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Career
Profiles - Wendy Kallgren
- What do you do?
I'm an information technology specialist.
I work with computers.
- Describe your field.
I try to match the right computer hardware
and software to people's needs, set
the computers and programs up, answer
questions about how to use the equipment
and software, and fix problems when
they arise.
- How did you become interested
in this field?
I used my first computer in about 1983
and quickly learned that these machines
were fun and saved me a lot of time.
They also proved to be much better at
the repetitive tasks that I found to
be a little boring. Computers don't
daydream!
- How much education did you need
and what degrees?
I graduated with a Bachelor's in English.
This might seem to be a strange degree
to have when working with computers,
but I think it allowed me to think flexibly.
Computers can pose many puzzles, and
resolving them sometimes requires an
openness to possibilities.
- What were your favorite school
subjects and activities?
I loved math, Latin, and basketball.
- What do you do at work everyday?
My job is really a lot of fun because
it is so varied and I am always learning
something new. I may be setting up new
computer systems, loading software programs,
out on the web searching for information
about a problem that someone's system
may be having, combating a new virus,
or working on a project that involves
web design or high-end graphics.
- How do you balance a family and
a career?
We have set priorities — the kids
come first. We have developed a "bendable"
routine, so that we can get things done
and still have "wiggle room"
for special family activities or work
assignments that may take added time.
- What's the coolest thing about
your job?
The charge I get when a computer "mystery"
is resolved, and suddenly there is a
new way to help someone with a problem.
Coming from my English major perspective,
it is like the Haiku poet's "Aha!"
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