Behind the Build – Mike Borst

Go Behind the Build with IT Manager Mike Borst as he reflects on finding his path into IT, the people-first approach that drives his work, and navigating an ever-changing industry.

Was IT always the plan, or did you find your way into it?

IT actually wasn’t the plan at first. I went to Gateway right out of high school for something completely different, realized pretty quickly it wasn’t for me, and switched over to get my IT Network Specialist degree instead. That decision stuck. I’ve been in IT for almost 20 years now.

What’s one misconception people have about your role?

I think every IT person hears this one. People assume that because I work in IT, I’m automatically an expert in every corner of technology. That’s just not how it works. Ask me to build a website from scratch, and I’d be completely lost. That’s a totally different skill set than what I actually do day to day. IT covers so much ground, networking, security, hardware, software, help desk support, and more, that most of us end up specializing in one piece of it rather than knowing all of it cold. So when someone asks me something outside my lane, I’m not being modest when I say I don’t know. I genuinely just haven’t had a reason to learn that corner of it. But I can usually still work through most of it, and when I can’t, I know exactly which resources or people to lean on to get the answer.

How do you approach solving a problem that doesn’t have an obvious answer?

This happens more than people would guess, especially with something brand new. Honestly, Google has always been an IT person’s best friend. You just have to know where and how to look. AI has made that even easier lately. But the other half of it is being upfront with whoever’s waiting on an answer. I’d rather tell someone, “I don’t know yet, but I’m going to find out,” than pretend I have it handled when I don’t.

What’s one quality you admire most in the people you work with?

The people I work best with are the ones who are genuine, who don’t put on an act depending on who’s in the room. I also lean toward people who can keep a sense of humor about the job because things go wrong constantly in this line of work, and you need people who can laugh about it instead of letting it get to them. And honestly, the ones I respect most are the ones willing to go the extra mile for someone else, staying an extra ten minutes to walk somebody through a fix or following up on something even after they technically could’ve called it done. Being real, having some humor, and caring enough to go beyond what’s asked, that combination makes any job easier.

How do you stay curious in an industry that’s constantly changing?

This one’s tough right now. IT doesn’t sit still, especially with how fast AI is moving. I try to stay ahead of it by subscribing to a handful of articles and newsletters that match what I’m actually working on, so I’m not drowning in noise. I also make it a point to get to a conference when I can because sitting in a room with other IT people teaches you things you’d never stumble onto on your own. Being part of a peer group of other IT professionals has helped a lot too. Having people outside the company to bounce ideas off and compare notes with keeps me sharp. And honestly, staying willing to try the new tool or approach instead of sticking with what’s comfortable goes a long way.