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| James Wong, right, pictured with President Catanese, is one of the first graduates to receive a master of science in information technology from Florida Tech. |
James Wong is one of the first graduates to receive a master of science in information technology from Florida Tech. The degree is offered through University College and the University Alliance Program. He chose the online program because it was a convenient way to enhance his career.
He was surprised by how well the information technology degree meshed with his legal background. It even led his career in a different direction. Intex originally hired Wong as the assistant to the president with responsibility for researching and implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) program.
“As I was studying, a brand new field of law emerged called e-Discovery,” Wong said. “It deals with how computer-generated information should be captured and used as evidence in court. All of sudden, I found myself translating between legalese and geek. I found that I could contribute to the organization on new levels. And the next thing I knew, I became the first company lawyer.”
Wong earned his Juris Doctorate at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law where he spent eight years learning tax planning and real estate development at international firms in Hong Kong and San Francisco. He left private practice to join a Hong Kong family-based investment banking firm to spearhead its direct investment efforts in China.
In the late ’90s, he leveraged his investment experience to found an Internet startup specializing in providing retailers with simple consumer financing. “My time at the dot com hooked me on technology,” Wong said. “I was way more interested in technology jobs than in legal jobs.”
When he joined Intex, he traveled extensively between Hong Kong, China and the United States. An online degree was a good choice for him. “I signed up for Florida Tech’s information technology master’s degree a couple of months into the job. While I learned a lot about software in my dot com, I needed to enhance my tech chops to fully do my ERP job.”
Also, he wanted to make more productive use of the 13-hour flights across the Pacific and his downtime when visiting factories in China.
“I liked to study at my own pace and appreciated the online delivery of the Florida Tech program. I could study on the plane and also while inside a factory dorm. The degree was a much better use of my time than watching the in-flight movie or singing at karaoke bars—although I did some of those things, too!”
Working on the degree while traveling freed Wong up for family time with his son (now 10) and daughter (now 5) when he returned to the United States. Taking one course every eight weeks, he could adjust his work, family and study time without too much difficulty.
“Formal continuing education is a critical part of keeping up with constant change in every field—even in the way that education is delivered,” Wong said.
Wong is a perfect example of how Florida Tech maintains the high-quality, high tech and human touch for which it is so well known, while continuing to reach a new audience in an online world.
Brian Ehrlich |
