Student-built digital safety net protects NKU campus
Photo illustration by Reginald McDaniel Jr., NKU student
Many college students graduate from their university of choice, degree in hand, without any idea of what to do next. They don't know where to find a job or how to apply the skills they've learned. For Thomas Barker, that's not going to be much of an issue.
Barker, a senior at NKU working toward an undergraduate Computer Science degree, also happens to be employed by the university's IT department, developing programs that are used by students and faculty alike.
His supervisor, Kathy Bennett, says Barker works with other programmers creating new programs to help the NKU Web site and administration run smoothly. For example, the team recently created a system for administrator feedback, a paper-free way for faculty to rate the school's administration.
About the Author
Rebecca Coots is a 21-year-old senior at NKU, planning for graduation in December of 2008. She is double majoring in theatre and journalism, with plans to move to Los Angeles after graduation to try her talents out there.
His most well-known project is Norse Alert. Debuting during the Spring 2008 semester, Norse Alert is a system that alerts students and faculty to urgent events happening within the university. Its primary goal is to give out a warning if NKU ever sees events like those at Virginia Tech, but it can also send messages about campus closings due to weather.
The standard timeframe to create a new program such as Norse Alert is a couple months, but after the shootings at Northern Illinois University, it became a high priority to get Norse Alert up and running as quickly as possible.
"We put that out in a couple weeks," Barker said. "It was pretty quick, but it was a pretty straight-forward thing."
Although the application is web-based, Barker had to devise several different functions, making it far more complicated than just creating a web page.
"When thanked for his good work, [Tom] sometimes says how it's great to get paid for doing what he loves to do," Bennett said.
Barker is a non-traditional student, which means that he's not in the typical college age bracket of 18 to 24. This is actually his second attempt at a degree; his first tour at NKU was over a decade ago. He is now a single father, balancing evening classes, a full-time job and a 9-year-old boy.
After traveling around for years, Barker and his son settled into Northern Kentucky life, and he worked for a local company in computer repair. So at NKU, he chose computer science over English. "I just sort of fell into it by accident and found that I liked it," he said.
It's obvious that he's comfortable with where he is in his life. He lounges when he sits, conveying an approachable persona that many college students are too tense to portray. He speaks easily and openly about his experiences, willing to talk about anything.
Chris Brewer , the director of online technology for the College of Informatics, thinks that Barker's achievements show how current students can get experience before they're sent out into the real world.
"Here's where NKU shines," Brewer said. "We provide a top-notch education to students, then provide opportunities to use what they're learning in the form of student employment, co-ops and internships. This prepares students like Thom to take advantage of opportunity."
Bennett believes that employing Thom is a win-win for everyone. The university benefits as well the students.
"The hardest part in getting that first job out of college is not having the experience being required by position. With student worker positions on campus, we are able to help students make that initial job search easier," she said.
Barker's hiring process was relatively painless – and very easy.
"I saw that the job was up for grabs on the computer science Web site," he said. "I just applied for the job. I interviewed and I was hired."
Having been through college twice, Barker has a bit of advice for students looking to obtain a degree that will lead to a successful career — start gaining work experience before graduation.
"I would start finding work in the field by at least your senior year," he says. "Most of the people that I know that I go to class with are already working within the field. Some of them are already making $50,000 a year, as a student.
"I know the temptation would be to say, 'Well, I've got this job now so why do I need a degree?' So you’ve got to resist that. But, just doing the stuff I'm doing, the student work, is just a fantastic idea. You get that experience, and you get to take it with you."
Click the icon below to sign up for Norse Alert.
