One of the fastest growing industries in today’s job market is computer information technology (CIT). Much of the American workforce depends on technology driven by computers that the demand for certified IT professionals grows almost daily.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists Texas as the state with the highest employment level of computer network support specialists (18,560 employed), second highest in network and computer systems administrators (29,480 employed), and third highest in computer and information systems managers (18,140 employed). Many computer network support specialist positions only require an associate degree or certificate with some earning average annual salaries of more than $62,000.

The issue isn’t the lack of jobs, but the lack of qualified, certified professionals. Such was the case for 25-year-old San Jacinto College student Bertrand Ebang. Though working in the IT industry, he was laid off due to the fact that he did not have a professional network certification credential. Being unemployed for a year, he found information on San Jacinto College’s Continuing and Professional Development division’s free A+ fast track certification course and decided to enroll.

“There are lots of technicians out there with years of experience who cannot find jobs simply because they don’t have their certification. It happened to me,” said Ebang. “I found out about San Jacinto College’s free A+ certification course and registered right away.”

Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Information Technology Training for Tomorrow (IT3) grant, IT professionals who are long-termed unemployed or underemployed can receive free certification training in a number of information technology and business and professions courses.

Student Bertrand Ebang and A+ course instructor Larry Jones demonstrate one of the first lab exercises students have with identifying parts of a computer’s hard drive. Photo credit: Andrea Vasquez, San Jacinto College marketing, public relations, and government affairs department.

A+ course instructor Larry Jones says that his students range from IT professionals needing their certification and obtaining it through the IT3 grant funds, to newly graduated high school students with no IT background looking to enter the industry. “I usually tell all my students to enter the class knowing what their objective is,” said Jones. “Know the career path you’re trying to get on and we can help guide you from there. Some of the students who come in to A+ certification classes are coming in with only user-level experience. Becoming a technician takes a totally different mindset, so you have to let go of what you believe is going on with the machine and follow the directions to get a clear understanding of how to solve the issue.”

With technology rapidly changing every day, Jones added that training students on cloud-based network systems, mobile device operating systems, Bluetooth, file sharing, and current Windows operating systems is all part of the curriculum.

Ebang adds that just like any career, if you love what you are getting into, the learning comes naturally. “You have to love the field,” he said. “Even the students that start the program with no technical background end up doing well because they have that technical mindset and they love it.”

For more information on the free IT training courses offered by San Jacinto College’s Continuing and Professional Development division, visit sanjac.edu/computers-it-training.

Andrea Vasquez