Mathematics Alumni in Computer Science and Software Development Careers

Emily Pratt '12

I am currently working as a Proposal Design Consultant at National Life Group. National Life Group is a life insurance company located in Montpelier Vermont. I began working here over a year ago as the Product Development Actuarial Intern. I held that position for 7 months and then transitioned over to the job I hold today. I worked two days a week the Spring semester of my Senior year and began working full-time as soon as I graduated from Saint Michael's College. I still work closely with the Actuaries, but I don't work on creating the life insurance products like I did during my internship. Instead, I work on testing the software that we use to illustrate the life insurance policies. National Life is currently in the process of implementing a new Web Based Illustration System, so I have been kept busy keeping the current Illustration System maintained as well as working on the new System.

Saint Michael's really prepared me for life after college. By majoring in math, I developed the work ethic and analytic skills needed to succeed after college. Both of these skills have been very useful in my success as a Proposal Design Consultant. I also majored in economics which helped me in understanding how insurance works. Majoring in Mathematics and Economics at Saint Michael's College did a great job at preparing me for my career at National Life.

Aaron Desrochers '05

Ever since I was introduced to algebra in sixth grade I started truly enjoying math. With mathematics you need to have a solid foundation in the fundamentals before you can begin to solve and really understand more complex problems. This same approach applies to all learning, but is never represented cleaner and more straightforward than with mathematical principles.

After I graduated in 2004 I didn't have a set plan in place for my career. Instead my wife Carolyn and I choose to save some money living with our parents for a few months and go on a tour of the country. Two months and 12,000 miles later we realized how much we both loved Vermont and we eventually made our way back up to Burlington to stay.

After searching for two weeks I got a job as a lab technician at Penro Specialty Compounding Pharmacy in Colchester Village. For the next three years one of my most important responsibilities was performing calculations to verify that each prescription's concentration was correct. Each formula was written first by the pharmacist and then checked for accuracy by the technicians. I was a "shoe- in" for the position because of my mathematics degree.

Eventually I left the lab to work for Data Systems Inc, a Burlington based Software Company that specializes in customized order fulfillment, accounting, and E-commerce solutions. The logical principals I acquired in my mathematics education have helped greatly in the transition to programming logic in PROIV, a fourth generation rapid application development language. My current job title is Software Developer / Administrator, but I have also taken over as bookkeeper and am learning the ropes of sales.

I truly believe that my mathematics degree from Saint Michael's has helped me stand out from the crowd at every job interview and has opened many doors for me already. My thanks go out the fantastically dedicated teachers at Saint Mike's who helped make this all possible!

Kimberly Corbeil Martens '85

My position is in Manager Software Development and Commercial Market IT Strategic Services for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

Saint Michael's was great! The mathematics curriculum provided me with solid analytical thinking and problem solving skills that are very much required in the success of software development.