Page 161 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

Here are the results of Rene’s interview
with an IT person at a bank involved in
international investing. (You may want to
read over Rene’s initial entry in his LVP, which
was given in Chapter 2.)

Name: James Pound

Occupation: Information Technology Manager at Southside Bank

Why did I select this person?
I may be interested in working for a major financial institution. I thought it
would be interesting to talk to a IT person at a local bank.

1. Why did you select this kind of work?
My father was a banker and I saw what satisfaction he got from working in this area. We
used to talk often about banking issues. It seemed natural to pursue a career in this area.
But, unlike my father, I also fell in love with computers and really enjoyed thinking through
how computer systems can help businesses work. So I ended up in IT in the banking area.

2. What do you like best about your job?
I really like the travel. It is very interesting to meet and learn about all kinds of people.
Through my job, I’m often helping new locations optimize their technology use. I like
helping people out and enjoy being able to implement solutions that people appreciate.

3. What do you like least about your job?
I get somewhat frustrated at all the software updates and security patches. Though we
run a central system with high-level software, I still end up doing near-constant updating
of the software.

4. If you could have any job you wanted, would it be this one? If not, describe your
ideal job.
It would be similar to this one, but with more time to work with people—really teaching
and training them with respect to software—rather than just planning then loading
systems and leaving.

5. What kind of preparation would you recommend for someone interested in a job
like yours?
This job does require a strong background in banking and IT. I majored in IT in college,
but took three economics courses and a number of banking and finance courses. I was
lucky enough to then get into a masters program specifically for IT in Banking. I also
completed two internships while at college and this was immensely helpful.

Chapter 6 — Context of Performance 155