"Throughout high school and college I have taken various computer courses that ranged from Typing to Basic Programming. Although I did not major in a computer related field, I have always had an interest in computer technology.

In college, I majored in Kinesiology, however I chose to include a few computer classes to my curriculum due to my interest. After college I was employed in the Health field as a Physical Therapy Technician, a position related to my major field of study. This position was great as I learned a lot and met many wonderful people. However the pay rate and money making potential were meager and did not equate to the amount of work that I was performing (progress reports, discharge summaries, letters to doctors, staying after hours to complete paperwork, taking work home to complete, planning exercise routines, etc.).

One evening as I was driving home from work, I heard a radio commercial about ComputerTraining.com. When I arrived home, I made a visit to the website advertised on the radio. I read through the curriculum, took the online assessment, and spoke with the instructor. The curriculum and program looked very promising and the instructor was confident that the program would be beneficial. This was the first time that I seriously pondered a career change.

My major concern about the program was if I’d be able to work full time, attend class, and keep up with the curriculum. I was three years out of college and had grown accustomed to only having to worry about my full time job and all the paperwork that it included. One of the last things that I wanted was to add on studying, quizzes, homework, class time, and everything else that comes with taking a course. It was rather difficult at first, but after I adapted and managed my time a little better, this became less of a concern.

Advice I would give to new students is to set time aside to study and complete the course work. You have to be disciplined and stick to this plan because once you fall behind it’s that much harder to catch up. Another word of advice is to use all of the resources given to you by the instructors and staff (practice exams, specific websites, hands on lab activities, mock interviews, etc.).

During the program I took the XP exam and received my MCP. Two months after I completed the program I landed a 2-month contract position (with the help of the ComputerTraining.com staff). I was able to utilize the skills that I learned at ComputerTraining.com as I helped with migrating users, computers, and files to a new active directory domain at the Department of Defense. Subsequent to the contract, I was offered a position at the Department of Defense working as a Helpdesk Analyst. I enjoy my new position, as I continue to meet great people and assist them with their computer problems (via telephone and desk-side). I learn something new everyday and the experience that I gain will be helpful in my journey to becoming a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.

My experience at ComputerTraining.com has definitely changed my life for the better. The skills that I have learned have helped to open up a whole new world for me, as I have changed from a Health related career path to an Information Technology related career path. I often review my notes to refresh the material that I learned while taking the course. I find this helpful, as a lot of the users that I support run into various problems, some that are similar to situations I’ve encountered during lab activities. Choosing to attend the course at ComputerTraining.com was one of the best decisions I’ve made for myself. It was definitely a jumpstart towards my new career in Information Technology."

Jackie Roberts
MCP