How a History Major Ended Up an IT Technician

I often have been asked how my bachelor’s in History pertained to getting a job in technology. Before I came to Ashton Technology Solutions, I spent time trawling ancient ruins for DNA markers of the Black Death in Siena, Italy. I travelled Texas in a pickup, exploring abandoned towns. I dated an opera singer who ran away to Europe.

It’s easy to see this life as being worlds away from the one in which I currently live. The truth is that the life of a plague historian has more in common with that of an IT technician than most would think. In both situations, we’re in the trenches, searching for solutions. A Historian has to cite their sources. They are responsible for adjudicating a plan and executing all elements of it for our research. Information Technology at Ashton Technology Solutions is the same. We aren’t taking shots in the dark; everything we do is based off of a plan or procedure, finely tuned to deliver the best experience possible.

I’ll use an example of history to illustrate my point. For a long time it was taught in schools that Columbus proved the earth wasn’t flat. We taught our children that for thousands of years, human beings walked around thinking that the world ended, and that they were ignorant for thinking so. In reality, people knew the earth was round: the greek mathematician Erastosthenes (276 – 194 B.C.) proved it so using math.

For some reason many people were keen to believe that the people of the past were happy in blissful ignorance. Even more people were happy to say that others believed the world was flat. What does that say about the majority of us? I think we have to be better than that: be people who don’t make assumptions and don’t challenge ideas. That’s who we are at Ashton, and that’s one reason I’m very happy to be here.