Triple Major in Computer Science Graduated with Rare Accomplishment

Richmond/Moorefield Grad Wastes No Time Starting His Career

Joshua Sloop tried traditional education…for one semester. “It just wasn’t for me,” he says. “I wasn’t really interested in campus life. I just wanted to earn my degree and get started on my career. And I wanted to be in a place where people knew my name, where I wasn’t just another face in the crowd.” That made ECPI University an ideal fit. He enrolled at the Richmond/Moorefield campus.

“From the moment I arrived, I knew I was in the right place,” says Joshua. “Everyone felt like family. The librarians, Ms. Vroman and Ms. Hobgood, were both like second mothers to me.” Click To Tweet

“From the moment I arrived, I knew I was in the right place,” says Joshua. “Everyone felt like family. The librarians, Ms. Vroman and Ms. Hobgood, were both like second mothers to me.”

Joshua also found a place where he could pursue his passion. As a child, his parents bought him a computer. Before they could even start teaching him how to use it, Joshua had already figured a lot of it out. It just came naturally. Not until he arrived at ECPI University, however, was he able to start doing the kind of things with a computer that he had always dreamed of.

“From the moment I arrived, I knew I was in the right place. Everyone felt like family. The librarians, Ms. Vroman and Ms. Hobgood, were both like second mothers to me.” ~Joshua Sloop – Cyber and Network Security, Cloud Computing, and Software… Click To Tweet

“I just loved the hands-on learning environment,” says Joshua. “The moment we started digging into something new, we then went to the lab to conduct exercises using real servers in a controlled environment. I really loved that it was practical knowledge, not just the theory.”

Joshua could not get enough of it. In fact, he did something quite rare. He triple majored in Cyber and Network Security, Cloud Computing, and Software Development. Graduating about a year ago, he got a job working with AdvanSix, a subsidiary of Honeywell.

“I am currently working with tier three and tier two a lot, creating ISO files for a new server being built, as well as working closely with a capital engineering manager to update chemical lab equipment.” Click To Tweet

He now moves between three chemical plants in the Richmond area where he provides upgrades to PC hardware, troubleshoots software issues, and writes up standard operational procedures in the IT industry. “I diagnose problems when they happen, and document them to look for patterns of repeat problems,” he says. “I am currently working with tier three and tier two a lot, creating ISO files for a new server being built, as well as working closely with a capital engineering manager to update chemical lab equipment.”

Joshua is now focused on earning professional certifications, using the very affordable exam vouchers available to all ECPI University graduates. Long-term, he eventually wants to work somewhere in the Pentagon. “When you think about it,” he says, “that’s one of the world’s biggest targets. Helping defend it would be the ultimate challenge.”