Meet Roger Croix Newson, alumnus of the Information Technology program and Senior Database Engineer at Massey Services.
The Basics
Name: Roger Croix Newson
Degree: Information Technology
Hometown: Fort Pierce, FL
Current City: Orlando, FL
Job: Senior Database Engineer at Massey Services
Meet Roger
Who do you admire and why?
Elon Musk. He disrupts every market he touches. Everything he is or has been involved in is for the advancement of humanity.
What Jeopardy category could you clear, no problem?
ummmm….SQL? (Structured Query Language)
Favorite office snack?
Either beef jerky or vendor lunches.
Best piece of advice you’ve received?
If you don’t ask, you can’t be told ‘no’.
The Career
Tell us about your job:
I work in the Business Intelligence department at Massey Services, Inc. My responsibilities include: Maintaining and administering the database environment; SQL Development (Stored procedures, functions, etc.; lots of ETL / SSIS Development; conversion of acquisition data; SSRS Development (Modifying/Creating reports); datawarehouse development/support and implementation of new data warehouse to support data models for data mining/predictive analytics
What does your average day look like?
There are typically several projects that I am working on at any given time. They could be range from creating an automated export or import of data, to designing a report, to troubleshooting a problem with the application that a database supports, to converting an acquired company’s data to be loaded into our system. In between working on projects, I work on automating processes, identifying inefficient processes that are candidates for automation, and making performance improvements to the database(s).
Most recently, I implemented a solution that proactively notifies the team when excessive database blocking is detected, and allows us to rectify the situation before users of the application notice it.
How did your education prepare for your career?
I learned a lot at FSU. Jowett’s database classes were an excellent preparation for the career I eventually chose to pursue, and I still refer back to my Database Principles textbook when I’m a little bit fuzzy on a database concepts issue.
How has working in your industry changed the way you look at the world?
I’ve become a data junkie. I look at things and think about what kind of data they produce.
Share a notable (funny, embarrassing, exciting) experience you’ve had at work:
The other day I was testing an SSIS package to send email notifications and accidentally ran it in production, sending out emails to all 150 of our offices nationwide. That was fun.
Who do you look to for inspiration?
My parents and my children, both past and future.
How do you handle work-life balance?
I have to flip a switch when I get home to “Family Mode”, but it can be hard sometimes though. I like to get things done, sometimes that means I bring work home with me.
What motivates you?
My children and wanting success for my family.
What advice would you give yourself in college?
Stop going to the Strip and do your homework.
