#PolicyProfile: Matt Parker, Director, IT
Jul 01 2022
By
B. Rose Huber
Source
Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
"Growing up in Alaska, I was a bit removed from technology and started down the road of studying accounting. I had always found that solving simple calculations was easy for me and working at a bank sounded good. As I got into my junior year of high school, I was tinkering around and figured out how to bypass password-protected screensavers on my friends’ computers. I was hooked.
Computer security is really what got me interested in computers and led me down this path of technology. Being in IT is actually a lot of investigative work, you have to take what the user and the technology is telling you to determine what is actually happening.
Change is the root of all computer problems, and technology is constantly changing, which brings 'improvements' that people don’t always like. As a tech, you must have the patience of a saint."Matt Parker
My mom definitely helped me learn that skill (thanks, mom); she’s not super computer savvy (sorry, mom). You can’t get upset with your mom though, right? I came to NJ all the way from Palmer, AK, for what I thought would be a year of technical training. I met my wonderful wife here and never left; now we have 2 great kids and 3 friendly cats.
I started working at Princeton's Department of Economics in 2005, and it was an excellent 16 years but I recently took this role at SPIA because I wanted to have a broader impact, plus the School has a great reputation, great people, and noble goal. Working in education provides a great work-life balance, allowing me to spend time with my family and teach on the side at Princeton Adult School and Princeton Public Library.
I always tell my students that I love using technology to do things better, faster, and smarter. Recently, my son was having a problem with one of his computers. I took a look, pressed a few keys, and got it working again. He looked at me, amazed, and said, ‘OK, you’re good!’ It was the ultimate compliment. I truly enjoy what I do and look forward to working further with everyone in the SPIA community."
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