I now work full-time in an in-house design department for a national corporation that is based in Scottsdale. My responsibilities include Graphic Design, HTML Markup, PHP/MySQL Programming, CSS Layout, Flash Design, and advanced ActionScript Programming.
Before my community college experience I spent four years earning a B.A. in art and digital art a university in California, yet my career is benefiting more from this one class than any of the other classes I have taken!
Jeff Schifano
My name is Jeff Schifano. I studied from 2003 to 2007 to obtain my AAS degree in Web Design. I was fortunate enough to have Niall McCarthy as one of my first instructors. At the time he was teaching CIS133DA and helped unlock the door of capabilities within the field of web design.
On the road towards my AAS degree, I took away many valuable lessons that helped shape my understandings of how web design is done and how to accomplish design goals in a professional atmosphere. While I was attending classes, Prof. McCarthy was kind enough to get me started on my road to success!
Niall put me in touch with Dr. Mark Baldree who had contacted him with some interest on having a website built. This was a great opportunity for me to utilize the techniques taught in class. I'm not sure that I would have had the same opportunity with any other Professor and I am truly thankful.
Since my graduation, I have been lucky enough to find a position at Tenships Web Design , a local up and coming web company based in North Scottsdale.
The education that I received was paramount to my success and it all started with my first CIS133DA class with Prof. McCarthy.
James Divver
The CISCO Academy classes at South Mountain Community College have provided the Phoenix Business Community with educational infrastructure that has driven the economic boom in Phoenix. Without a well educated and trained work force, many businesses looking to relocate or start up a business in Phoenix would have had to look elsewhere. I have lived and worked in most Metropolitan cities including San Jose and Boston, and have found the best educational opportunities have been in Phoenix at the Community Colleges.
The greatest thing that the South Mountain Community College's CISCO Program has done is to provide OPPORTUNITIES! By taking the CNT140 and CNT170 Courses, followed by the Firewall and QOS classes I have been able to work at companies like AT&T in a NOC center and also with Global Crossing at a Fiber Cable station. The courses have given me a higher income and better prospects for the future.
Cody Cox
I am the network administrator for a commercial audio video company based here in phoenix. My company sells and integrates all the audio video equipment you may find at a production studio, corporate boardroom, casino, or even a sports arena.
I chose South Mountain's CISCO Networking Academy to obtain the skills, and knowledge I required to deploy and secure an effective wireless network throughout our facility. Throughout my experience at SMCC I was very impressed with all the resources made available from equipment, lessons, labs, and the staff that made it all happen. I was able to take the training I received and apply it to our live environment and achieve my company's desired results.
I will definitely be using South Mountain for all my future networking education, and training.
Jim Jones
Hello, my name is Jim Jones. I live and work in Rural Alaska, in a small town called Dillingham. It is remote town; the only way to get here is to fly. We are 328 air miles from Anchorage located in the southwestern part of Alaska. I work for the University of Alaska Fairbanks on the Bristol Bay Campus. Our campus is a small campus that supports higher education. The area that we are responsible for is about 33,000 square miles.
My job on the Campus is to maintain, the following:
- Servers
- Workstations
- Network Infrastructure
- Telephone support,
- User support, plus
Teach several computer courses a semester.
I have taken two classes from the CISCO academy at SMCC; the Pix Firewall class and the Pix Firewall upgrade class. The reason I took the classes, was to learn how to install and maintain a Pix Firewall for our campus.
Since completing the two courses I have been running the Pix firewall for several years now and I have been very pleased with the material that was taught and the knowledge that I obtained which allowed me to install and maintain the equipment. I just wish there were more courses like this for CISCO training that I could take remotely from Dillingham. What I really enjoyed was the ability to study and use the labs on Saturday and Sunday mornings. This fit perfectly into my work schedule.
Rakesh Jain
My I am a senior network engineer working in Corporate Network Solutions in Phoenix. I am CISCO VoIP and CCNP certified.
I came to SMCC in 2001 and I have been the student of their CISCO Academy since then.
I have taken CISCO Academy classes in Estrella Mountain Community College, Gateway Community College and South Mountain Community College. I am thankful to all of those colleges and to CISCO for providing valuable information which has been very helpful in my career.
To me the best part of the training were the projects and the remote labs that put me in virtual scenarios that have turned out to be very similar to the ones I encounter now in my job.
David Chavez
Taking classes at South Mountain's CISCO Academy has had a tremendous impact on my career. I was able to immediately use the skills that I acquired from the hands-on training into my job assignment for a global ISP. I am frequently asked to use the expertise I gained at SMCC to troubleshoot various issues.
I highly recommend the CISCO Academy at SMCC.
Edgardo Garcia-Guel
(IT Infrastructure Project Management Specialist)
Hello my name is Edgardo A. Garcia-Guel, I have been working with cabling infrastructure companies and IT Network technology companies for 20yrs. At the beginning of my learning process several co-workers started to teach me the odds and ends of networking, which was fine, until I realized that without a proper schooling I would not have a solid foundation needed to advance in my career so I decided to take necessary steps to get myself into school.
One day I saw a TV advertisement for South Mountain Community College and I got interested in the CCNA courses they offered. Registering and finding the right classes to fit my busy schedule was easy!
During the time I was taking the CCNA classes, Kearney Electric, the Communication/Electrical company I was working for at the time, assigned me to work in the IT department at Arizona State University. I learned by night and implemented those skills by day!
At the end of my CCNA studies at South Mountain three excellent companies offered me IT network positions. Which would I choose; ASU, Qwest or Banner Health ? a difficult decision!
I am now working for Banner Health as an IT Infrastructure Project Management Specialist. Without the excellent guidance and tutoring from the instructors at SMCC I could not have achieved my personal milestones. Thank you to all the CCNA instructors at SMCC.
Brad Belsaas
I moved to Arizona, from Minnesota, in October of 2000. The job I moved for ended up, basically, not existing. I was fortunate enough to find my way to a position at SMCC. While there, I enrolled in the CISCO Networking Academy. I had some technical background, but limited networking knowledge.
The Academy provided the knowledge and practice to provide for me the opportunity I was seeking. After completing the initial courses, I attempted to pass the CISCO industry certification (CCNA). Due in no small part to the training provided at SMCC, I passed with flying colors! I also completed the professional classes offered by the academy, and some of the security courses. These additional courses prepared me for the professional path I have chosen in network security.
I currently still hold my CCNA certification, and have also passed some of the exams required for the Professional and Security Professional certifications.
I currently hold a position as a Security Analyst, and am planning to become an engineer by the end of the year.
I work for a company called Calence, LLC, in the Managed Services department. In my current position, I design, implement, maintain and monitor network security for over thirty clients. By setting clear goals, staying focused and always moving forward, I am closer to where I want to be in my career than originally planned. The training afforded me by the SMCC CISCO Academy was key in providing the base knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to proceed down the career path I desired.
Alex Padilla
As a result of my CCNA I have worked on several projects using CISCO routers and one using a CISCO switch. I have been offered numerous IT helpdesk or phone support jobs that pertain to networking (wireless or ethernet).
My current job at Arrow Technologies is as a PC technician. I am currently waiting for a network technical position and look forward to returning to SMCC for more CISCO courses.
South Mountain Community College?s CISCO academy is hands-down the best hands-on EVER! Thanks to the faculty; Dennis Rousseau and Frank Torres
Robert Tesdall
My name is Robert Tesdall and I work for Darcomm Network Solutions in Phoenix, Arizona as a Network Engineer. I am a Microsoft MCSE with over 10 years of experience, but never had the opportunity to learn about CISCO Networking products. The CISCO Learning Academy at South Mountain Community College provided me with the education and hands-on lab training that I needed to advance my career in networking.
I completed my CISCO CCNA coursework in December of 2006 and got my CISCO CCNA certification in January 2007. I looked at several other locations in the Phoenix metro area, and very few of them offered the amount of hands-on lab time and variety of equipment available to me as a student of SMCC?s CISCO Academy. If anyone is looking for a place to learn about CISCO Networking products, the CISCO Academy at South Mountain Community College is the place to go.
Since becoming CCNA certified, I got a better job with a higher salary. My current employer understands the value of keeping employees educated.
Barry Birch
I have actively taken CISCO classes from SMCC for the past few years. My courses have enabled me to develop my understanding, but more importantly to develop my hands-on troubleshooting skills. Moreover, the inter-personal networking I have been able to do with faculty and students enabled me to find an entry-level position in a local NOC.
I currently work for ATT supporting the network for American Express. I actively troubleshoot LAN and WAN issues on devices ranging from small office routers to enterprise level core routers and switches. I continue to take courses to increase my hands-on exposure to new technologies including voice and security.
Kirk Davis
I started taking CISCO classes at SMCC about 5 years ago. I have taken classes all over MCCCD and have found that Frank Torres and his staff go above and beyond in providing the student with the best possible environment to learn in. Not only do you have the class time, you have open lab times (up to eight hours on Saturday),and, in some classes, you can remote in 24 hours a day to complete your class work and to get in some extra practice.
I am currently working for MCCCD at Gateway Community College as a Network Technician. The training I have received at the CISCO Academy at SMCC helps me daily in my endeavors at the college and provides me the advancement opportunities through the varied coursework. I hope you enjoy your experience as much as I have.