Sun Devil Spotlight: David Shifflett

After graduating high school 30 years ago, David Shifflett was looking for a change. He initially went to college after high school, and although it wasn’t the right time, he always had the dream to get a college education throughout his career.

“I ended up getting a job as a lab tech in an optical store and learned how to create and manufacture glasses. From that point, I moved my way up until I became a licensed optician,” he said.

Eventually his customer-facing job had become more challenging and his hours were more sporadic. “I wanted to try something new. I was tired of doing the same thing.”

He decided information technology and cybersecurity would be his dream career after the nonprofit organization, Extra Life, suffered a cyberattack during one of their major events. Shifflett had close ties with the organization after he helped raise $50,000 in fundraising to donate to a children’s hospital in Virginia, so this decision was meaningful and close to his heart.

After learning about Arizona State University, he checked his local schools to find the best fit for him. ASU Online’s Bachelor of Science in information technology and world-class courses made the decision to attend the university an easy one. With the focus on helping students learn how to tackle complex challenges in a fast-paced tech industry, no other school compared.

“It’s been number one in innovation,” he said. “I just felt like I would get the best education at Arizona State.”

Applying to college can be intimidating and stressful, but Shifflett was pleased with the fast and easy application process. The staff was helpful explaining the different steps, which made him excited to join ASU and feel welcomed as part of a larger family.

“I had my success coach who helped me along the way when I first got started. ASU gives you so many things to help you succeed,” Shifflett said.

His success coach provided recommendations on classes and alternatives for those that didn’t fit for him and his goals. Once he decided to move on to get a graduate degree in cybersecurity, his advisor even wrote him a letter of recommendation.

The wide range of support is not limited to success coaches and advisors. Shifflett felt supported by his professors too.

“The professors were fantastic and able to help anytime you needed. If you had a problem, you could ask them a question and they’d be happy to help,” he said. On one particular occasion, he ran into a difficult coding problem and received a response in under 10 minutes.

Shifflett also valued the flexibility since his job prevented him from being able to take advantage of traditional in-person classes. He could take classes when he needed, despite a full schedule between life and work. With prerecorded online courses, he had the option to return to any section he may have missed.

“I could watch at double speed, which actually helped me pay attention more,” he said. “It was so fantastic to go back and forth with the lectures and lessons in the labs to work at your own speed, which was important for me.”

The degree offers a foundational program to learn about information infrastructure with the ability to pick between network security and database tracks. Experts working for leading technology companies also led lectures in the courses.

“I don’t know if you would get that with other schools' online programs. Arizona State’s online program has developed it to a science to make it work so well. They’re just so far ahead of other schools online,” Shifflett said.

After reaching the end of his journey, graduation was an incredible experience.

“The feeling of walking out on the field and seeing everybody in their cap and gowns and just knowing the work that we had put into getting to that point was incredible,” he said. “Every success that I had in school helped me build for the next one, gain that confidence back and reassure myself that this is where I belonged.”

As Shifflett heads into a master’s cybersecurity risk management program, he reflects on how “ASU gives you so many opportunities to succeed. ASU Online changed my life 100% and now that I've graduated, I just feel unstoppable, like I could try anything and see where it goes.”