About me
My Path into the Information Technology
To start, thank you for visiting my website. Your visit here is greatly appreciated.
I am proud of how far I have come and am looking forward to where my career wil take me. Along those lines, I enjoy encouraging others to pursue their goals and cheer for people in achieving those goals. From my time working with students, I strive to inspire others and be a role model to others!
My path to working in Information Technology may not be a traditional path. In fact, I was not too sure what I wanted to do coming out of high school and even a few years after graduating high school. When I graduated from High school, I took a few classes at my local community college including an autobody class to see if it was something that interested me. After my first semester, I ended up taking time away from school to focus on the jobs I had at the time.
Before working in I.T., I had a variety of jobs including jobs in fast food, manufacturing and warehouse work. While at one the manufacturing jobs I had, I had a co-worker suggest I look into taking information technology classes to see if it would be something I would be interested in. He said something along the lines of “Hey, why don’t you investigate a career in I.T.? You are young and seem to have a liking for technology. you have more potential than working this dead-end job for the rest of your life”.
From that conversation I thought to myself “Why not. I do enjoy technology and I have nothing to lose”. That following semester I decided to re-enroll at my local community college and took a few Computer Information Technology (CIT) classes. There was more self-reflection and lessons learned that led me to pursue I.T. However, from there I realized that this is something I would love to do! This is a career path I can see myself pursuing!
Experience with Western Governors University
After finishing my associate degree, I decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree through Western Governors University. I would say outside of on-the-job experience, this was the biggest game-changer in my professional career. Through WGU, I have gained many industry certifications including certs through CompTIA, and AWS. These certifications and education were crucial in my breaking into a professional role.
Since completing my bachelor’s degree, having that degree and certifications have opened much more opportunities for me than I ever thought I would have. Any time someone says something along the lines of “Wow, you have so many certifications!”, I always brag about my experience with WGU and encourage them to look into the school!
Professional Experience
After obtaining my associate degree, I was able to get a job at an electronics recycling center. This opportunity granted me my first opportunity to gain hands-on experience with a variety of technology. A few months into that job I decided to go back to school and pursue a bachelor’s degree online. After a few classes and certifications earned, I was able to finally break into an enterprise environment working as a help desk professional with the Washoe County School District!
Since my time as a help desk tech, I have accomplished many great things and have grown a lot personally and professionally.
Working at the Washoe County School District, I have had the pleasure of working at various schools, interacting with diverse communities, working on projects such as new school openings and technology refreshes, participating in district technology committees, and providing guidance to junior techs as well as students that took intern roles within the district.
Since moving on from the Washoe County School District, I have had the pleasure of supporting and administering a learning environment within a department for the State of Nevada and experience providing I.T. administration at Northern Nevada’s premier university, the University of Nevada, Reno. I truly enjoy the experience I have gained at all of the locations I have worked at and enjoy the experience I have gained working in those enterprise environments. Above all, I enjoy that I have helped support people in achieving their learning aspirations.
I would say I am still early on in my career and am eager to see where I go!
Fun Stuff About Me!
Besides my professional experience, I consider myself a well-rounded individual with many hobbies and interests! This might lend to my ability to mess with many types of teams!
Technology is my passion! Video games, keeping up with technology, and building PCs are some activities I enjoy. Any time there is an opportunity to upgrade or build a computer for someone, I jump on that opportunity!
Outside of tech, I enjoy all challenges and enjoy drawing, staying in shape, and sports. When I need to get away from a screen those are my outlets! Especially activities such as lifting weights and trail running. As with my profession, those activities are activities I enjoy in ensuring I am being my best self!
As stated, I feel like I am a very well-rounded person and feel like I am a person that can get along with a variety of people. I am easy to get along with and enjoy building relationships with other people!