​​As we kicked off May commemorating Workers' Day, we dedicate this series of articles to our staff and their important contribution to the University. Justin Alberts plays a crucial role at Stellenbosch University's Communications and Marketing Division. In this interview Alberts tells us more about his work as IT systems specialist and what his surprising hobbies entail…

Explain your role at SU, please? 

As the IT Systems Specialist for the Corporate Communications and Marketing Division (CCMD), my role covers a diverse range of responsibilities, including IT systems management, IT infrastructure planning, procurement, and technical support, but also slightly less conventional aspects such as live video broadcasts, production and editing.   

What does a typical day at work look like? 

As with many areas within the University, many of my responsibilities are dependent on the time of year. A year-round role is the implementation of new technologies that improve the function of the division. This involves keeping my finger on the pulse of new and emerging technologies, as well as making sure that my colleagues' individual IT needs are met. Seasonal events such as Graduation and the Inaugural Lecture series are also in my area of responsibility and keep me on the run, where my responsibility is the planning and execution of live broadcasts (streaming).  

How did your education or past experiences prepare you for this role? 

I started my career at SU 24 years ago after completing my MCSE training. My first position was as an IT assistant/technician at the then relatively new HUMARGA, right on the cusp of Y2K – what a time to be a newbie! From there I progressed to User Support at the main IT department (when it was still at Engineering). After a few years in that role, I progressed to Networking systems and eventually the Microsoft Team (under the helpful guidance of Gert Albertse and Andries Nieuwoudt among many others), where my responsibilities included the running and management of the anti-virus and web-servers. It was during this time that I was afforded the opportunity to broaden my technological horizons via interactions with multinational private sector companies, ample training opportunities and conferences with others in the industry. This played no small part in advancing my curiosity in upcoming technologies, such as video streaming - which was quite the radical concept in the pre-YouTube era! Skip forward a few years and an opportunity presented itself at CCMD (then known as Communication & Liaison) to form part of a Digital Communication team, which was aiming to bring these new forms of communication to the larger SU community. I obviously couldn't say no… and here I am, years later, still doing what I love.  

What do you enjoy most about your role and working at SU? 

Stellenbosch is a beautiful and unique town, a South African jewel, with friendly, vibrant, and inspiring people roaming our streets. We are extremely fortunate to have this as our place of work – and it is easy to forget this in our day-to-day rush. I'm also thankful for my awesome colleagues. Having hard working and competent but also approachable and jovial team members makes doing my part much easier and enjoyable. If I can only highlight one joy of my role, it is being able to have a direct impact on the experience of students and their families at (what I take to be the height of their academic careers - their graduation) and be part of that great spectacle – that gives me immense pride and satisfaction. When I receive a message from a grandparent who was distressed that they couldn't attend her grandchild's graduation – and then were able to do so virtually, and to see the joy that brings their family, that makes the hard work worth it. Every time.  

Tell us something exciting or interesting about yourself that few people would expect?  

Well, as someone with such a diverse range of interests, there's actually quite a lot that might surprise you! But I'll share one thing in particular that few people know about me. In addition to my passion for making fermented foods like kimchi, flying drones, watching Formula 1, welding and of course tech gadgets, I'm also an avid collector of antique safety razors - you know, like the ones your grandfather used. Restoring them is my next skill to learn, but in the meantime, I'm not only collecting them, but using them for their intended purpose. There is just something magical and nostalgic about using something that has seen use and has a history attached - and doesn't require batteries or a Wi-Fi connection. Oh, and yes, they give a much-much better shave than anything available today. Old is definitely gold.