{"id":55858,"date":"2024-01-24T07:35:23","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T12:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=55858"},"modified":"2024-01-29T16:21:14","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T21:21:14","slug":"from-social-worker-to-it-professional-in-less-than-a-year-at-utc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/01\/from-social-worker-to-it-professional-in-less-than-a-year-at-utc\/","title":{"rendered":"From social worker to IT professional in less than a year at UTC"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Mischka

Mischka Scott, who graduated from the UTC BAS-IT CyS degree program in December 2023, now works as a system administrator at PlayCore. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

Moving into a career in IT has been seamless for Mischka Scott, a former social worker who just graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in December 2023.<\/p>\n

She landed a system administrator position at PlayCore in Chattanooga, the same company where she interned as part of the new Bachelor of Applied Science in Information Technology in Cybersecurity program<\/strong><\/a> at UTC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be able to continue with the work that I\u2019ve already started, which is great because I have a lot of projects I want to finish,\u201d said Scott, who worked in social services for seven years before deciding to change careers and go back to school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really grateful about that. They created a role for me so that\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott is particularly drawn to the cybersecurity aspect of her work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes it really intriguing and exciting is when it comes to response, like dealing with hackers,\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n

Her previous career experience paid off in unexpected ways. Just like in social work, the key to success in IT is keen decision-making and case-by-case problem-solving, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo when we\u2019re looking at a possible cyber attack from an IP address out of China, I investigate and look at the big picture and do things like check the news and think about why someone in China would take the time to attack PlayCore in Chattanooga. It\u2019s basically case management but on steroids,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Originally from South Carolina, Scott earned her first degree from nearby Southern Adventist University, spent several years working in her field and then started her career transition at Chattanooga State Community College\u2014where she learned about the UTC degree program.<\/p>\n

Like many of her classmates, Scott was drawn to the program and the Mocs experience as a way into the IT field and because of its 12-month format.<\/p>\n

The new program is designed for:<\/p>\n