MSIT Alumni Return to Class

John Wheeler (MSIT '00) is the Vice President of Security at Topcoder, an on-demand talent market that features 1.5 million members who specialize in design, development, data science, and quality assurance. In that role, he is responsible for customer, member, and platform security.

Wheeler's position recently changed to focus more on security, and with that change came an increased interest in the legal aspects of his role. Soon afterward, he received an email from Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) Associate Director Abi Shay offering alumni an opportunity to sit-in and participate in upcoming MSIT classes. Wheeler browsed the options, and when he saw Law & Information Technology as an option, he jumped at the opportunity.

"The content in this class is germane to everything I do," Wheeler said. "I've been able to learn as much from the academic experience that Professor DiCola brings as I have from the questions my classmates have. The material is very contemporary and covers areas I'm deeply interested in, including privacy and security, as well as copyright."

This was the first time Wheeler has audited an MSIT class, and he's not alone. Rajesh Radhakrishnan (MSIT '08) also recently audited MSIT's Law and Agile courses. Radhakrishnan is currently a self-employed consultant who previously worked as a senior manager in a Healthcare Revenue Cycle Management company. In that role, he managed 23 people primarily responsible for platform architecture and development. 

"I was interested in updating my understanding around the law and enhancing my experience around agile methodologies," Radhakrishnan said. "This is a great opportunity for alumni who treat education as a life-long passion."

That commitment to life-long learning is indeed one of the primary reasons MSIT opens its courses to alumni. The program is built to give students the foundational skills necessary to understand how IT can impact a business or organization. As technology evolves, the fundamental concepts remain. Nevertheless, it's still important to continue to learn, adapt and grow, and sitting in on a class is a perfect way to do just that. Our alumni community is active and participating in classes after graduation is only one of the many ways alumni stay engaged in MSIT programming and continue to gain a valuable ROI.

"The real-world examples and the individual perspectives help inform my thinking," Wheeler said. "The content, experience, students, and faculty provide the optimal education experience."