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Name:
Daniel Mendez Chavez

Age:
26

Country:
Mexico

Job:
Systems Engineer

Daniel Mendez Chavez

Internet Surfing Leads To Career Change

Daniel Mendez Chavez, 26 from Mexico City, changed his mind about becoming a Software Engineer when he read about Cisco Systems online - and decided to switch to networks.

Chance Encounter
Daniel has a confession to make. "I have to be honest, at the beginning I thought that in the future I would like to be software programmer, and that's why I studied computer engineering," he admits. But the future wasn't to be exactly as Daniel imagined, thanks to a chance online encounter. "One day, browsing on the internet, I found out about Cisco and I began to become interested in networking. So when I had the opportunity to study networking, I took it without thinking about it twice," he explains.

A Busy Schedule
That opportunity to study networking presented itself at Daniel's university, the Universidad del Valle de Mexico - "as part of my degree I had to study networking, so it was the perfect opportunity to learn about Cisco." Daniel joined the university's Networking Academy, and set about studying for his CCNA, whilst working through his degree course. Despite this burden, he also found time to participate in other activities which were to benefit his future career, as he explains.

"Every year, the Universidad del Valle de Mexico organises an event called 'Desafío de Networking', in which every student enrolled in the Networking Academy can participate. It tests the skills of students by asking them to configure a network using all the knowledge they've learned studying at the Networking Academy. It was a great experience for me, and a milestone in my career. Since that day, I knew that Cisco would be the path to take for the rest of my professional life." Daniel also identifies the mentoring programme at his Academy, and the support and encouragement of his instructors and classmates, as key elements to getting the most from his experience there.

A Sound Career Move
Daniel completed his CCNA course in May 2007, a few months before graduating. Less then a year later, he found a job as a Systems Engineer at ICT solutions giant Getronics. There he spends most of his time working in Routing & Switching and Data Centre environments. "Some of my customers are the biggest service providers in Mexico, so every day I use all the skills and knowledge learned in the Networking Academy," he comments.

Daniel now has his sights on further Cisco certification, and has this to say on the subject: "If your intention is to study networking, the best way to do it is in the Cisco world, and if your intention is to earn a Cisco certification, go ahead and do it. I know it requires time and a lot of study, but it's something that you will never forget. This is one of the best choices that you can take in your life, don't let it pass."

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