Meet Paul Mallick

Paul Mallick believes he has found the ideal career for himself in the field of Information Technology. "It is the only field I have a passion for and the only environment I have ever worked in where I have fun." In order to advance in his career, however, Paul needed to continue his education in an educational setting that would not interfere with his career. "Since physical classroom time is impossible for me due to the unpredictable work hours in my profession and family responsibilities, I decided that the only type of educational environment I could attend was online."

Paul looked into several online universities and chose AIU Online for several reasons. "I considered accreditation and curriculum in my area of educational need and AIU Online trumped the competition. The concepts in Information Technology that are taught at AIU Online are very appealing to me as a professional in the field. When I looked further into the virtual environment at AIU Online I was impressed and decided to enroll." Paul feels the Virtual Campus through AIU Online is extremely user friendly. "When I started at AIU Online it took me about five minutes to become comfortable with layout. Since then, I believe the Virtual Campus has improved to the point that anyone who applies themselves can succeed in this environment."

Online learning through AIU Online has been a very good experience for Paul in many respects. "It is very flexible and convenient for my schedule. There is a lot of interaction between faculty and students. The instructors provide a great support base. There is more interaction and teamwork with other students than I ever imagined with a wide variety of opinions and views in the IT profession. Students usually have a certain area of expertise in the field and sharing information is very helpful. Such diverse input is very interesting and provides many new insights into my profession."

Paul earned a Bachelor of Information Technology with a concentration in Computer Systems from AIU and is currently enrolled in the Master of Information Technology degree program with a concentration in Internet Security. Paul immediately advanced in his career after earning his degree. "I went from a level two technical support position to a network administrator position and after that I was promoted to Senior Network Engineer with a 50% salary increase. My ultimate goal is to play a role in several different paradigms of the IT profession, so I can offer my experience to various industries. Online learning through AIU Online is definitely helping me achieve my goals."

Paul found that the knowledge and skills he acquired in his courses through AIU Online can be immediately applicable in his profession. "The course content is based on practice as well as theory, so I find that what I am learning is of immediate use to me in my work environment. There are things I have learned through AIU Online that I have been able to directly apply to my profession. One of the key roles I play in my position is network design and the network design strategies I have learned from my courses through AIU Online have had an immediate impact on my decisions. Personally, I am much more confident in my knowledge of IT systems and environments. Professionally, I am the only one at my current job who knows anything about the network and how to troubleshoot it." The high level of knowledge Paul acquired through AIU Online combined with his experience helped make him valuable in today's highly competitive job market.

Paul has some advice for current and prospective AIU Online students. "AIU Online offers an incredible learning environment that is flexible and at your fingertips. Take advantage of it and get everything you can out of it. It helped bring me success in my profession and it can do that for you too."

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