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Team Player
National College graduate Marcus Pizarro is now employed by Sarcom, Inc, an information technology consulting company. With a National degree from the information systems engineering (ISE) degree program, Marcus is a team player in the company's IT department and travels locally to help banks with their computer needs. He divides his time working out of his home and working in an office in Akron and at the main office in Columbus.
An Air Force veteran, Marcus was trained in electronics in the military and has worked in the field ever since. He discovered that despite the demand in information technology, not having a degree was limiting his potential. "After 15 years or so of being in the field, I figured it's about time to get [a degree]," Marcus said. He liked the convenience of National's local campus and the many benefits of the College's hands-on, real-world curriculum, so he enrolled.
Marcus was the first student from the Akron Area Campus to receive A+ certification - a test that certifies he is qualified to fix, repair, and troubleshoot software and operating systems. He took the test even before the campus set up its own Pearson Vue Testing Site. Now National students can take the test on-campus using this new testing site.
Was the certification an important part of his education? "Absolutely," he says. "As soon as I took my first [ISE] class, I went out and got my certification, passed it first time around; that certification helped me become employed."
Marcus said that in addition to the computer skills, he learned a lot about improving his soft skills at National College. The Desktop Support classes taught him what questions to ask to get to the problem so as not to make the clients feel inferior. As a result, this has helped him to become more polished and professional.
