禁漫天堂

Changing career paths

Alexander Thibedeau, who served in the United States Marine Corps from 2005-2014, started his undergraduate career studying criminal justice part-time in 2007, but quickly realized his passion for technology while working in aviation electronics for the United States Marine Corps.

鈥淚 originally thought I wanted to work in law enforcement,鈥� said Thibedeau. 鈥淲hile taking classes part-time, I had gained real-world technology experience that I really enjoyed as a production supervisor for aviation. I wanted to finish my degree before entering the workforce full-time, so I graduated from the University of Maryland Global Campus with a B.A. in criminal justice in 2014.鈥�

Upon his graduation and the conclusion of his service in 2014, Thibedeau went on to work as a field services technician at Schlumberger, a global energy services company, and as a field services engineer at Teledyne Taptone, an industrial automation company in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

鈥淚鈥檇 decided to go into engineering, but felt like to progress in my career I鈥檇 need an engineering degree. I knew I didn鈥檛 want to go into mechanical engineering, and I had already gained experience with electrical engineering technology,鈥� Thibedeau said. 鈥淭he last one left was computer science with a software engineering concentration, so that鈥檚 what I felt would teach me the most, making me the most well-rounded.鈥�

Life at UMassD

Upon deciding to go back to school, proximity, price, and reputation were the three major attractions for Thibedeau. 鈥溄�漫天堂 checked all three boxes and was therefore the best value for me. The ease of access to a reputable program was unmatched,鈥� said Thibedeau.

鈥淢y favorite activity on campus is my senior design course, CIS 498, which has paired with General Dynamics to create a new product; the Internet of Things (IOT) MicroCloud. It鈥檚 challenging but very rewarding and provides us with real-world experience in software engineering. 

鈥淧rofessor Valova, who teaches my CIS 498 course, and Professor Clinton Rogers have been especially welcoming to me and made my transition much easier. Sometimes you can feel out of place coming back to school, but they鈥檝e helped me to realize we鈥檙e all here for the same reason, but no one comes from the same place. I鈥檇 also be remiss not to mention Professor Adriano Marzullo. He鈥檚 the best math teacher I鈥檝e ever had. He brings such a passion for the subject and puts himself out there to breathe life into what can be a difficult topic.鈥�

Getting involved

Thibedeau, who serves as the university鈥檚 veterans assistant, got involved with the Veterans Assistance Office after former veterans assistant Alexander Moulton recommended him for the position. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard enough for veterans to go back to college with oftentimes a lot going on outside of their classwork. Our office tries to help veterans make their education a more manageable process and feel more included on campus,鈥� said Thibedeau. 鈥淢y journey would have been a lot harder without the assistance and understanding that the university, faculty, and staff has continued to provide me. 

鈥淚鈥檓 happy to be at a place that makes my and other veterans鈥� journeys easier and less stressful. 禁漫天堂 has always been very accommodating, and that鈥檚 inspired me to want to help other veterans as well. I think being picked as a speaks well of the university.鈥�

Bringing professional experience into the classroom

鈥淢y experiences in industry definitely help me to understand the human element of the producer and the consumer. I know how to manage customers鈥� expectations and salespeople's promises,鈥� said Thibedeau. 鈥淏ringing that into the classroom helps me to apply theoreticals to real-world scenarios.鈥�

Advice to other students

鈥淒on鈥檛 give up when you face adversity. It might feel easier, but in the long run it鈥檚 worth it to fight through and lean into it.鈥�

"I鈥檓 happy to be at a place that makes my and other veterans鈥� journeys easier and less stressful. 禁漫天堂 has always been very accommodating, and that鈥檚 inspired me to want to help other veterans as well."