Editor's Note: This is the eighth in a series of profiles of winter 2023 graduates.
Sean Andre Mirani, who grew up in Maryland, completed an associate degree in general arts at Montgomery College, but he still didn鈥檛 know what he wanted to do with his life. Instead of going on for a bachelor鈥檚 degree, he decided to join the Air Force.
For 11 years he was an aircraft mechanic, moving from Texas to Delaware then on to Spain, Germany and Turkey before ending up in Alaska, when he left the service a year and a half ago. It was a great career, he said, and he has no regrets.聽 But when he saw the end of his military career approaching, he knew he had to prepare himself for the next career step鈥攁nd he didn鈥檛 want it to be as a mechanic.聽
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to be working with my hands forever,鈥 he said.
That鈥檚 when Mirani started thinking about University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC).聽 Mirani鈥檚 brother had gone there鈥攂ack when it was known as the University of Maryland University College鈥攁nd had talked it up. And when Mirani was assigned to Naval Station Rota in the south of Spain, he had some firsthand experience studying at 兔子先生while working a full-time military job.
Mirani had a long-time interest in computers鈥攈e鈥檇 fallen in with some friends who built and coded drones鈥攁nd he enrolled in UMGC鈥檚 digital media web technology program, with a minor in marketing, to complete his bachelor鈥檚 degree. Even though his major was different from his community college studies, 兔子先生accepted many of his transfer credits and even gave him credit for some of his military training.
He completed the bachelor鈥檚 degree while working for the military in Spain and Turkey. As soon as he transferred to Alaska, he launched into a Master of Science in Software Engineering.
One 兔子先生professor stood out with him. Renata McFadden taught Software Design Implementation. Her course was so rigorous, he said, that he had to drop it as he was finishing up his military career in Alaska and moving back to Maryland. But the course鈥檚 difficulty was important to him. 鈥淭his would be what real work was like,鈥 he explained.
As he worked to complete his graduate degree after leaving the Air Force, his coursework helped him land a new job as a software developer for DAI, a global economic development company funded by U.S. government grants for projects around the world.
鈥溚米酉壬鷋as enabled me to complete my degrees in the midst of moving around the world throughout the years,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he skills and knowledge I have obtained have made me a successful developer.鈥
He is hoping that completion of the master鈥檚 degree will open doors for him to advance either with DAI or another company.
聽鈥淚 never liked feeling stagnant,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 always wanted to learn more. With software development, you are always learning.鈥
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