How Hood’s computer science degree can help in building your career

Matt Roberts graduated from Hood College in 2012, receiving a degree in computer science. His experience at Hood began in 2006 in the computer science graduate department. He recalls Dr. George Dimitoglou setting up a special one-on-one class specifically aimed to help him train for a Java certification, as he was lacking in programming experience. At the same time, Dr. Ahmed Salem took on the task of running the specialized class, which included mentoring and preparing him for the Java certification exam.

“With a few classes under my belt and a shiny new Java certification, I was able to land a new Software Engineering position with General Dynamics as a contractor for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) in Martinsburg, West Virginia," said Roberts.

After graduating, he got a job as a contracted senior software engineer with CACI International, a multinational IT company, at Ft. Detrick, Maryland. He is currently working as a lead software engineer, which consists of leading a large team of developers to rebuild a legacy application and essentially turn it into an Amazon-like web service for the Department of Defense.

One of his most notable career accomplishments was the opportunity to represent the U.S. Coast Guard as the technical lead during the Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) meetings in London. The LRIT meetings were used to assist other countries with tracking vessels and navigating hazardous seas that could contain potential pirates or terrorists. During the meetings, the technical representatives from each country gathered to discuss issues they were attempting to overcome while tracking vessels using the global LRIT system.

“Since the USCG was the creator of the LRIT system, many of the technical questions fell into my lap to answer," said Roberts. "To this day I’m proud to say I was able to work with and help each country to overcome their technical challenges.”

What would Matt like to share with our current students?

“Talk with your advisers, be honest with them, they are there to help. The advisers at Hood bent over backward to create specialized paths for to help me reach my goals. I’m sure they would do the same for you.”