to ban together, just as we did in those hallowed GT classrooms. I implore our community to work as one — investors, entrepreneurs, employers, regents, alumni, faculty, students and the newly recruited to all do your part in getting us there. No act is too small or too big. Together, we’re an unstoppable force of nature (and technology).
In fact, I’m walking the talk. Recently, I became the President of the Coweta and Fayette county alumni club, and I’m a serial entrepreneur who incubates startups and technology innovation inside Atlanta. What can you do? Or better yet, imagine what can we do together…
Go Jackets!
Photo provided by John Trainor
Tags: Atlanta, Co-Op, Georgia Tech, Randy Arrowood, Solve Problems
