Biology major turns to TSTC to pursue his true passion

(MARSHALL, Texas) - Corey Bryant earned his bachelor's degree in biology, but always wanted to work with computers. After graduating, he immediately began saving money to go back to school, not aware of how close he was to Texas State Technical College's Marshall campus.

"I went to work for probably six to seven years, saving my money to go back and get my associate degree," the Shreveport, Louisiana native said. "I knew nothing about TSTC early on. I said, 'Wow, this has been here for this many years and I knew nothing about it?'"

Bryant enrolled in TSTC's Computer Network Maintenance program, which has since been incorporated into the Computer Networking and Systems Administration program.

At times, Bryant worried his education would not be enough to combat the seeming lack of opportunities in the ArkLaTex region.

"In the back of your mind, you're wondering 'is all of this really going to pan out?' because Marshall, Shreveport, Bossier City is not really an IT (information technology) hub," he said.

With help from his instructors, Bryant secured several internships during his time at TSTC. After graduating with his Associate of Applied Science degree in 2018, he found employment in Louisiana and worked his way to his current position.

Today, Bryant is a site reliability engineer for Oracle, a computer software company, at its Austin location. When asked if he found his new career more valuable than his previous work, he said there was no comparison.

"It's not so stagnant. It's not the same thing every day," Bryant said. "That's what's so cool about it."

Michael Keel, a software development manager for Oracle, said he often relies on Bryant's determination to make improvements for the team.

"Corey's ability to dive deeply into complex issues has been a game-changer for me and my team," Keel said. "I personally value Corey's calm demeanor and professionalism in times of elevated stress and also his initiative to engage third parties on behalf of the organization."

Bryant called TSTC a diamond in the rough.

"It's very underrated," he said.

Computer Networking and Systems Administration is available at TSTC's Abilene, East Williamson County, Marshall, North Texas and Waco campuses. The program is also available 100% online.

At TSTC, students can pursue an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Networking and Systems Administration, certificates of completion in IT Support Tier 1 and IT Support Tier II, and an advanced technical certificate in Cloud Computing.

Registration for TSTC's fall semester is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.

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