The thing that I absolutely enjoy about my new career is that Information Technology is in no way, shape, or form a job. This is hands down a career. With the assistance of my Director of Placement, I was able to land a great opportunity with mindSHIFT Technologies. I absolutely love my job. I wake up each morning ready and willing to go to work. Once at work, I am constantly engaged and am learning more than I could have imagined. The rate at which things change, and the real world application of everything learned at ComputerTraining.com have been influential in my development as a professional.

I really didn’t have many concerns entering this program. I appreciated the fact that it is a six month program and it isn’t filled with fluff. Everything that I learned here has had a practical application. The only concern that I had when entering stemmed from my own time management. I knew that I would have to devote a number of hours each week to study the course material and prepare for my certifications. I just determined that this was something that I was going to do, and the time became available. Rather than wasting hours sitting in front of the TV, I began to use that time to study.

As far as what I would tell a new student, it would be that hard work is always rewarded. Be prepared to spend several hours each week and a lot of time on the weekends studying the course material. Read the books for a general understanding. Don’t try to read them for depth initially, wait until the concepts have been explained to gain a deeper understanding. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and when you don’t understand something, never underestimate the power of Google. Also, remember that your instructor is there to encourage you and answer any questions you have along the way.

My experience with ComputerTraining.com has changed my life in so many ways. I not only enjoy my work, but I know that the sky is the limit of my career advancement opportunities. I’m now working for a great company with outstanding benefits. No longer do I have to work holidays and weekends. No longer do I have to go home covered in mud and grease. I improved my salary by roughly 40% and I know that as my experience grows, so will my paychecks. I am so glad that I enrolled in ComputerTraining.com. This is definitely an education that will change your life."

David Estevez
MCTS, MCP
Technical Operations Engineer (Tier 1)

"When making the decision to attend ComputerTraining.com, I was asked by many people, ‘Why?’ Having successfully completed the training and securing a position with a small IT consulting firm I can answer, with conviction, that I chose to attend ComputerTraining.com because I was so unhappy with the job(s) that I held previously and I knew that in order to be happy I had to grow and develop my career path in a different direction. ComputerTraining.com provided the solution that I was looking for.

Prior to attending ComputerTraining.com, I had a job as a Bank Manager for the fourth largest US bank. I made an excellent living but it came at a premium price, that of my constant dissatisfaction with where I was in my career and the fact that the prospects looked grim. I do admit that the thought of going back to school at the age of 36 did make me question myself and my motives. However, for those who have spent time in a job that they truly do not enjoy, they can agree with me that you cannot put a price on your happiness. So, in retrospect, the decision to attend ComputerTraining.com was the easiest decision I have ever made.

Knowing that I, like most people, used a computer on a daily basis but knew very little else about served as both a motivator for me to decide to go back to school as well as a source of anxiety when I did make the decision. Was I traveling down the wrong path? Making the wrong decision? Was I good enough and smart enough to learn the material and pass the exams? In having an opportunity to meet with the Director of Admissions and discuss the program as well as have an opportunity to sit in on a live class, it did not take long for me to realize that I was traveling down the right path, that I was making the right decision. The support however, did not end with the initial meeting and signing of the paperwork. I had an opportunity to work with a very professional and extremely knowledgeable instructor that used his real life experiences and Microsoft expertise to teach clearly, effectively and in a manner that made me feel comfortable with the information being presented. Even though I felt overwhelmed many times, I knew that if I took the time to prepare for class, my instructor would make the time and take the time to answer my questions whether asked in class, over e–mail or after hours. As for job placement, I was impressed with how pro-active the Director of Placement was in shepherding me along the path to secure my position in the IT industry. Whether it was to schedule time to review my resume, prep for an upcoming interview or follow up on outstanding employment opportunities, I always felt that my Director of Placement was working for me. The overwhelmingly bad feeling that I had at the thought of trying to find a job in an industry that I had no real life experience in was made that much easier with the help of the Director of Placement.

I graduated from ComputerTraining.com almost a year ago. I have been working for an IT firm for eight months now. Everyday, I have an opportunity to use the knowledge and skills that ComputerTraining.com helped me to develop. I place my hands on Technology and Hardware that I would have never thought I would have a chance to. Suffice to say that the feeling of dissatisfaction with myself and my career have long passed and while I will take a small bit of credit for recognizing that I needed to do something different to find happiness, I could not have realized a better life was within my grasp had I not gone to ComputerTraining.com."

Andrew Neumann
MCTS, MCP, MCSA, MCSE
IT Team Lead

"I had been working as an administrative assistant for about two years. I really wanted to get certified, because it would look great on my resume, and I was interested in the hands-on training. I already had a Bachelor’s Degree in IT, and I knew the certifications would really add to that.

My new career allows me to travel from site to site and I’m never just sitting at a desk. I’m exposed to many aspects of IT and am gaining valuable experience. Now, I’m actually working in a job that applies the knowledge I have gained and is something that I am interested in. My new job allows me a lot of freedom to learn from trial and error, and apply what I’ve learned in school and put it to use in my every day job.

I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the pace, and I wasn’t sure how my knowledge of computers would stand up to everyone else in class. Once you’re in class, you realize that you can ask a lot of questions and learn a lot from your peers. I would tell new students to take good notes, do your homework and review them, and to really pay attention to labs. All of these things really help you a lot. It’s more than just listening to a lecture; you actually get to do hands on things. Practice the labs at home and it will really help.

This experience has not only increased my income, but it’s shown me that you can really do anything you want. Even if it’s something you never thought you’d be doing, just give it a try. In IT you can’t be afraid to try new things. Nobody’s perfect, we all make mistakes. That’s the best way to learn, is to try."

Oanh Tran
MCTS
Logic & Accuracy Technician

"I attended the University of Delaware and have a B.S. in Computer and Information Sciences and used to work for a small software developer who had a line of software for custom molders. Both of these were primarily with Unix operating systems even when it ran on x386 based architecture.

I decided to pursue Microsoft certification because of the wide usage of Microsoft operating systems in most businesses even if those companies also have Unix/Linux implementations. Windows will continue to have a presence in the business world because of the wide base of users with Windows experience, but with little or no Linux experience.

Working in the IT field you can acquire demonstrable and transferable skills, a great value. If you are an expert in your job with Company A with their in-house software tools, those skills will not be of great value at Company B with a completely different set of software. The high level principles may be similar but familiarity with old tools will not help you utilize the new. If you know Microsoft Windows Server 2003 at one company the implementation at a second company may be different but will not be complete unknown since they both have the same foundation.

So, you can learn an OS or software package and be able to apply that knowledge wherever your career takes you.

Failing was my biggest concern.

Some say fear is a good thing if it motivates you to take a challenge seriously. The prospect of not passing all four exams and achieving a MCSA certification buy the end of the program is something I took as a challenge that I needed to meet. I understood that I needed to dedicate the time to read and study to learn.

I have had a great amount of computer and technical experience, but the server functionality of Windows is something I had only from a users viewpoint and this course focus is from an administrators viewpoint. As the course progressed I understood more and more of the things I had seen but not investigated. These included the ‘Domain’ concept, DNS, DHCP, IP addressing and IP configuration to name a few. By being able to match the ‘theory’ from class to the real world implementation at my current job I increased my understanding.

Read ahead if you have time and you have a good grasp of what you are currently working on in class. Any time you can get further on will be useful when there are times when you cannot dedicate as much time as you need to because of responsibilities outside of class. By getting ahead you give yourself leeway and more time for all the new information to sink in. If you don’t understand a concept it gives you time to ask questions early to understand instead of waiting for it to be covered in class.

The overall experience has increased my confidence in the Windows IT area. By successfully completing the MCSA certification process I believe that I can become MCSE certified. It will require a lot of effort, time and work, but it is something I can do. It allows me to have more control in directing my career where I want to go by building on that base with other OS’s, databases, email packages, etc. to make me more valuable to employers."

John Miller
MCTS, MCP, MCSA
Junior IT Field Support

"I had no computer experience other than the ordinary user. I was the go-to guy at home and my parents would always ask me for help. I just wanted to pursue a more rewarding and exciting career and I really like computers.

What I like best about my new career is the fact that I don’t have to get messy. I’m in a professional environment and I am a professional. I also like the fact that I was able to get a certification and now I’m a certified MCTS.

One of my fears was that I wasn’t going to pass the exams. Another was that if I could a job in the IT business.

Advice I would give is to do everything the instructor tells you to do. He knows what he is talking about. Study at all times, as much as you can. If you’re job searching, the Director of Placement is the best!

The overall experience prepared me to enter the IT field. It also made me grow into an IT professional and how think like a professional. The experience taught me how to set goals and achieve them."

Dale Coston
MCTS
Online CAE

"Before I joined the IT craze, I was a machinist in a window manufacturing company. I did clean and troubleshoot computers as a hobby. After years of fixing everyone’s computer problems, a friend suggested going to school for IT. I thought about it for a while, but it wasn’t until my former employer made the same suggestion that I took the idea seriously. I was afraid of failing for many years, but finally got over it to attend ComputerTraining.com. After all, maybe my friend and former employer saw something in me that I was not seeing in myself. I attended ComputerTraining.com, graduated in twenty-four weeks and within three weeks I had my first interview and got hired at an IT company.

My new certifications got me into a career where I fix computers and other office equipment for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I have gotten to see places like the inside of the governor’s mansion, Strawberry Square, and the capital building, I have met people such as the Secretary of Health, Secretary of Agriculture, and I have seen the governor from ten feet away. I never imagined I would have the security clearances to enter the server room of the state police barracks. If I do not have the clearances I need to solve a problem, I at least have the knowledge to tell employees what needs to be fixed and how to execute the various tasks.

My advice to students would be to listen and learn. Listen to your instructors as they have gone through what you are going through. Learn as much as you can, but don’t overdo it. Not everyone gets it right the first time, but if you are willing to learn you will get it. Pick your instructor’s brain, whether the problem is big or small. You will never learn if you don’t ask questions and listen to your instructor’s answers.

I am in a job where I am my own boss. I am not pressured as long as problems are being handled in an appropriate and timely manner. There is no one over my shoulder, I have no stress and am enjoying what I do!"

Jerry Felix
MCTS, MCP
Field Repair Tech

"I entered the program with a basic knowledge of computers. I was your typical home computer user. I would surf the internet, check email, and when necessary I’d create word documents. In February 2008 I was downsized from my position in the mortgage banking arena. It was at that time that I realized that I needed to figure out what I had a passion for that would create job security for me. I heard the commercial on the radio and took the Online Skills Challenge. A few weeks later I was a student.

The certifications that I received provided me with the security that I was looking for, and there is no limit as to how far I can go in Information Technology. The people at ComputerTraining.com are very knowledgeable and your success is truly their success. If you apply yourself, the sky’s the limit. My advice to anyone enrolling at ComputerTraining.com would be to utilize the resources at the school. The people there are in place to help you achieve your goals. The next thing, and more importantly, stay focused and apply yourself. Six months passes by very quickly. My experience was both life changing and I will forever remember my experience at ComputerTraining.com."

Marc Wiggins
MCTS, MCP
Help Desk