Stephen High
|
MIS, UT Austin 1990
What work brought you to your job today?
I was a CIO at a billion dollar company and was a Gartner client. Since I have consulting in my background, I decided to move from an internal IT leadership role to an external (or consultative) role. Having internal and external experience has really benefited my career--I recommend that.What do you do in your current job?
My role is to meet with CIOs and counsel them on their decisions, strategy, and direction. I provide concierge service to the global Gartner analyst community--to setup direct calls / meetings with those thought leaders. And, I do a little sales support occasionally.What do you value from your MIS education?
The blend of business and technology skills is high value. IT leaders must speak the language of the business (revenue, profit, net income, margins, etc.) Your degree builds this base. UT Austin is respected. I loved the senior classes at UT that got me access to real-world projects and organizations. The project classes like 333K are so important--after school, you will never work alone again. You always work in teams. The MIS program starts you developing those skills--test teamwork, test ideas, test how you work in teams.What is your advice for current students?
Learn as much as you can. You bring unique skills, but listen for the voice of experience in every interaction with folks in the industry. Experience as much as you can when you're a student--internships, internships. Focus on simplifying IT problems with your knowledge.