Nathan Batts, MSIT
Catching Air with Interactivity
"I spent the better part of my 20s as a ‘sales professional,'" said Nathan, now interactive manager at one of Vermont's premier ski resorts. "It's wasn't long before the novelty wore off and I found myself with a resume filled with sales jobs. I thought there was no way out. The only type of job I was qualified for was sales-related."
Then, after a change of pace as a television producer at a small TV station, which still entailed the dreaded sales calls, Nathan stumbled on the Marlboro College Graduate Center website and enrolled in the MSIT program. He already had an interest in and aptitude for web design; all he needed was the right training.
"I had taken a few online classes through an area college, but something was missing. I needed interaction. The ‘only online' format wasn't working. For me, the combination of online and face-to-face is what sold me on the graduate center program. It's what makes MCGC unique."
Nathan was also drawn to the MCGC program because it is designed to fit the lives of professionals who are already busy. "Yes it is stressful at times, juggling work, school, and the rest of your life, but the end result is well worth the effort," he said.
For his capstone project, Nathan focused on the design and development of a database-driven company "intranet," using a diversity of web technologies to facilitate internal communications. This project gave Nathan hands-on experience with making design choices through user surveys, low fidelity prototyping, and extensive usability testing, all skills that would serve him well in any web development position.
"My degree from MCGC has had an immediate effect on my career," said Nathan. "In fact, my current position as Mount Snow's interactive manager, essentially their web master, designer and developer, was offered to me when I was still enrolled as a student." His position utilizes all the skills he developed at the graduate center, and many new ones, to develop mountsnow.com and service all of Mount Snow's other web design needs.
"In a competitive industry like web design, it's difficult to get noticed amidst the flood of applicants if you don't have a relevant education," said Luke Stafford, communications manager at Mount Snow. "Nate not only has backend skills that are important to this position, but he also has an eye for design. He's the total package."
