For as long as he can remember, Jeffrey Drummond ’20 has always loved computers. Through the use of his bachelor’s degree in computer science, he’s been able to transform his love for computers into a livelihood and stable career. When asked what he credits his love of computers to, he reminisces on computer games from his childhood. “I’ve had a personal interest in computers since I was a child, primarily stemming from a lot of childhood computer games, which influenced my decision to pursue computer science,” he said.
Now as a college graduate, Drummond works as a software associate at Infosys. As a software associate, Drummond’s primary responsibilities involve assisting with projects associated with the company’s partners. “My assigned project [right now] is to work in the Office 365 IT Department of Johnson Controls International, also known as JCI,” he said. “My responsibilities within this field include assisting other users with issues involving software that they use. I get assistance requests known as tickets assigned to me and I use my knowledge and skills to resolve them.” Although he currently works from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he goes on to explain the most enjoyable part about working in his position: “My favorite part about what I do is that I am working in fields in which I have experience from both my employment training and personal life.”
Before his position as a software associate, he worked part-time as a STEM tutor at URI’s Academic Enhancement Center, which he considers to be the highlight of his time at URI, due to the meaningful connections he built with his peers. “I was always surrounded by students who shared my interests and helpful faculty who always put in the effort however possible,” he said. “But the biggest and most significant connections I built at URI were those that evolved outside of the classroom.” As for advice he’d give students interested in computer science, he encourages students to embrace, rather than fear failure. “The best advice I would give to a student interested in a computer science major would be this: Don’t be afraid of failure. Failure leads to success. Only those who will keep going despite failure will find success,” he said.
~Written by Briana Ciceron