UTA Libraries Staff Spotlight: Erik Hunter

From the basketball court to the computer, Erik Hunter is the newest baller in UTA Libraries’ Marketing and Communications Department. While not on the court, Erik serves on the fourth floor of the Marketing and Communications Department as its new web developer. 

“I played basketball all the way through college. That was the only thing I thought about,” Erik said. “After my sophomore year of college, I thought this was not something I would do for the rest of my life. So, I had to figure out what I wanted to do after school.” 

The Flower Mound native graduated from Missouri Baptist University in 2015 and took a position at Revolution Retail Systems. This position allowed him to not only hone his computer skills but to find his path as a professional. 

“When I got out of college, I had a degree in computer information systems, but I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with that. I thought I would want to go the networking route, but after learning a little about networking, it didn’t pique my interest or keep me engaged. So that is when I started to look at software development.” 

Erik stated that after a few online tutorials through Udemy, he liked the idea of creating something independently, which led him to pursue the path of software development. 

“In my free time, I did a lot of studying because I knew I wanted to go the software developer path. From there, I attended a bunch of code meet-ups,” he said. “I studied a lot on my own, met a lot of good people, and just started applying for jobs. That is how I ended up landing this position.” 

As a web developer, Erik works to keep the library website up to date, adding or removing features as needed and creating new webpages. 

Joining the libraries in June, Erik shared that he enjoys the daily communication with colleagues. 

“I love it. It is definitely a change of pace from my previous job. I like the whole creative mindset that we have in the meetings. Everyone explains everything they are working on or thinking up new ideas,” Erik said. “I like the whole process of thinking of new ways of improving the marketing in the library. That is really cool, and I am glad to be a part of it.” 

During his time here at the university, Erik seeks to continue learning from others and grow professionally. 

We at UTA Libraries are glad to have you here, Erik, and look forward to helping you develop as a professional. Welcome to the university.