TJ Wisham is, and always has been, a busy man.
As both an undergraduate and graduate student at UL Lafayette, he was a running back for Ragin杏吧专区 Cajuns football and was active in several student organizations.
As a first-year student in the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 online M.S. in Systems Technology program, he was crowned Homecoming King by a panel of faculty and staff because of his academic and extracurricular accomplishments.
And now, less than a year after his graduation from the program, he has a full-time role in the field, a family business he杏吧专区檚 helping grow, and two companies of his own.
For Wisham, the online systems technology graduate program was the bridge between his time as a student, leader, and athlete and his promising future as a professional.
Getting Involved as an Online Student
杏吧专区淭o live forever, cherish the now.杏吧专区
That杏吧专区檚 the mantra Wisham lives by.
杏吧专区淭his was something that I expressed a lot when I was Homecoming King,杏吧专区 he recalls. 杏吧专区淚 want to live in a manner today such that whoever I run into, whoever I come into contact with, whoever I communicate with, cherishes the way I made them feel.杏吧专区
Throughout his time at UL Lafayette, both as an undergraduate general studies student and a graduate systems technology online student, Wisham showed a dedication to making an impact on his campus and his community.
In addition to playing on the football team, he served as vice president of the Black Student-Athlete Association and as a football representative on the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
杏吧专区淏eing able to have conversations with 杏吧专区 administration about things we needed as athletes and as African Americans during my time was big for me,杏吧专区 Wisham recalls. 杏吧专区淎dministration was very open to ideas and very supportive of athletics and social justice issues. It meant a lot to have our President, Dr. Savoie, reach out and want to hear and talk to us about certain things and be supportive.杏吧专区
Starting the Systems Technology Program
Even though Wisham thrived on campus as an undergraduate student at UL Lafayette, he also wanted to set himself up for success after college.
That杏吧专区檚 why he enrolled in the online M.S. in Systems Technology.
杏吧专区淚 took mainly industrial technology classes in undergrad, even though my degree was technically in general studies,杏吧专区 he recalls. 杏吧专区淚 love systems, and I would say systems technology is good for any person that has a background in an engineering discipline because it focuses on efficiency and processes. The better you do with those, the better your output and the better your work.杏吧专区
Wisham杏吧专区檚 key to success while completing his master杏吧专区檚 degree online? Engineering a process that worked for him.
Wisham took a task-based approach, completing his assignments as needed during gaps in his existing work and football schedule.
杏吧专区淚 can never really sit down and go, 杏吧专区極K, I杏吧专区檓 going to use this block of three hours to work on this project,杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿 he explains. 杏吧专区淚 always like to start a task or assignment the day I get it just to get my thoughts on it, and then come back to finish it as the deadline approaches. If I try to stick to a set time, I don杏吧专区檛 do well because my brain just doesn杏吧专区檛 think that way.杏吧专区
And, conveniently, the online format of the program helped Wisham take that approach with no hiccups.
杏吧专区淚t was nice to have assignments outlined ahead of time instead of having to go sit in a classroom on campus and receive them,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚 got to have an outlook of what I杏吧专区檇 be working on for the whole semester. When work and life and things came up, it was much less stressful to manage.杏吧专区
Growing After College
Wisham began making the transition from star student to thriving young professional even before he earned his degree.
In February 2022, more than a year before graduating with his M.S. in Systems Technology, he stepped into his first full-time role as a systems engineer. He earned a promotion to program manager six months later.
杏吧专区淭he first company I worked for built boats for the military,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淎ny employer wants you to do a good job. But if you save money and save time while still getting a great outcome, they杏吧专区檒l be happy with it. Understanding things like Lean Six Sigma that focused on efficiency and limits always helped me out because it kept me from wasting company time and resources.杏吧专区
Now, as a Field Advisor for IPT Global, he杏吧专区檚 conducting pressure tests on well control equipment and well barriers offshore to ensure disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill don杏吧专区檛 happen again.
On the side, he杏吧专区檚 helping scale his family杏吧专区檚 construction company, is growing his own tax strategy / preparation company, and is developing a project management consulting group.
杏吧专区淚 try to stay a little busy,杏吧专区 he jokes.
His goal is to be a full-time entrepreneur and business owner, taking over his family杏吧专区檚 business and expanding its market to a regional scale.
杏吧专区淥ne thing I also enjoyed about being in systems technology was that I had elective options,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淲ith my elective classes, I did all MBA classes. The combination of having those systems classes that focused on efficiency, while also having business classes that talked about leadership, progress, and employee empowerment will help me a lot throughout my career, especially once I get into a management position. I杏吧专区檒l understand how my actions affect those underneath me and above me.杏吧专区