Computer science prof gets dose of reality in IT industry
Sara Fon and Janel Shoun |
Geddes’ externship, coordinated by the Nashville Technology Council, was similar to a student job shadowing opportunity, however, this time it was for a professor.
“The experiences I had at HealthSpring will bring even more real-world perspective to our IT classrooms this fall. It was all part of our effort to better prepare graduates for the rapidly changing world they face upon graduation,” Geddes said.
With the new structure debuting this fall, it’s even more important that Geddes stay informed on recent information technology (IT) industry growth. He wants his management of information systems course to include “a dose of reality.” The department requires IT students to complete an internship, work in teams on a real-world project and undergo career development in order to graduate.
“I feel students often have misconceptions about the job market. Even though there are hundreds of IT jobs available locally, grads think they are going to walk into a management position, but that is not often the case,” said Geddes.
Geddes’ externship was also part of a community-wide effort to promote the IT industry to potential future employees. The Nashville Technology Council (NTC) has partnered with 14 Middle Tennessee universities to establish the T3 Initiative, which connects area colleges with local IT companies in order to retain and attract more IT graduates.
Recent surveys show there are more than 1,500 IT jobs in Middle Tennessee currently going unfilled, yet high school students often don’t go into IT because they hear about “high-tech” jobs heading overseas in the media, Geddes said. Most of those exported jobs are low-tech help desk jobs, and there are plenty of high-tech and management jobs for local students, he said.
The externship portion of the NTC initiative will help get new students better prepared for those jobs. Geddes was the first professor to participate in the T3 Initiative externship program.
During his recently completed four-week externship with NTC member HealthSpring, a national leader in the Medicare Advantage managed care market, Geddes sat in on numerous meetings where he observed project planning, job analysis and development updates. He watched as critical tasks were started and completed.
“I was particularly impressed with the amount of compliance work that has to be done and the ability of executives to change their mindset from tactical to strategic thinking at the drop of a hat. After going through the process at HealthSpring, I am now able to show students how these things are done rather than just putting labels on them,” said Geddes.
It was HealthSpring Chief Information Officer Andy Flatt’s idea to bring Geddes on board. Flatt thought it would be a great opportunity for HealthSpring to reach area IT students.
“This concept is a fresh perspective for the Nashville area and something that will hopefully be repeated next year with other businesses and educational institutions. It’s a great opportunity for HealthSpring to strengthen our relationship with local educators and align technology curriculum with the expectations of IT employers in the area. Additionally it gives us the opportunity to learn how to better incorporate graduates into the workforce,” said Flatt.
Geddes believes his experience with HealthSpring can be translated into real world lessons for his students. He always wants to be able to offer his pupils more than just theory.
“We believe it is important to prepare students better, to keep students realistically grounded, to stay relevant, and to attract more students into the IT field. That’s why we joined the T3 Initiative,” said Geddes.