Dustin McAnally

Sometimes finding your passion is as simple as surrounding yourself with the right people. In my case, this is exactly what I needed. After starting my journey as a business student, I was inspired by an instructor to pursue a Computer Science degree. Long story short...I was able to complete my degree while working full-time, all while moving up within the IT department. I have been fortunate to be a member of a great team that has helped me develop strong technical skills. Currently, I am the Database Administrator at UACCB. I am engaged in a project to integrate into a new Student Information System. I am tasked with the ETL process to transfer the data from our legacy system into Workday. I am exposed to large datasets with records dating as far back as the early 90s. For this project, I use mostly T-SQL, Excel, and Python. Since we are a small campus, I am also exposed to many other opportunities. I’ve been able to work with PowerShell, PHP, C#, MySQL, Azure, and other technologies. Recently, I have decided to pursue a master’s degree in data analytics, even while working 50+ hours a week. This has proven to be difficult, but it is exciting to be able to see the application of concepts I’ve learned in my classes. I’ve reached the halfway point in my studies, and my short-term goal is to complete my degree within the next 12 months (March 2023).