Southwest Virginia Community College graduate Brian Presley translated his interest in gaming into a career in networking. “My friends and I were into gaming. I developed an interest in networking while trying to connect computers so that more than one person could play together.”
Presley is now Network Administrator for the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, where he makes sure the internet, e-mail, and phone systems are working. “I am doing what I like and what I went to school to do,” Brian says of his position.
While a student at Haysi High School, Presley found an outlet for his interest and began taking classes through the local CISCO Training Academy at Southwest. Several high schools in the four-county region also serve as local CISCO Training Academies.
According to Vaughn Lester, professor of computer electronics, “Students who are successful in the program are generally interested in how things work.” The program also requires problem-solving skills and some math comprehension. “We teach students the internal workings of a computer and how to make them operate smoothly. Students also learn how to network computers and get them to communicate with each other.”
After high school graduation, Presley made the transition to Southwest to complete his network training. SwVCC professors had a profound impact on Presley’s experience in the program. “All of the teachers were very knowledgeable. During classes, I felt that I could talk to the professors and ask questions. I felt confident that they could answer any questions.”
Presley found that the more he learned, the more his interest in networking grew. After completing an associate degree in computer electronics, and earning his CISCO Certified Network Associate Certification, he wanted to continue to advance by becoming a Cisco Certified Network Professional. To get the classes that he needed, he transferred to Bluefield State and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2006.
According to Lester, the program is very skills-oriented but also versatile enough to transfer. “Our students can choose to find employment after graduation or they can choose to transfer to a four-year college or university.”
Presley advises students entering the program on the need to be flexible and be able to adapt. “In order to do well in this program, I had to learn to think in an entirely different way. The program is really job specific. There is wide variety of equipment to learn how to use. I didn’t learn everything I needed to know in the classroom.”
For more information about the Computer Electronics program, contact the SwVCC Engineering Division at 276.964.7555.