John Sherrod ’03 credits Berry’s student work program and Berry’s Information Technology Students (BITS) program as cornerstones in his career success. The experience and knowledge he gained at Berry led to a seven-year stint at Apple and a nearly 12-year career in IT at Ramsey Solutions in Nashville, Tennessee. As the onsite workstation engineer and Apple guru, Sherrod manages a fleet of nearly 1,200 devices, writing scripts, policies and processes to empower employees’ technology use.
He entered Berry with only basic computer knowledge — and a passion for Mac computers. Using high school graduation money to buy his first Mac, he applied to the BITS Program, an apprenticeship-style work opportunity with the Office of Information Technology.
Once selected, Sherrod attended the BITS boot camp, a two-week training course where BITS students underwent professional training like building PC computers that would eventually be used by the college faculty and staff.
At the time, Sherrod says about 20% of faculty and staff were using Mac computers, and, ironically, an IT specialist told him, “I’m not sure Mac computers will ever be a big thing in the enterprise market.” Still, it didn’t deter Sherrod from specializing in working with Mac computers. Before graduation, he helped build a new Mac computer lab for students and reconfigured an existing one. When Sherrod graduated in 2003, he was setting up Apple computers for faculty and staff, troubleshooting tech issues and maintaining all the Macs and their software at Berry.
“The head, heart and hands experience at Berry was really important to me,” says Sherrod. “The head — or academics — at Berry were just what I was looking for. Berry had small classes that I benefited from, and my academic advisor played a huge role in my growth. We’re still friends today.”
He adds, “The heart emphasis was an invaluable part of my experience, too. I loved being on a campus where I could pursue my faith, get involved in different ministries and play worship music. And then, of course, hands or work experience with BITS really put me on the career path I’m on today.”
Addressing future Berry students, Sherrod says, “Be encouraged! You’re going to school at a place where people are going to take care of you, where you will build lifelong ties and they will always welcome you back. I have loved being a part of the Alumni Council, and I hope to see you at Mountain Day.”
