STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE

STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE

Tom Beatty, BSWD Chair

According to Tom Beatty, web design and development chair for Neumont College of Computer Science, striving for excellence is a nice ideal, but not necessary a goal that’s attainable (and thus, the constant striving). He says, “It’s hard to know when you’ve actually reached it.” Beatty shares his belief that everyone is better served by focusing on the best work you can do.

“It's good to push yourself,” he says. “Try challenging things. Learn more. Be curious, Do more, and don't give up. Decide you can do something, and then do it. If you fail, try again with the new knowledge you've obtained. Don't worry so much about achieving excellence at the start. If you continually work hard and do your best to be better than you were or to know more than you did, excellence is the inevitable byproduct.”

And Beatty knows about pushing himself: ever the life-long learner, he admits to spending a lot of time on both Udemy.com and Pluralsight completing online training.  

“I need to keep current on the ever-changing technologies associated with the industry. There is always another framework or library that will help my students be better prepared for their future careers. Beyond that, I love learning and then teaching new things. It keeps my job both challenging and interesting,” he said when asked how he strives for excellence in his own work.

When Neumont’s leadership, staff, and faculty—like Beatty—consider the impact their efforts have on students, the significance of the work becomes evident. Neumont staff and faculty strive to improve every aspect of our institution with the belief that the results of our efforts positively impact our community. We expect excellence from each other, and we try to instill that in our colleagues, students, and alumni.

We are constantly striving for excellence to improve lives through education.