John Deegan is a seasoned software engineer and recent Marquis Who’s Who honoree currently serving as assistant vice president at Barclays, where he has distinguished himself since 2023. Throughout his career, he has built a reputation for his technical expertise and problem-solving capabilities, making significant contributions to several prestigious businesses and firms. His lessons on hard work, leadership, and technological solutions have become an asset unto themselves.
Growing in Expertise
Deegan graduated from the University of California San Diego in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and computer science. He then obtained an Amazon Web Services (AWS) certification, which gave him a competitive edge in the vastly complicated tech industry.
Deegan’s first experience was as a back-end software intern at Sapie Space. He used this experience to prepare for his work as a software engineer for American Express. Here, he quickly grew in experience and skill as he joined teams tackling complex projects that required a much deeper understanding of software engineering.
In his next role, Deegan came into his own, working as the software engineer who fully managed JPMorgan’s important authentication system. This work encountered feedback daily, as system errors or unoptimized processes had real-world impacts. This required an eye for detailed minutiae and the ability to shoulder large-scale technical challenges.
With a growing talent for careful, no-nonsense work on multifaceted systems functioning on multiple scales, Deegan was prepared to take on significant responsibilities when he joined Barclays in 2023.
Perspectives of a Master Engineer
As assistant vice president for Barclays, Deegan oversees projects that require leading agile teams through complex technical work on the industry’s most advanced technological horizons.
Deegan has gained particular insight into artificial intelligence (AI), a field in which he emphasizes the importance of clean, high-quality data to back effective machine learning processes. “The problem with AI is the data,” says Deegan. “You need a massive range of pure data and it cannot be a bunch of scrappy stuff.” He has observed with keen timing how the largest AI-focused companies are working to create larger, cleaner datasets. These, Deegan emphasizes, will be key to advancing AI technology.
This kind of inescapable, hard work that is crucial for technological progress is also important for personal and professional progress, explains Deegan. “You have to do the work. It takes time.” He emphasizes persistence and balance, as a professional must maintain and grow themselves through successes and failures. “It’s all team effort, but at the end of the day, if you don’t get yours done, nothing’s going to work,” says Deegan. “Take care of yourself while you’re taking care of others.”
Deegan intends to continue learning, growing, and building. He finds time to serve his local community, doing his part to give back more than he takes. While focused on his work for Barclays, Deegan also imagines eventually establishing his own business and enhancing his impact on the tech industry.
