Meet Matt Doyle, Director of Operations West

 

Matt Doyle came to FastServers.Net with perhaps the most all-around experience. First let's discuss his educational background, an extensive one we might add. Matt holds a BS in Psychology and a BA in Russian. He also has several MCSE certifications including Windows 2000. Also, he has completed his coursework and dissertation for an MS (Master of Science) at the University of Liverpool and was awarded an MS in IT in July of 2006. However, he did tell us what it was like going to school in the UK. Of course, we had to ask the obvious - what was it like going to the University of Liverpool?

"The Liverpool classes themselves were pretty intense, as one would expect from an institution with its share of Nobel laureates amongst its graduates and staff," said Matt. "The schedule was set up in modules such that we took only one class at a time. Each week our time was spent doing an extensive amount of reading, research, assignments, and projects. Fortunately, we had a week or two in between each module to decompress. Also, the program was very international, with few Americans, and far fewer Brits than one would imagine. Many of the students were from continental Europe and the Middle East. Working with such a diverse group made it interesting; getting acquainted with and collaborating with them."

Obviously Matt has an incredible academic career so we had to ask more questions. We stated earlier that he holds a BA in Russian. Our curiosity got the best of us so we asked Matt why he chose Russian as a field of study. His response was simple. "I had always wanted to learn Russian. Maybe the Cyrillic alphabet attracted me to the language. But when I really think about how I got started in Russian, I believe it was because of my undergraduate advisor. He told me Russian would be too difficult for a General Education credit," said Matt. If you know Matt, he's not someone who runs away from a difficult challenge. Instead, he decided to face it head on, earning his degree regardless of the babble spoken by his advisor.

You are probably wondering what Matt has done with his BA in Russian. To our surprise, we learned that he taught high-school Russian. He found it challenging, given that they cared more about trendy clothes and the social drama typical amongst teenagers than they did about adjectival declensions or the imperfective verbal aspect. He does think that his students may have been more motivated than was typical in other subjects that were required or labeled as 'easy.'

In the end, Matt's time teaching was better spent as an instructor for college-level IT classes. "College students, perhaps especially those learning new technologies, are much more motivated than high-school students," said Matt. "They are eager to learn because it will help them land a career in a growing field. After all, I certainly use these skills everyday at FastServers.Net."

We also learned that Matt has an obsession about a certain television show, The X-Files. And his favorite character is Mulder. Aside from the obvious, Matt says either Langley or Frohike are also considered his favorite characters because of the comic relief they add to the show. However, based on some of the things Matt told us, we believe his favorite character was a non-regular. "Of the non-regular characters, hands-down it was Clyde Bruckman, portrayed by Peter Boyle in the episode Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose," said Matt. "This is also my favorite episode due to Boyle's performance. The episode also had a good deal of humor in it as well." Yes, we agree, The X-Files was and still is a great television show.

When Matt's not spending time with his wife, three children, three dogs and three cats (that's one big family!), he's participating in his favorite hobbies. These include racquetball, biking, playing with the dogs, and a considerable amount of reading. Or he may opt for a game of chess or Age of Empires II. His dream one day, after the kids are grown, is to see the Himalayas and their grandeur. That would be a spectacular view.

Whether he's working diligently at FastServers.Net or spending time with family and hobbies, Matt believes the company is a crucial part of his life. "The people are truly a great bunch to work with--fun, but very much results-oriented and committed to doing their best for the customers," Matt said. "I honestly consider myself fortunate to work with a group of such talented and devoted individuals. Seriously." We agree too, Matt. We agree too.