Working World

With a new administration in the White House vowing to revamp America’s infrastructure, creating more jobs in the science and technology fields is a given. So if you’ve ever wanted to get into computers, now might be the perfect time to do so, especially since computer technician training programs are supported by the state of California and funded through the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998, meaning you could qualify to have your tuition paid in full.

Naved Nizami, director of Oxford Institute of Technology, told us, “The purpose of the WIA program is to preserve the jobs in California. People being laid off can get retrained in a new career. Veterans are returning from Iraq and getting computer training. Oxford has been training computer technicians for LAUSD, Fox, DISH Network, Health Net, Blue Cross and even defense contractors. We offer instructional and hands-on training on all of our computer technology courses; most popular are A+, MCSE, CCNA, Security+, and Network+.”

Cindy Sutherland, career development manager at New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of Southern California, said, “Some of our students grew up in the IT world where they had jobs overseeing a system for 20 years and suddenly found themselves without a job. Despite their years of experience they need to retrain for certification in order to compete in today’s working world.”

The IT world has four different directions to take that could end in a professional career: developer, database specialist, administration and business intelligence training, networking and systems. Some of these areas cross, which is especially important in today’s economic crunch, and positions available to recent graduates include help desk support technicians, network engineers, database and security administrators, and programmers.

In the past, certification for computer technicians was not necessary, but in today’s competitive marketplace that is changing rapidly. Certification programs from Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Adobe and CompTIA give the computer tech graduate a leading edge on their resumes. At New Horizons, certification programs are accredited through Baker University for those that want to take their training to college-degree level.

“We have a Gold Partnership with Microsoft,” said Cindy. “We teach and train to the knowledge so our students will be able to do the work, not just pass the exam. Our main clients are the business world, Fortune 500 companies; so our students are surrounded by people from companies that may hire them — that provides them with great networking opportunities from the get-go. “

Individual training courses in Southern California schools can take as little as four weeks while full programs taking anywhere from 11 to 16 to 26 weeks depending on the school and the program studied.

In addition to the Workforce Investment Act, there are financial aid opportunities available through Sallie Mae, the Employment Development Department (EDD), the California Employment Training Panel (ETP), the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP), federal Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) and others.

Most schools will work with you to steer you toward the programs that are right for you. You can take short courses first to see how you like it and then go on to more advanced training.

Gordon Lee is an alumnus of Oxford Institute of Technology’s computer tech program and is now working for Oxford through their internship program. “Students volunteer as interns here,” he said. “We have an 85 percent employment placement rate. I think that’s partly because Oxford works with students after training to give them some resume preparation using keywords that help the computer pick up your resume on the job database.”

Laili Agus came from Indonesia with a bachelor’s degree in structural engineering and continued her education here in the U.S., working on many residential and commercial construction projects. “While I was working in one office, I was required to use a computer for all of my projects,” she said. “Every time I was working with the computer I told myself that I needed to know more. I wanted to broaden my knowledge of the computer field. I was laid off from the engineering firm, and as a result I found out about the WIA program.”

Laili graduated from the program of MCSE [Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer] and CNA [Certified Novell Administrator] at New Horizons. “I became certified and a few months later my career changed dramatically. Working for 10 years now in IT, I love and enjoy my work as a senior network/system engineer. The work is quite challenging but gratifying financially and professionally. New Horizons made my career dreams come true.”

Starting salaries for computer technicians range from $12 to $50 an hour depending on certification, position and experience, but some computer techs can earn as much as $200 or more hourly with specialty training and experience. The future looks very compatible with IT specialists, indeed.  

Resources

New Horizons Computer Learning Centers (SoCal)
Oxford Institute of Technology
UEI College
Computing Technology Industry Association

Sidebar

Computer Technician Information From the U.S. Department of Labor

The explosive use of computers has created a demand for specialists who provide advice to the user and handle the day-to-day administration,
maintenance and support of systems and networks.

Computer Support Specialists
• interpret problems and provide technical support for hardware, software and systems
• respond to telephone calls and emails from users needing help with computer problems
• analyze problems using automated diagnostic programs
• solve recurring difficulties
• install, modify, clean and repair hardware and software
• train users in how to use new hardware and software
• oversee daily performance of company computer systems and evaluate usefulness of software programs

Network and Computer Systems Administrators
• design, install and support company computer systems
• are responsible for LANs, WANs, network segments and Internet and intranet systems
• maintain network hardware and software
• analyze and troubleshoot problems
• monitor networks
• plan, coordinate and implement network security

Katy Allgeyer is an artist and freelance writer. She is a columnist for Working World and Working Nurse magazines and her features have appeared there and in Feng Shui Times, The Art of WellBeing, You & Me Magazine and others.