Maurice Moss, a product manager for Axxess Home Health Software, spoke to Dr. Campbell's TECM 2800 class on Tuesday, April 9th.

Moss discussed his job as a product manager, how he began in his current position, and the specialized skills of technical communication that help him find success in this role. His job tasks include interpreting and updating industry regulations, reviewing new feature releases from engineers, and gathering data for improvements from sales staff and customers.

Moss also discussed parts of UNT's technical communication curriculum with the students. He focused on professional teamwork after hearing that many of the students were completing group projects.

"A lot of the topics in the coursework were immediately familiar to me," said Moss.

FOUNDATIONS IN HOME HEALTH

Upon graduation from UT Arlington with a bachelor's degree in 1994, Moss recalls feeling unfocused in his career goals. Soon after, a relative offered him a position at their home healthcare business in Louisiana.

Moss accepted and found fulfillment in the home health industry. In 1998, Moss leveraged his experience to move to Amedisys, another Louisiana-based home healthcare provider.

PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

At Amedisys, Moss recalled a period of professional growth.

"With Amedisys, I really learned a lot about due diligence, and how to collaborate and be productive in a team," said Moss.

In 2000, he began considering what he enjoyed about his work and took a career-placement test. The results identified his interest in English and communication. Moss enrolled in an online program from Minnesota State University in Mankato in 2009.

"I really didn't know where it would lead me," said Moss. "Once I started though, the coursework was immediately familiar and interesting."

TECH COMM AS A KEY TO SUCCESS

After earning his master's degree in technical communication in 2013, Moss combined his experiences to become an expert in home healthcare and communication. In March 2018, he was hired as a product manager for Axxess.

Moss' career has been an iterative one; every job he held gave him new experiences that he uses in his career today. He offered technical communication students advice with a similar spirit: to keep your options (and mind) open about new career opportunities.

"If your work doesn't speak to your ideals, think about what does," said Moss. "Finding what you're passionate about can help you move up to the next level."

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