The month of December 2014 was a whirlwind and dream come true for technological guru and Information Technology undergraduate, Michael Helfrich. The IT student had a hefty résumé prior to commencement—from independent projects and multiple internships to organizational leadership positions and several certifications—he was fit for immediate success. Helfrich was offered a position as a Corporate Operations Engineer at Google. His acceptance lead him to New York City in quest of revolutionizing the technological movement.
Before enrolling at Florida State University, Michael Helfrich attended Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida, while owning and managing his own company. His startup (virtual private server and web hosting), HostHoarders, took off in January 2012 and rapidly expanded its clientele by the hundreds, nationally and internationally over the course of two years. After earning his Associates of Science in Computer Information Administration in May 2012, Helfrich continued to operate and maintain the company during his time at Florida State until August 2014.
“Running my own business, HostHoarders, and taking classes like IT Leadership were extremely beneficial to me,” he explained.
Tallahassee proved resourceful for the transfer student. Helfrich established an extensive network of like-minded students and professionals through on and off-campus involvement. He was active and served in leadership roles with AITP (Association of IT Professionals) and STARS (Students & Technology in Academia, Research & Service). His outreach efforts with STARS took him to Washington D.C., Panama City, Tampa, Orlando and Sebring. He was very active with the Girl Scouts initiative where he taught iMovie and WordPress to help the Girl Scouts earn STEM badges.
His internship experience at BlueVM Communications and the Datamaxx Group enriched his skillset in virtualization, server management, Linux, and Windows.
“Within Google, I work at the infamous techstops and provide support to other Googlers. It’s extremely rewarding and the best part is I get to solve problems,” Helfrich said.
Find out more about the Information Technology program here.