Not only is the information technology field constantly changing, but the speed at which changes happen has increased over the years. This fuels Brad’s enjoyment of his career field.

“This keeps me on my toes and makes my work life interesting,” he said. “I have found that those who enjoy change and possess drive and passion for what they do will thrive and an endless universe of opportunities will develop for them.”

His first steps into the information technology field began at UNI in the College of Business Administration. When Brad was a management information systems (MIS) major, he expanded his skills through MIS faculty members such as Shashi Kaparthi and Leslie Wilson.

“Shashi encourages students to explore their individual interests and Leslie inspires students to develop leadership and teamwork skills inside and outside of the classroom,” he said.

Before embarking on his career, he did an internship with a company in Cedar Rapids. Not only did he receive an experience as an MIS professional but also learned about the realities of corporate America.

“My internship was a good experience until most of the members of the team that I was on were unceremoniously escorted to the door by security guards in a mass lay-off two days before my internship ended,” he said.

As Brad realized, there is no such thing as lifetime employment or that all companies will be loyal to workers. Brad suggests that UNI students keep in mind how to take control of their careers. He encourages students to continue upgrading their skills. This may involve volunteering on new projects, reading trade journals, keeping up with the latest trends, pursuing professional certificates and networking with other professionals in the field.

Brad continues to put what he learned at UNI into practice in his career. After graduation, he worked at Arthur Anderson. It was during this time that he was contacted by IDG Books to write the first of two books for the Dummies series. He co-authored MCSE: Windows NT Server 4.0 for Dummies and MCSE: Windows NT Server 4.0 in the Enterprise for Dummies.

“A representative from IDG just called me up one day out of the blue and said, ‘How would you like to write a couple of ‘For Dummies’ books?,’” he said. “Given the pervasiveness of the brand, I gladly agreed to do it.”

After leaving Arthur Anderson, Brad became the Manager of Information Security at Experian, the nation’s largest consumer credit reporting agency and information services company, in Schaumberg, IL.

“At Experian, I was in charge of protecting consumer credit information from an ever-increasing universe of threats,” Brad said.

In fall 2005, Brad accepted a position at Zurich Financial Services as Senior Manager of I.T. Compliance within the company’s Global I.T. Risk Group.

“In this role, I will be responsible for ensuring that Zurich’s I.T. systems and processes are compliant with the numerous legal, regulatory and contractual requirements that the organization is subject to,” he said.

As Brad’s expertise grows, he complements these skills with career-building activities. In addition to his books, Brad has also written for trade journals, such as the Information Systems Security Association Journal. For current UNI students, Brad advises them to focus on how to increase their skills once they leave UNI and enter their careers.

“Make sure that you’re constantly learning on the job,” he said. “After graduation, you’re only at the beginning of a brand new chapter. All professionals, especially in MIS, must constantly upgrade their skills.”