It was through his close association with one of his professors that Josh Middlebrooks, Class of 2004, was able to land his ideal job as an Information Technology (IT) Manager.

Dr. Rita Moore, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems, “heard through the grapevine” that Dalyn Rug Company was looking for an IT Manager, someone who could do “a little bit of everything” relating to IT issues.

“I went for an interview, and it has been a perfect match ever since,” says Middlebrooks, who at 27 lives in Ringgold and commutes daily to his job in Dalton.

He is grateful to Dr. Moore and his other Business Administration professors for always “going the extra mile” to help their students and for sharing their “real life experiences” in the classroom.

“The only regret that I have is that I wasn’t already working in the IT field when I was going to school,” says Middlebrooks, who worked third shift for Shaw Industries as an offline wrapper operator while attending Dalton State.

“My instructors often told stories about their real world experiences, and I loved hearing the stories, but I think I could appreciate them even more, now that I’ve had a good deal of computer experience of my own.”

At Dalyn, Middlebrooks actually is the IT department.

“In a small company, you become involved in every facet of computer operations. I’m responsible for the electronic data interchange system, the phone systems, purchasing computer systems and software, maintaining the help desk, working with the Virtual Private Network, maintaining security, you name it,” he says.

His advice to current students is to get as much related experience as possible while pursuing a major.

“Real-life experience in your field is so important,” he says. “If I had had a computer-related job while I was going through school, it would have helped so much.”

Middlebrooks is pleased that he earned a degree from Dalton State, primarily because of its strong academic reputation.

“Attending Dalton allowed me to stay close to home, while enjoying the rewards and embracing the challenges a tough school like DSC has to offer."

Shortly after he enrolled in school in 1998, Dalton State began offering four-year degree programs, including the one he majored in, Management Information Systems.

“That was what I was interested in studying, so when the College began offering the four-year program, it was very attractive to me,” he says, noting that he maintained the HOPE Scholarship during his tenure here.

“Having the HOPE and living at home for most of my time in school was almost like receiving a free education,” he notes.