Figen Ehliz
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Cologne, Germany

Networking Academy Experience Decisive in Job Success

"My current colleagues have confirmed to me that one of the key factors in the decision to hire me was that I am so comfortable with Cisco networks."

Figen Ehliz, the daughter of Turkish immigrants to Germany, has successfully entered a profession where women are dramatically under-represented. She is now part of an 8-person team supporting the RheinEnergie AG network in Cologne.

The one overwhelming factor in her favour at the interview? The additional competences she gained from her local Networking Academy.

One of only 15 women out of 300 students on her course at of the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences in Krefeld, Germany, Figen successfully completed a CCNA as an undergraduate.

On graduating, Figen knew she was in for a difficult time finding work as an IT specialist. She was one of many applicants to RheinEnergie AG, who are an important energy supplier in the region and known locally as an employer of choice.

Significantly, the company’s IT equipment is provided almost exclusivly by Cisco, so familiarity with their technology was a vital differentiating factor in the selection process.

As Figen says herself: “My current colleagues have confirmed to me that one of the key factors in the decision to hire me was that I am so comfortable with Cisco networks”.

As a former participant CCNA student at the Cisco Networking Academy at Niederrhein, she had no problem whatsoever tackling the tough technical questions in her interview.

For this reason, Professors Egenolf and Meuser, who taught Ehliz at Niederrhein University, advise their students to participate in the Cisco Networking Academy Program.

“As a ‘compulsory optional’ subject, the CCNA 1-4 courses complement the University’s curriculum ideally,”says Tom Meuser, head of the Networking Academy program at the university, which is also a Cisco Academy Training Centre, responsible for training the region’s Regional Instructors.

Thanks to their advice and her own hard work and determination, Figen Ehliz is now one of the growing numbers of women in IT, with a challenging and rewarding career ahead.

Figen’s immediate goal, however, is a little more down-to-earth. Having secured a dream job in a fast-moving industry, she now dreams of …moving to Cologne to cut her commuting distance!