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Name:
Kristina Angelova

Age:
n/a

Country:
Bulgaria

Job:
Network Administrator

Kristina Angelova

Bowelled Over in Bulgaria

Kristina Angelova joined her local Networking Academy almost on a whim, and was amazed to find herself instructed by one of the best trainers in the country. She is now a network administrator with Bulgaria Telecom.

Jobless and a recent graduate, Kristina Angelova signed up to take her CCNA certificate, despite knowing practically nothing about it, or the Networking Academy Program. As a result of the training and qualifications she received, she now has a successful career in Bulgaria’s biggest telco.

Chance decision in a café

“When I decided to start my training at Cisco Network Academy, I was 22 and completely unaware of what I was getting involved in”, Kristina remembers. “ I was chatting with a friend in a café at the New Bulgarian University, when she suggested that I join her in a network course organized by Cisco, which was beginning in a couple of days.”

Her friend must have had a convincing story to tell, because a few days later, Kristina had scrapped together the money she needed, and found herself on a very steep learning curve indeed.

Best in Bulgaria

Luckily, she and her colleagues had a surprise advantage, as Kristina explains: “When the course started, we still didn’t realize that we had one of the best NetAcad instructors in Bulgaria – Svetoslav Ivanov,”

The results of Svetoslav’s instruction and everyone else’s hard work were impressive. “All of us who sat the exam are now CCNA certified,” Kristina explains.

Get tough or get going

But she has a word of caution. “Don’t be fooled: if you don’t work really hard, you’d better forget about getting the certificate.”

Thankfully, however, their trainer: “was up to scratch and succeeded in motivating us in such a way as to do our work brilliantly. This is one of the reasons for our extremely high scores at the exam.”

Lessons for the workplace

For Kristina and her instructor, practical experience was paramount: “We were given real-time situations and their respective solutions. Svetoslav insisted that we attend all laboratory classes,” she underlines.

More than simply showing his class how to solve problems, he was also making his students valuable commodities on the job market, as Kristina explains:

“He taught us how to configure routers and switches, and do our own network troubleshooting, which is fundamental for everyone who has decided to become a professional in this field. In fact, I can safely say he taught me how to make a living.”

Well equipped for a future career

Kristina also praises the Networking Academy’s facilities: “We had everything we needed for the smooth running of the course, including configuring and testing models.”

The combination of drive, excellent instruction and superb labs resulted in great marks, CCNA certificates – and a career head-start, as Kristina explains:

“A piece of paper can’t run a network, but a Cisco Certificate does guarantee a certain level of knowledge from the world leader. This is important because, when you apply for a job, your employers have no way of knowing you or your skills.”

From novice to Network Administrator

Since 2004, Kristina has been working for Bulgaria Telecom (BTC) and at present is a member of the company’s team of network administrators. And how is it?

“My colleagues are wonderful and I am very pleased to work with such professionals,” she replies, enthusiastically.

“What’s more, BTC operates mostly on Cisco Systems network equipment; therefore, all the knowledge gained in the Academy sooner or later comes into use. That’s why I never regretted the time and resources invested in my training.”

A fantastic outcome for someone who only decided to join the Cisco Networking Academy over a cup of coffee!

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