Math skills pay off for computer science alumnus
Leave it to a computer science major to dream of designing electronic circuitry. University of West Florida alumnus Stephen McGourty, '85, turned this dream into his reality. Now, McGourty works for Boeing, the world's leading aerospace company. He works at the enterprise level projecting network traffic using a software system that he invented. He attributes part of his success to the skills he learned while attending UWF.
Leave it to a computer science major to dream of designing electronic circuitry. University of West Florida alumnus Stephen McGourty, ’85, turned this dream into his reality. Now, McGourty works for Boeing, the world’s leading aerospace company. He works at the enterprise level projecting network traffic using a software system that he invented. He attributes part of his success to the skills he learned while attending UWF.
“I just can’t say enough about how much math has helped me in my career,” said McGourty. “When I started at Boeing, none of the computers were on a network. No one else was doing it at the time, but today, more than 160,000 computers are on the network.”
McGourty’s roots were planted at UWF and he’s grown steadily ever since. While earning his bachelor’s degree, he worked at WUWF 88.1 FM assisting the station’s chief engineer with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) checks. Applying what he learned in the classroom, McGourty was able to learn the ropes quickly at WUWF Public Media and eventually became the assistant engineer for the station.
To this day, McGourty relies on the math skills that he gained at UWF. He says he would probably be out of a job if it weren’t for his aptitude in math.
“In the 24 years that I’ve worked for Boeing, there have been four rounds of layoffs,” said McGourty. “I know for a fact that the math skills I learned at UWF helped save my job with Boeing in at least two of those instances.”
He shares his passion by tutoring high school students in math. He hopes to inspire the next generation to fully appreciate and understand the abundant applications of math.
“Sometimes the students will ask when they’ll ever use math in their life, and I am equipped to give them concrete examples,” said McGourty. “My advice for students today is to learn as much math as they can. Those skills will place them a step above the crowd. If they can apply it in new and unique ways, they will always be employable.”
To learn more about McGourty, visit uwf.edu/sse/alumni/spotlights/compsci/mcgourty.cfm. For more information about UWF’s Computer Science programs, visit uwf.edu/computerscience.
Written by Lauren Smith, University Marketing Communications
