Last Update: 7/31/99
How I got started ...
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Upon graduation from high school, the big colleges weren't calling my name, so I decided to join the United States Marine Corps. I served in the 4000 field (Data Processing) as a Mainframe Computer Operator, Network Technician, Production Control Technician, and in charge of the Production Control Analysis unit. I trained Computer Operators, Operations Analysts, Programmers, and clients in mainframe and PC software. |
| Historically, the military was not known for high salaries, so upon finishing my tour of duty (1987-1993), I wanted to become a programmer because programmers "made the big bucks". I went to El Camino Community college (Torrance, CA) and finished a A.S. in Computer Science with Honors. Then, I transferred as a Junior with a Dean's Scholarship to USC, ready to finish my degree in Computer Science. |
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I thought this is what I wanted - to go to a big school, get the big degree, and earn the big check. Since I was a veteran, I had financial aid, but that didn't stop me from borrowing over $9,000 a semester to pay for the big school. In my second semester, I had the revelation that I'll be going to school for 3 more semesters (at a total cost of over $50K) and I won't get a job offer for $50K, even though I was going to graduate from the big school. I left school that semester and wanted to go back to work. |
| I didn't have any current work experience, so I headed to the State Unemployment office and looked for computer jobs. I landed a job as a Temp working as an Operations Analyst on IBM and Unisys mainframes on Nights. When I started working, I knew I had to leave the mainframe field because the field was not expanding anymore, but I didn't know what to pursue. I pulled open the LA Times and scanned through the classifieds. There were quite a few openings for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSE). I have always enjoyed Networking and working with PCs, so I started my quest towards MCSE certification. My journey started Sep. 1996 . . . | |
| Along the way to MCSE, I found out that I really enjoyed teaching. During Aug. 1997, I was hired to teach at Computer Education Institute. I have taught DOS and Windows 95. My next classes to teach will be the NT Server 4.0 suite - Administration of NT, NT Workstation, NT Core Technologies, and NT in the Enterprise. | |
| Finally, on Sep. 25, 1997, I became an NT 4.0 MCSE/MCIS (Microsoft Certified Specialist:Internet) with the completion of IIS 3.0. My next goal is to become a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT). | |
| February 2, 1998 was another milestone because I opened the doors to a Microsoft Authorized Technical Education Center (ATEC) with Sandra Hamilton. The school is EdNet Career Institute, Inc. located in Woodland Hills, CA. Our first class had 11 people which were all government retraining students under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). |
| On March 28, 1998, I became a Microsoft Certified Trainer. By this time, we had two days classes and we were ready to start a night class. Guess who was teaching all of the classes - yours truly, and it was quite demanding. In addition to teaching from 8 am to 10:30 pm, Monday through Friday, I also taught extra classes on Saturday and sometimes Sunday to help them get through their Microsoft exams. Next on the list, MCSE+Internet (3 more exams to go!) |
| Life moves on. In May 1999, I took another big step by leaving EdNet and following my networking career. I used my time off to finish my MCSE+Internet, obtain my CNA Netware 4.11, and my CCNA. Down the road, my next goal was to become a CCIE - Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert. If you haven't seen what experienced CCIEs make, well then you better check out some of the Internet career sites. If my future employer would not pay for Cisco training, then I would pay on my own. The total cost of the Cisco training classes is about $15,000, not counting the practical lab review days @ $1000/day nor the actual exams. Short-term, Cisco training is very expensive; long-term, CCIE will bring you a six-figure income :-) |
| The following month, I started my job search using the various Internet career sites as well as posting my resume directly with employers I wanted to work with. Within four weeks, I was faced with a dilemma which I'm sure all of you want to face - I had offers from Deloitte & Touche and Sprint Paranet. |
| After considering all the factors, I chose Deloitte & Touche and started working there at the beginning of July. I am a Senior Consultant working in the Los Angeles office, specializing in e-business Technologies and Solutions. We work with a variety of clients from small startups to Fortune 1000 clients in all sectors, analyzing their infrastructure and providing high-performance e-commerce solutions. There is plenty of opportunity to travel and room for growth. We're looking for the best people to join us. If you're interested, please e-mail me. |
| Speaking of travel, I spent four months in the Philippines working on various national computerizational projects. The Philippines is an incredible place for both work and pleasure. View my pages of the Philippines (coming soon) to see what you've been missing! |
| This site is dedicated to my students and the self-study people pursuing Microsoft Certification. There will be links to all the sites I have benefited from and I hope you will also benefit. Thanks also go out to the students and fellow MCPs who have e-mailed URLs of great sites to me. |
