Learning the base tools and what was necessary at the job, was my best takeaway from Ranken, the greatest being structure.

James Green says, “Learning the base tools and what was necessary at the job, was my best takeaway from Ranken, the greatest being structure.” He earned his degree in Internet Web Based Technology May 2009. He is now the Director of Field Services for Verve Industrial Protection.

John Livingston, CEO, Verve Industrial Protection, explains “One of the most challenging things about hiring young people is how to spot potential leaders. Leadership is hard to teach, but it has foundational elements: being responsive, having a ‘can do’ attitude, being able to solve new problems, not just knowing the answer to old ones. James was leadership material from the day we met him. He ‘got’ how to work within a team, how to ‘own’ a problem or task and not just do the minimum. His technical abilities are very strong. What sets him apart is his ability to lead. That leadership appeared in his early roles as an individual contributor to projects. It shines particularly as he has grown into building and managing a team where his problem solving, inter-personal skills, and commitment show through every day. He was trained to ‘own’ the results – his own and his team’s. That is very rare…and valuable!”

“I knew James was in the right industry when I saw how much he enjoyed his craft,” says Evan Gudmestad, IT Assistant Division Chair. “The more technical something was, the more he smiled. The more challenging the task, the more he dug his feet in. I recall him writing code to send a friend text messages from a fake phone number or using command line commands to remotely shut down a friend’s computer. He loved doing these things. It’s no surprise his employer raves about him. He chose the right career, now he’s reaping the rewards.”

A memory that sticks with James is “The time Evan made me go shave. Honestly, a true-life lesson on setting policies and abiding by them . . . that’s very important in what we do as a cybersecurity company.” Ranken alum in his family: brother William, 2002; cousins Michael & Patrick Green, 2002, Keith Green, 2010; and uncles Tom Green and Gordon Becker.

Learn more at https://ranken.edu/find-your-career-path/

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