“Student-to-Staff” is a series featuring stories from Cal alumni who are now career employees in One IT. This series was created to show the importance of investing in our student staff and how vital their work is to the university and its mission. These stories also highlight career paths that may inspire current students toward opportunities that exist after graduation.
Terence Phuong began his journey at UC Berkeley as a work-study student with a typewriter and a dream. Now, he’s the Executive Director of Business Operations and Services in Berkeley IT, helping puzzle-solvers do what they do best. Read on to learn how Terence went from typing payroll forms to getting his dream job at Cal.
What led you to apply for your first student position at UC Berkeley? What was the title of the position, and what was the application process like?
I was really lucky. My first year, I looked into work-study because I got my financial aid package and was told about the program. Back then, everything was super old-school; I remember seeing index cards being posted on Sproul. My first job ended up being in the Women’s Studies department, as they needed an assistant to help with random tasks.
I started by typing payroll things on a typewriter, and eventually, they realized I had some IT skills, so I became their tech support person. I even helped build their first website– but I don’t think I could write HTML again if I tried– it was a fun challenge. The application process? Pretty quick. I submitted a request on the work-study platform, did a quick interview, and just hit it off with my supervisor.
Did you stay in that position for a while, or did you move to other positions on campus during your time as a student?
Yeah, I did. My boss at Women’s Studies was married to the IT director in the Economics department. When he found out I had tech experience, he told me about a project they had: setting up computer labs. So I transitioned into Econ and ended up supporting the entire department. At that point, I was basically doing IT with a title like “Computer Resource Specialist I”.
Do you have any tips for how students can balance the time and energy demands of balancing school and a job?
For me, the biggest thing was flexibility and communication. I lived in San Francisco, so being able to work between classes rather than just sit in the library was huge. There was no remote work back then, but my supervisors were great about letting me use the space, even just to study.
During midterms or finals, I always let them know: “Hey, it’s going to be a rough week.” Most people are understanding as long as you’re upfront. The key is no surprises. In a workplace, surprises usually mean something’s gone wrong.
Do you feel your time as a student worker prepared you for full-time employment? If so, how?
Definitely. I graduated during the dot-com crash, so my work-study job turned into a summer job with more hours, almost like a half-time role. I had assignments, check-ins, and expectations. It really taught me what it meant to be accountable.
And student jobs give you all kinds of exposure. You get asked to jump into random projects. Some of it you’ll love, some of it you’ll hate– and that helps you figure out what kind of work you actually enjoy.
How did you come to work at Berkeley full-time?
I never thought I’d end up back here. I was working at a startup, and a friend mentioned they were applying to UC Berkeley. I thought, “Huh, I wonder what jobs they have.” I saw one in Central IT that looked familiar– basically what I was already doing. I applied, got the job, and just kept growing from there.
I’ve had almost every job title imaginable: Assistant II, Assistant III, Analyst I, Analyst II, Senior Analyst, Principal Analyst, Manager, and now Executive Director. What’s kept me here is the people.
What do you enjoy the most about working at UC Berkeley?
I think I’m in my dream job. I have an economics and psychology degree, and I’ve always wanted to combine business with IT. Central IT is full of puzzle-solvers. My job now is to help those puzzle-solvers solve as many puzzles as possible. That’s the fun part.
The other fun part? The people. I’ve had incredible managers and mentors along the way. The Business Operations team is fantastic– everyone’s committed to service and doing the right thing. And there’s always a new challenge popping up, so it never gets boring.
What advice do you have for students who are considering a career with UC Berkeley?
UC Berkeley is like its own little city. There are more than 15,000 employees here doing everything from research and teaching to IT and operations. There’s something for everyone.
If you’re interested in IT, there’s central IT and then there are department-level IT teams, like in Economics, where I got really hands-on. That variety gives you a better idea of where you might want to land.
Also, don’t be afraid to reach out. Higher ed is one of the few industries where people love to share their stories. Tracy, our CIO, would totally grab coffee with a student who wanted to learn more about leadership. And with Zoom, it’s even easier to connect.