Graduates on the job

All of the hard work the National Convergence Technology Center (CTC) undertakes is designed for one single end goal: give students the skills they need to land good jobs in an IT industry in dire need of qualified workers.  We asked some of our Convergence College Network (CCN) partners to connect us with recent graduates.  We then asked the graduates how their school’s training helped prepare them for IT/convergence jobs.

Brett McCormick – UNT and Collin College grad

Brett McCormick studied first at Collin College, a two-year community college, then transferred to the University of North Texas to earn his BAIT degree in 2012.  Now he’s got a job as an Android mobile app developer at Bottle Rocket in Dallas.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without the opportunities, faculty, staff, and students that I was around during my education.  I took advantage of the chances I was given in the programs that I participated in, and they have paid off greatly for me.  I’ve got a great job and a great career, and I’m grateful for the programs that were in place while I was going through my education.”

Brett was recently featured in a University of North Texas article about “hot jobs” in which he talks more about the skills provided by Collin College and the University of North Texas, including the class project that helped springboard Brett into his app development career.

Brett McCormick – Android App Developer

Craig Pontius – Lansing Community College grad

Craig Pontius graduated from Lansing Community College in Michigan and now works as a technology consultant at ASK Application Services.  Craig’s CCNA training (he’s the only service desk rep with that certification) helped him solve a problem at the office that his manager could not.  In addition, Craig’s now an active participant on Lansing’s Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT), helping the school steer curriculum to insure future students get the same real-world know-how that benefited him.

“Lansing Community College successfully prepared me for my career as an IT professional by offering quality classes that gave me the skills needed to easily get an internship and then get a great job in my field. They also helped by offering fantastic coaching on resume construction and techniques on finding jobs. Without the instruction I received, I would still be working in a dead end job that I hated and not a job that I love going to every day I wake up.”

Craig Pontius – Technology Consultant

Aaron Sturm – Lansing Community College grad

Aaron Sturm finished his computer support degree – also from Lansing Community College in Michigan – and is now working as part of the Geek Squad at Best Buy.  He’s recently returned to Lansing to get his Cisco training with an eye to earning a CCNA certification.

“My education at Lansing Community College prepared me for working in the IT field by advancing my knowledge of how computers work and giving me the skills to troubleshoot hardware and software issues while working with clients.  Starting with the least intrusive methods first, I know what to check for in specific situations, and how to take apart and rebuild computers. The knowledge I gained from LCC continues to be a great benefit when interviewing for jobs in the technical support field.”

Aaron Sturm – Geek Squad