Here at Freedom Consulting Group, we come from all different walks of life, combining our collective skills and backgrounds to rocket forward on our shared mission. In Doug S.’s case, when we say a different walk of life…we mean it. Get to know FCG’s Liberal Arts degree-wielding Engineer in this month’s edition of My Unusual Degree.

So we hear you have a bit of an unusual degree for someone at Freedom Consulting Group. Tell us about it! 

I may be the only Engineer at FCG with a B.S. in Liberal Arts, filling a highly technical position.  When I was an Undergrad (not saying when, but grunge was still a thing) there were fewer computer science degree programs, and they were less understood for prospective Freshmen.  At that time, computers were something that helped with business, so I was going down the business path before realizing that Marketing and Human Resource Management weren’t my thing. I changed to Liberal Arts so I could still graduate “close to on time.”

How did that educational path end you up at FCG?

The long way around. After college, I was in the Marine Corps for many years, completing my last tour at Ft. Meade. Again, not saying when, but by then the Y2K bug was a thing. That was also the dawn of the Internet, and everything was about building and deploying processing systems. That led me back to the programming that I hadn’t done in 5 or 10 years, which led me back to CS, and eventually to FCG.

What are some ways that your degree has helped you in this field?

I would say that one of the benefits of my degree is that I see problems from a mission and Government customer perspective a lot better than most “Pure CS” types. Since I took the long way to where I am now, after my degree program, I see more than just the technical challenge. I’ve worked the mission in the field, as a Warfighter, so I know what systems really need to do to be successful.

Do you find you approach problem solving in a different way because of the influence of your program?

I definitely tend to approach the problem for the solution, not the means to get there. A lot of engineers tend to look at the latest current technologies to determine the solution. I tend to look at the challenge on its own merits and try to find the most streamlined solution, even if sometimes it is last year’s technology.

What advice would you give to current college students in a program similar to the one you graduated from?

Don’t do it, if this is the field you want to work in. I had to spend a lot of my own time learning technologies and skills that many CS undergrads take for granted. A Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts is good for many things, but in our field it is a challenge. My degree worked for me for only two reasons:

1. I have a LOT of practical customer experience that makes me relevant.
2. I basically HAD to go back for a MS, partially to ensure that my educational experience would be counted when applying for positions.

Thanks, Doug! No matter where you come from, when you’re a part of the FCG team, you’re right where you belong. Got a wacky degree or background? Comment below and you could be featured in next month’s spotlight!