The Information Technology degree program at Full Sail is designed for students to build strong foundational knowledge of programming languages, system architecture, and networking technologies. Students are also taught how to distribute at scale, automate, and optimize — all while making strong information security their second nature.

And because this is Full Sail, students will learn it all by doing.

"I think that's a big differentiator for what we do, versus what other schools do," says Jay Bunner-Sorg, Full Sail's Information Technology Program Director. "We talk about the theory, we talk about the reasons why, and then students get a chance to immediately practice and do something very tangible and very practical." With hands-on portfolio projects built into the courses, students have the opportunity to show potential employers examples of their work and make themselves marketable in the tech industry.

The Information Technology degree program helps students build practical skills — not just in engineering cloud technologies — but also for communicating with clients, understanding their needs, and working with them to get results. According to Full Sail alumni and HBO VP of Media and Production Operations Stephen Beres, communication has been key to his success.

He explains, "A lot of what our role is in the production and technology group is to help our counterparts who don't know or need to know or want to know... what it is that we do, but need to understand where we fit into the process and how our pieces fit together."

Students are also taught to cultivate the ability to creatively solve complex problems, use critical thinking, and stay on top of new technologies. According to Jay, beyond the technical skills, these are some of the traits employers look for most in a technologist. "One of the greatest gifts I think that we can give our students out of this program is the ability to be able to self-educate and say, 'I've never encountered this problem before, but where do I start with this?'," he says.

That's why, Jay explains, some of the most successful students in this program will be those with an appetite for learning — curious thinkers who ask a lot of questions. Full Sail's curious thinkers have gone on to become solutions analysts, cloud applications engineers, VPs of media and production operations, security engineers, and business owners. They help distribute an enormous amount of highly sensitive data across countries, through complex networks, and they do it fast.

"The reason I got into IT is because no two days are alike," Jay says. "From one day to the next, you're faced with a different set of challenges and circumstances. You just don't know what the problem may be or what the outcome may be, and you have to think about it. It's like solving a puzzle. This is for the type of student who enjoys looking at that puzzle."