Money Making Millennials- Meet Executive Director of Information Technology, Dr. Keiona L. Middleton
- Brianna Donson
- Apr 12, 2017
- 3 min read
What is your profession(s)?
I currently am the Executive Director of Information Technology
What ignited the spark in you to go into this occupation?
I decided to pursue the IT field when I was a sophomore/junior in college. My family owned an IBM computer years ago, thus, I was fairly computer literate at young age. When my sister decided to go to school to become a computer engineer, thus, naturally I learned a lot of things. When I got to college, I would help people fix their computers and troubleshoot. When I realized this was the “wave” of the future, and will satisfy my desire to assist and learn more about innovation, I decided to major in Information Management.
Did you go to college/school? If so what did you study? Yes, I attended and graduated from the University of South Carolina for my Bachelors, University of Arkansas Little Rock for my Masters and Robert Morris University for my Doctorate where I studied Information Systems and Communications.
Why should I go into your field? What are the pros/cons? The IT field is limitless. Because IT is so broad, it provides an ample amount of opportunities to explore. I do not believe that there are any con’s which differs from any other profession, however, there are few women in the field, which could be perceived as intimidating, yet I find that factor greatly beneficial, because you can lead the world at setting trends.
Describe a typical day on the job. Typical day involves leading a team to troubleshoot issues daily for end users, monitoring server updates and the preventative and proactive measures for our campus IT security. In addition, a great deal of my time is spent strategically devising plans that will grow the campus to remaining innovative and to improve student learning on campus.
How much do you make yearly?
Typically, IT professionals can earn up from $60,000 to $200,000 per year. Again, it just depends if you are in the data domain, security domain, network administration domain, etc. which will dictate your salary.
For the amount of work you do, does the pay satisfy you?
Absolutely. I love what I do, and enjoy it more to know I am compensated for it.
Where do you live? Is the location good for what you do? Do you want to relocate?
I currently live in Little Rock Arkansas, and I am always open to relocation
What project(s) are you currently working on?
Current project is a data migration.
What are your hobbies? I didn’t know that working professionals were allowed hobbies I do not have any hobbies, per se, but I do enjoy spending time with family and working out.
What do you do in your non-work time?
I certainly don’t have any of this, but that is by choice. I enjoy what I do, so I enjoy working and researching how to improve data infrastructure to best support the needs of an institution.
What makes you happy?
Living out my life’s purpose.
What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful? Wow, this is a tough question. As I prepend, I find it difficult to articulate the answer to this question. I believe that postponing what you want to do, for what you need to do has been my greatest sacrifice. Now that I have put in the time and energy, I am able, to comfortably, create a life with a lifestyle that I want and can maintain.
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