BANGOR – Can you envision earning a college degree in one of the fastest growing technology fields in Maine, building an impressive, professional portfolio of real-world work experience and accepting an employment offer in your discipline before you graduate?

For Robin Howard, a recent graduate in the Computer Information Systems bachelor’s program at the University of Maine at Augusta, this vision is on its way to becoming a reality.

Howard began her academic preparation in 1999 when she enrolled in the certificate in information technology program at University College of Bangor.

After graduating summa cum laude with an associate’s degree in May 2001, she decided to pursue her bachelor’s degree in CIS. As part of that curriculum, Howard participated in a required 300-level internship last summer with Maine Public Broadcasting Corp. in Bangor.

MPBC then offered her a paid internship to complete the project she had begun in the summer. The 400-level internship required a higher degree of expertise, and the project has been implemented by MPBC.

MPBC then invited her to interview for a position, and now she has a full-time job as an applications support specialist.

Howard plans to pursue her master’s degree while expanding her technical expertise in her present position. As the information technology field grows, the IT professional must embrace the philosophy of lifelong learning – hence the title “From Education to Employment and Back Again.”

Students in the CIS program in Bangor or local technology-based organizations interested in partnering with the internship program at the Bangor campus of the University of Maine at Augusta, may contact Diana Kokoska, assistant professor of computer information systems, at 262-7864 or dkokoska@maine.edu.