Finding Passion in IT with Brian Burke

It is not often that those who graduate from college go on to have careers in a field completely different from their area of study. However, Brian Burke, Senior Director of Engineering at the DriveTime Brand Family, wound up with an IT career by chance.

Discovering a Talent

Raised just outside of Burlington, Vermont, Brian’s early fascination with computers paved the way for a successful career, although he initially had other plans.

Growing up in a small business environment, where his parents ran a nationwide seminar training company, Brian found himself interested in and tinkering with computers at a young age.

“I didn’t really plan on getting into IT, I kind of fell into it,” he recalls.

While working for his parents during high school and college, he took it upon himself to learn software development, database management, and desktop publishing — skills that would later become the foundation of his career — to help advertise and promote the business through direct mail.

After earning a Business Administration degree from the University of Vermont, Brian moved to Colorado, where he began exploring job fairs in search of standard business roles. However, a chance encounter at a tech booth led him down a different path.

“At the very bottom of my resume, I had a bunch of software packages that I had skills in. The first booth I walked up to, the woman [asked about those skills] and so I kind of fell into it,” he said, and thus began his journey into software consulting, which he thrived in for the first half of his career.

Brian quickly ascended to more advanced roles, taking on leadership opportunities in early-stage and growth-stage companies, becoming a bridge between technology and business.

“Having a business degree allowed me to relate well with business leaders,” he explained. “I’ve always been able to understand what we were looking for in terms of business value and outcomes.”

Today, as a Senior Director of Engineering at the DriveTime Family, Brian is responsible for the software/technology that runs the company’s active collections function, from the Bridgecrest website and mobile apps, to the customer communication outreach, and for the software used in the call centers by the Loan Advisors.

“Our goal is to enable Bridgecrest to service the loans we offer and keep our customers in cars when they’re experiencing financial hardships,” he said. “We enable our agents to collect efficiently and effectively and enable our customers to self-service through our website and app to stay on the path of car ownership.”

Leading with Passion

While he serves as a liaison between business and technology, Brian also thoroughly enjoys his role as a leader.

“I enjoy being a leader because I love being part of a team that’s running well,” he said. “I love building high performing teams and to me, it’s personally very rewarding to be part of a team that’s working and achieving very well together.”

When it comes to leadership, Brian’s style is rooted in a growth mindset. “I try to connect my teams to the mission of the company and how their work affects lives and the impact that they can have personally,” he said. He believes in challenging his team towards aggressive goals while providing the support they need to learn from mistakes.

“I really like taking a growth mindset with the idea of trying to get better every day. We work in a complicated area, and when mistakes happen, it’s important we learn from them so we can improve the next time around,” Brian said.

For those eager to break into the world of IT, Brian’s advice is to go for it.

“I think it’s a great career,” Brian said. “IT is part of every industry, so regardless of what you’re interested in, you can find interesting work in IT regardless of industry or company size. Start with the basics and learn from everybody that you can.”

One of the best parts about this is how companies are willing to mentor young professionals to help grow their skills.

“I think a lot of companies, especially at DriveTime, do a really good job of mentoring junior engineers and helping them grow in their career. There’s plenty of support for people who want to get into IT once they land that first position.”

If you are interested in a career in IT, visit jobs.drivetime.com to browse our openings and start your journey today!