University of Advancing Technology's Official Technology Blog

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) Alumnus Ryan Gruver, a Phoenix native, highlights his time at UAT, and how he has been able to take his education and turn it into a successful career in technology . Ryan graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Network and System Administration, which has since been renamed to Network Engineering. 

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background? I’m a native Phoenician, lived in AZ my entire life. I’ve always loved tech and tinkering, started with my 386 back when I was 8 years old.

How well did UAT prepare you for your career? Fairly well, I did use a lot of the skills I gained for the about the first half of my career.

What do you find most valuable about your education? My education gave me a foundation to build the rest of my career on. I wouldn’t have gotten so far in my career without it.

What professor had the most impact on you while you were at UAT? Shelly Keating, I took a ton of her classes. She was always great to learn from.

What was the most impactful experience you had at UAT? Learning that I did not like software engineering (LOL)! I originally wanted to go into software engineering, but realized I liked working with infrastructure more.

Who do you work for, what is your title and what do you do? I work for a large medical organization as an Information Technology (IT) Director. I oversee data centers, edge sites and low voltage (communications) cabling projects.

What has your career path been since graduation? About a month after graduation, I ended up at a mid-size electrical construction company as their IT Tech. I did a little bit of the everything there in technology as I as one of two IT techs on staff. 2 ½ years later, I ended up getting an operator role at my current organization. I did that for about a year, then got an engineering role. Five years after that, I got elevated to leadership. I’ve overseen data center teams, AV teams, and IT tools teams in my tenure as a leader. I also have been running the AFCOM Phoenix Chapter since 2018.

What has been the most exciting or rewarding part of your career? The most rewarding part of my career has been being able to give back to the community through my AFCOM work. I’ve helped give away $33k in scholarships and oversee an internship program for the next generation of data center workers.

Are there any accomplishments or projects you are particularly proud of? One particular project was increasing the cool efficiency of one of my sites. I was able to drop HVAC energy usage significantly through simple airflow changes.

What is next in your career? Executive level data center leadership roles. Looking to shape the next generation of data centers and data center talent. Maybe run a fleet of nuclear powered data centers in the next 10 to 15 years.

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates? A lesson I learned later than I should have is the importance of networking with people in the industry. Knowing someone will open more doors than just throwing a resume at a job posting.

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