Technology and problem solving have fascinated Andy Smith throughout his life.
鈥淎nything that鈥檚 broken, I鈥檓 going to take it apart and see if I can fix it,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the worst thing I can do if it already isn鈥檛 working?鈥
These interests opened the door to a long, satisfying career at Mississippi 大象APP. Smith, a desktop support specialist II with Information Technology Services鈥 User Services division, recently marked 25 years of employment at the university. In his current role, Smith serves as the go-to person for about 350 employees whenever issues with printing, email, WebEx and other computer-related apps and infrastructure arise.
Smith graduated from MSU with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in communication in 1989. After bouncing around a few jobs, he joined an early incarnation of ITS then known as Systems and Networks. Exposure to IT allowed him to turn his passion into income and inspired him to work on a master鈥檚 degree in business information systems.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I thought, 鈥楬ey, this is really starting to fascinate me,鈥欌 Smith said. 鈥淭he more I worked and played with technology, the more interested I became.鈥
Besides satisfying his curiosity, Smith said he feels fulfilled at work by serving others.
鈥淢y communication degree and BIS degree are kind of tied together鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 able to explain what I do to fix issues in understandable terms. Helping others like that is a definite plus.鈥
Smith said the best part about working for MSU is being part of the family atmosphere his coworkers create. Smith鈥檚 wife, Cindy, also works for MSU in the Office of the Controller and Treasurer, and his twin children are freshmen at the university.
鈥淢SU is a great place to work. It鈥檚 family oriented, and my coworkers鈥攜ou couldn鈥檛 ask for a better bunch,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 would say this is the best job I鈥檝e ever had, and I know my wife would say the same, too.鈥