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Name:
Roger Young

Age:
38

Country:
United Kingdom

Job:
Systems Engineer

Roger Young

NetAcad and Partner Talent programmes change career direction for Roger

Being made redundant is a massive blow to anyone's life, but Roger Young, 38 from the UK, turned it to his advantage, with some help from the Network Academy programme, and the Partner Talent Program at Cisco®.

He's now a Systems Engineer implementing LAN/WAN switch networks for Staffordshire-based communications services provider and Cisco® Gold Certified Partner, NextiraOne.

"The job I have here is everything I expected and more. I'm loving it!" he enthuses. "I'm putting what I've learned at the Cisco Networking Academy into practice, plus I'm learning new skills every day."

Roger had been working as an engineer with Toshiba when he became the victim of economic circumstances and was laid off. Looking on the bright side, he saw an opportunity. "I'd always been interested in computers," he recalls "so I decided to change the direction of my career to ICT."

His first stop on that path was to take a government-sponsored Learn Direct course in networking at the London Metropolitan University, located in the north of the city. It was there that his interest was steered towards the University's networking academy by his tutor.

Roger joined the Cisco CCNA® course on 26th February 2007, and was immediately impressed by what he found. "The tutor - Freddie Victor de la Cruz - was very approachable and accommodating. He'd give us access to the lab when ever we needed it and always had plenty of good advice."

Some of that advice was to attend a Cisco-hosted Partner Careers Fair at Birmingham City University's Technology Innovation Centre in December 2007. In fact, nearly 600 job seekers and 20 Cisco partners turned up to meet, greet, and, most importantly, match top talent to top partner jobs.

Roger had passed his CCNA exam the previous month, and was one of the 100 candidates at the event met by Colin Roe, Operations Director at NextiraOne. Of these, six stood out and were invited for a follow-on interview and selection process. Roger was hired as a result.

Does he attribute to his success to the NetAcad programme? "100% yes! The practical hands-on experience I gained was invaluable, and I still use the log books I compiled, whilst on the course, as a reference in my job."

Roger started in his new position in February 2008. He has the following advice for anyone wanting to start out in an ICT career: "I can't recommend NetAcad courses enough, but you need do a lot of your own studies to really make the most of it. The online resources make this much easier, of course."

The Partner Careers Fair was also a success for NextiraOne, according to Colin Roe. "Recruitment fees to hire someone like Roger would easily have run up to �6,000," he confirmed. "Participating in Cisco Partner Talent events is a very cost-effective way to find technical and sales talent."

To apply for jobs, visit your regional Partner Talent portal here and upload your CV.