How Did You Get Into Tech – Lori Moore

As a part of our How Did You Get Into Tech blog series, we have the opportunity to hear Lori Moore’s story.

Where Did your interest in technology start?

I worked as an instructional aide for a facility that contracted with the UT-University Charter School in 1999 when about 15 Dell desktops were donated to the facility. Since they were donated, there wasn’t anyone to really service them on a regular basis. I started tackling application and networking problems that arose and became interested in computers at that time.

What was your first job?

The facility where I was an instructional aide lost funding and had to close its adolescent program. The charter school that provided the educational component hired me as an administrative assistant with the hopes that I would one day take over the technology. I decided to go back to school to learn hardware repair and networking. I became the LAN administrator for the charter school within nine months of being hired.

What is your current position?

I am now information technology manager for both the UT-University Charter School district as well as the University of Texas Elementary School district.

What type of educational background do you have?

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology/Biology. I also attended the Austin Business College for hardware repair and networking.

What resources did you use for your tech education (university, community college, meetups, training, online tutorials, MOOC courses with EdX, Udacity and Coursera)?

A business college, classes with the University of Texas at Austin, online tutorials and research.

Did you have any mentors, professors, colleagues or supervisors who offered career guidance?

Mr. Darryl Phillips, who was the principal of the school district at the time helped encourage me to pursue my desire to work in the technology field. Also, Mr. Yuteh Ma, who was the Assistant Dean of Technology with the Distance Education Center at UT at Austin helped give me career advice.

What resources do you find to be the best when continuing your education?

Online tutorials have come a long way and I rely on them today to help me maintain my skills. Technology conferences area also a huge benefit in the learning experience. Even Youtube has a ton of videos that can help any tech learn valuable on-the-job skills.

If you were to give an individual advice about starting a career in tech, what would you say to them?

The field is wide open and you don’t have to rush to pick a particular area in technology. Learn as much as you can, allow yourself to experience a variety of technologies and thus gain the skills that will help you decide the technology path you want to follow.