Following ‘Hustle’ Advice, English Alum Finds Career Success in Information Technology

A news anchor in Ohio once gave Ryan Ehrhart '05 the career advice to always hustle. The English graduate followed that wisdom straight to a position as the Global Head of Security Technology Infrastructure at Amazon.

"His point was that it doesn't cost you anything to work hard and apply yourself," said Ehrhart. "I feel like I've always tried to embrace that in my career and in being open to new opportunities."

Ehrhart manages the team responsible for all the backend infrastructure and networking that runs the various security systems across all of Amazon's corporate locations and includes software developers working on new tools to improve security. Ehrhart sees the impact his team makes daily and enjoys providing input on technical strategies and roadmaps for one of the largest technology companies in the world.

"Probably my favorite thing about my career is that no two days are ever the same," said Ehrhart, who started with Amazon in 2021. "Things change so fast within the tech industry and the threats and risks are always evolving so you have to constantly be staying on top of the latest trends. At a company the size of Amazon we face unique challenges that come with that scale, having the opportunity to solve for those problems and implement those solutions is something that I'm very proud of."

Reflecting on the skills learned at LVC, Ehrhart points to the critical importance of effective written and verbal communication. He emphasizes the importance communication has in the technical space when briefings need to be accessible to senior leadership, including those not in the technology group. Ehrhart gained communication experience through writing for the student newspaper La Vie, interning in the Sports Information Office for three years, broadcasting on the former campus radio station, and writing, editing, and producing a sports documentary.

"Overall, I'm very thankful that I chose LVC because of the relationships I was able to develop with my professors and the administration. I feel had I been at most any other school I would have been just another face in the crowd and would not have been afforded the same opportunities," he said.

So how did Ehrhart transition from a desired career in sports and broadcasting to a technology leader at one of the world's largest companies? It comes back to the career advice-hustle.

Ehrhart, who had interned and worked for two different minor league sports teams, interviewed for several positions during his senior year, but realized the competitive and financial nature of those fields might not be for him. He accepted a position as a teller at a credit union, then quickly moving to a trial position in the IT department just a few months in when a vacancy opened. With no technical training, Ehrhart learned on the job and proved himself during the trial period.

He leveraged his position at the credit union to a role in the Engineering Department at Dresser-Rand, an engineering and manufacturing company.

"Similar to my experience at the Credit Union, after a few months, they had a role open up in IT, and I asked if they'd allow me to work for both groups, which they agreed to," he said. "After spending a year working between IT and Engineer, I was hired full time in IT within the IT Security Department. I feel like this is the point where my career really took off."

Dresser-Rand not only trained Ehrhart on the job, but also invested in his continuing education through an MBA in Accounting and Information Technology Management at Maryland and a second Master's in Project Management from Stanford. He served the company as the Chief Information Security Officer for their government business unit, which further developed his cyber security career and introduced him to physical security.

After five years at Dresser-Rand, Ehrhart accepted a new position with Corning Incorporated, a company that specializes in specialty glass, ceramics, and related materials. As a Program Manager, he managed the rollout of standardized physical access control globally for roughly 200 sites over the course of two years. This earned him a promotion to the Head of Security Technology. Ehrhart spent nine years and Corning and credits that time with furthering his knowledge of leadership and the security industry.

"If I hadn't been willing to take a chance asking to move to the IT Department at the credit union and hadn't hustled the whole time I was there, I wouldn't be where I am today. I also never would've found out how much I enjoy working with technology."

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