It’s a rare thing to get a glimpse of your future career at a young age, but that’s exactly what happened with IDI Billing Solutions’ Kevin Hart. Now a Senior Software Engineer, Kevin’s first experience with IDI occurred during his formative high school years when he was awarded a prestigious college scholarship. That was just the beginning of an incredible journey in the computer science field – and IDI’s been there every step of the way on his path to success.
Getting started at an early age
Kevin always knew he was destined to work with computers in some fashion. Growing up, Kevin was crazy about PCs, constantly asking his parents to buy him programming books so he could learn everything he could about their inner workings.
That passion carried through into high school, and Kevin began preparing to apply to computer science programs. When the opportunity came along to apply for IDI’s “Dollars for Scholars” college scholarship, Kevin jumped at the chance.
The IDI Billing Solutions family is always looking for opportunities to give back to its home community of Victor, New York. Every year, IDI awards one student at nearby Victor Senior High School a college scholarship to help pay for a bit of their continuing education.
The “Dollars for Scholars” scholarship recipients must meet a number of criteria:
• Candidates plan to major in either computer science, information management or computer engineering.
• Distinguished as members of the VHS Honor Roll.
• Maintain at least a 2.8 grade point average.
• Write an annual, 500-word essay detailing their education experience and future plans, and submit it to IDI Billing Solutions’ President and CEO, Don Culeton.
Although Kevin wasn’t familiar with IDI at the time, he knew a great opportunity when he saw it and beat out the competition to win the scholarship.
Pursuing a computer science career
Kevin has excelled at IDI.The IDI scholarship came in handy when Kevin enrolled in the Rochester Institute of Technology’s computer science program. During his studies, Kevin gravitated toward the mathematical aspect of CS: theoretical math algorithms, data set structures, and so on.
Every year, like clockwork, he wrote his essay describing his academic work and future ambitions. When it came time to start thinking about a post-college career, Kevin once again reached out to IDI Billing Solutions. He inquired about potential internship opportunities and was selected to participate in a two-block session with the company.
Kevin’s IDI internship wound down just as his college career was coming to a close. During the spring semester of his senior year, Kevin completed his last required internship block with IDI Billing Solutions and began to set his sights on life after academia.
He didn’t have to wait long to find the right career path, as IDI once again came calling.
Life at IDI Billing Solutions
In Spring 2012, Kevin shifted roles from an intern to a full-time position with IDI. It was a smooth transition, giving him time to learn the ropes while also building upon his considerable foundation of knowledge and programming skills.
At IDI Billing Solutions, every day is an opportunity to expand one’s technical experience, and Kevin has flourished in this environment. He was recently promoted to a Senior Software Engineer role after showcasing his programming chops time and again on various projects.
Speaking of projects, Kevin says that without a doubt, the most professionally fulfilling moment of his career has been working on IDI’s Workflow application. He spent nearly three years working with that team, and he wouldn’t trade that experience for anything in the world.
“Kevin has flourished in this environment.”
“Workflow was brand-new, and was a blast to work on,” Kevin said. “There were always fun little problems that needed to be solved. It was a really rewarding experience.”
In fact, that problem-solving aspect is what Kevin loves most about coding and programming.
As for IDI Billing Solutions, what does Kevin love most about working for the company?
“The people and the culture, absolutely,” said Kevin. “Everyone’s on a first-name basis. Other people have told me that I’m spoiled to have never had to work outside of IDI, and I have to agree with them. This is a great environment.”
Kevin’s is a unique story, with IDI reappearing at critical junctures to provide academic and professional guidance. What advice does he have for all of those burgeoning computer science majors out there?
“Never stop learning and don’t confine yourself to any one focus area,” he said. “Keep yourself motivated – having that self-drive will help you stay ahead of the pack.”
