Sharing the Knowledge

When Beardsley travels, his colleagues in the field are more than welcome to pick his brain. “Anytime I’m programming for a court, I’ll tell the IT people and tech specialists there that they should feel free to shadow me. There are no secrets here.” Beardsley is also (rightfully) proud of his background — and hopes others can take it as an inspiration. “It’s fun to be able to mentor my peers and show them that by no means do they need to have a programmer’s background or a four-year degree. High school was the extent of my education before I began my Crestron training. From there, I just learned it — and anyone else can, too, if they put their mind to it.”

While he’s very modest for a person with his talents, his confidence in his abilities is apparent — Beardsley doesn’t seem to have anything resembling a fear of failure. That’s borne out when he’s asked about any advice he might have for someone looking to follow a similar path.

“I work well when I have a real goal — a specific project — in mind. I’d advise a newbie to look for an opportunity, something very specific and not too complicated that he could work on in his court.” Beardsley has an example that immediately comes to mind: A jury assembly room, a space that’s common to nearly every federal courthouse in the U.S. “It’s a very simple room that’s just going to seat a hundred to 150 people before they go in for a jury selection,” says Beardsley. “All that room might need is a small AV system, much, much smaller than what a courtroom has — nothing terribly complicated to deliver orientation content or what have you.” The setup might include one or two large screens, depending on the size of the room, and some audio hardware.

“If you take on a project such as that and you don’t master it on your first attempt, it’s not terribly time sensitive, and the staff can lean on what they’d already been using — such as a projector and a remote,” says Beardsley.

“When you do pull it off, though, you’ve improved the experience for everyone — and you’ve started to build the credibility you’ll need to get that permanent position, promotion, or additional funding for the next project.”

That credibility is rock-solid in Beardsley’s case. “Justin getting his Masters certification was a tremendous achievement,” says Chuck Westphal. “He’s setting a great example for other personnel who may be interested in doing more to support technology for their court.”