Baker College Information Technology and Security Alumni, Chad King
My name is Chad King, and I am a proud Alumni of Baker College – Allen Park. I graduated from the Bachelor of Information Technology and Security (BITS) program with a minor in Information Assurance in 2014. My path leading to Baker College, and coming from Baker College has left an indelible impact on my life and that of my family. Before attending Baker College, I always had an interest in Information Technology. Unfortunately, the interest wasn’t enough to have the career I wanted and provide the life my family deserved. Though I had certificates and experience in telecommunications and networking, there was no upward mobility from the customer service position I was in. Then, once I found out about Baker College in Allen Park and the BITS program, I was able to take my experience and merge it with the education that I needed to advance my career.
Baker College was a perfect solution for me, as a father of two working full time. I was able to convert some of my certificates and experience into credits. What I learned during classes from my professors (some of whom I still speak with today) catapulted me to new heights in my career. Upon graduation, I secured a position as a Senior System Analyst via the Baker College Job portal where I could implement everything I learned at Baker College. Afterward, I obtained a Masters in Business Administration from Western Governors University and my current job title is Sr. IT Auditor – Cybersecurity Assurance at GM. Some of what I do at work is lead projects on process improvement, auditing end user computing processes, and auditing software defined vehicle services and applications. I gained the foundational knowledge for what I do today at Baker College.
For future alumni of Baker College, my suggestion is to absorb everything you can that aligns with your personal and career goals. The staff and professors at Baker College are dedicated to the success of students, so don’t be shy of leaning on that support to get where you want in your education and career. Lastly, remember that once you have the knowledge, nothing and no one can take that away from you, so use your newfound expertise to benefit yourself, your family, and your community without reservation.
An additional gift that Baker College afforded me was the ability to join the absolute GREATEST Fraternity in the world; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. I wouldn’t have been able to join if I had not gotten my bachelor degree. Being able to become a Brother of this fraternity has been one of the most consequential things in my life as a man and as an advocate in the communities we serve. I am a member of the Board of Directors for the Gamma Lambda Chapter, seated in Detroit, MI, and the chair of the voter outreach and education program “A Voteless People is a Hopeless People” within the chapter.” I’ve been able to support and promote voting rights, voter education, and voter empowerment and interview elected officials and candidates for office as a Brother of Alpha.
Founded in 1906 as the first intercollegiate fraternity for African American men, the Brothers of my dear fraternity include Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cornel West, Donny Hathaway, Jackie Robinson, Hill Harper, and Robert Smith. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. is Black History and American History. Black History Month, for me, isn’t limited to February, and the impact and achievement of Black Americans benefits the entire world. The ceiling of those who’ve come before us is now our floor. Every day is an opportunity to make history, and we can use the past as the inspiration for the present and future.