Early Career Profiles: Recent bachelors-level graduates in the mathematical sciences

Mark Derwin
Software Engineer
Information Builders Inc.

When Mark Derwin got to Stony Brook University, he had already had 3 years of computer training from high school.  But, after 2 years in the University’s Computer Department, he changed over to Applied Math and Statistics.  He realized that he enjoyed problem-solving more than coding.   Courses like Game Theory, Graph Theory, Cryptography and Combinatorics showed him how to apply the theories to real life situations.  Applied Math gave him the ability to use computers to solve real problems. 

One of these problems-solving opportunities came while he was in the Operations Research Masters program at Stony Brook.  He had an internship with the Long Island Rail Road on a ‘Time Between Failure’ system, giving him a chance to apply classroom theories to real world situations.  It also taught him how to work in small groups and make presentations. 

During graduate study, he worked as a technical writer for a local software company, and then moved into Quality Assurance.  Finding bugs in their systems was just another form of problem solving.  Today, he is still solving software problems at a much larger software company.  As a support manager, his team handles both customer and system problems.  “My background gives me the ability to perform many different tasks.  Besides QA and Support, I get to write, teach and travel.  I get to travel around the country and give courses on application design and problem-solving.”

Looking back on college, he appreciates that his applied mathematics courses taught him general strategies for problem-solving as well as specialized mathematical techniques.  The skills that he learned in Stony Brook’s Applied Math and Statistics department have truly helped him to get to where he is today.