Staff Spotlight: Rob Schilling

The nightmare of having your desktop computer or laptop freeze, shut down or lock you out of your account can frustrate even the most good-natured humans. Thankfully for CFCC employees and students, CFCC’s IT Department is only a phone call away.

One of the reassuring voices you may have heard in your time of need belongs to CFCC’s Security & Software Specialist Rob Schilling. Over the years, Rob’s expertise has helped many of us resolve our computer problems and get back to business. He always welcomes the challenge of uncovering any IT issues.

That talent and willingness to help are what prompted CFCC’s Technical Support & Client Services Manager Robert Carter to commend Rob:

“Rob always has an answer to the question; if not, he will find it. Rob offers top-notch service and is available to all college departments to help them keep progressing in their success. He is a team player, assisting all members of our department, and through his knowledge and contributions has become a key member of our team. He is heavily involved behind the scenes, contributing to the success of the bookstore, the Wilson Center, and many other departments at CFCC. Rob’s work and dedication to the job add in many ways to help further the offerings of Cape Fear Community College.”

Rob worked his way through college as a local DJ. After accepting a full-time position at CFCC, he retired from DJing and sold his sound equipment to a local club. However, Rob discovered that you could take the equipment away from the DJ, but you can’t always take the DJ away from the equipment. You can still catch Rob spinning tracks on Friday and Saturday nights or hosting karaoke at Gilligan’s in Surf City.

We were fortunate to catch Rob between gigs for a Q&A session.

WHAT YEAR DID YOU START WORKING AT CFCC AND WHAT BROUGHT YOU HERE?

I have been at CFCC since 2009 when I started as a temporary IT Technician. Since then, I have also worked as a bookstore web technician, a media technician, and now I am a Security and Software Specialist.

I came to CFCC to work because I loved going to school here. I graduated from CFCC in 2008, and I thought what better way to learn than to work at a college where they do a little bit of everything?

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK?

I love solving problems. I think the best thing about this job is that I get a new problem to solve every day, and I am trusted to solve it.

WHEN YOU’RE NOT WORKING, WHAT DO YOU DO?

I mostly hang out with friends. I enjoy working on cars and houses. I love doing anything with my hands.

WHO HAD THE GREATEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR EDUCATION AND/OR CAREER PATH?

Greg Vandergriff, one of my instructors at CFCC, was always willing to take a step back and look at other ways to accomplish whatever we were learning in class. He was always happy to explain in detail why something did or didn’t work until everyone understood.

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

Hard work will always trump talent, so it’s more important to work hard.

WHAT IS SOMETHING NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOU?

I’m an eagle scout as well as a member of The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. I am from Kentucky, and my brother nominated me when I got my eagle scout award. The organization actually removed the age restriction so that I could be given the award at 16.

DEGREES & CERTIFICATES

I earned my Associate of Applied Science in Computer Engineering Technology from CFCC in 2008. I have an A+ Certificate from Comptia. I am certified in sound system design and setup from SynAudCon.