Pathways: Creating IT Futures Foundation (2013)

Do you really know what a technology career is like? Find out.
Pathways
Will Rivera-Fantauzzi
overcame a medical mishap
in the military. Now he’s
a rising star in the field of
healthcare technology.
Why
information
technology (IT)
could be
your next
career path
See details inside
Edition 1 / Issue 1
Exploring On-ramps to Tech Careers
INside:
The Human
Element
How Being a
People-Person
Can Help in Your
Tech Career
Tech Success
Stories
of People
Just Like You
Sittra Battle started aiming
for the stars early.
Julius Clark is making
criminal hackers miserable.

2
Fact: Practically
every business
and organization
in the world
needs IT services.
Career Snapshots:
A career in IT has changed their lives. It can change yours, too.
Will (p. 4) Eloise (p. 6) Julius (p. 9) James (p.11) Sittra (p.12) Brenda (p.15)
IT Job Spotlights:
Mobile App
Developer
Desktop Support
Technician
IT Security
Professional
Network
Administrator
IT Healthcare
Technician
P.5 P.7 P.8 P.10 P.13
Q:“I was never very good at
math and science in school.
Can I succeed in a tech career?”

It turns out that most of the math and
science taught in high school is not what IT
(“eye-tea”) workers use in their jobs.
IT stands for Information Technology.
Most people think about information
technology as computers, smartphones, the
Internet, networks, hard-drives and servers.
But IT is really about people.
Getting people the information they
need, when they need it. Figuring out ways
to make their work (and their play) flow
with the technology.
Training in IT can prepare you to work in healthcare, sports,
retail, fashion, hospitality, banking — or any other industry you
can think of.
Are you a people person? Are you a problem solver?
Then consider becoming an IT professional, one of
the fastest growing careers on the planet. High salaries.
Career advancement. New challenges every day.
Fact: At the
beginning of 2012,
there were nearly
300,000 information
technology (IT) jobs
unfilled.
(Indeed.com)
Learn more. Keep reading — and find your path in IT.
3
A: You can!
More than ever, technology is
about people.

Growing up, Will always prided himself at
being physically tough. It turned out he needed
a different kind of grit for his future challenges.
Will’s family moved to the U.S. from Puerto
Rico when he was three. He hoped to follow in
the footsteps of his father, a U.S. military veteran,
so after high school, he joined the Navy.
But Will severely injured his toe in boot camp.
During surgery, a medical mistake damaged his
heart, leading to a quick medical discharge and
the end of his dream.
Veteran benefits allowed him to complete a
bachelor’s degree in information technology, but
employers weren’t biting. With the help of the
Creating IT Futures Foundation, Will was able
to train for several important IT certifications,
helping him to land a temporary IT support job
with the U.S. Department of the Interior.
That three-month appointment led to more
offers. In August, 2011, Will began a position
as a full-time IT specialist at the Department
of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Battle Creek, MI,
earning a salary of more than $50,000.
Said Will: “It’s good to know you can. It’s
rewarding to reach the top.”
Beating All the Odds
His military career cut short by a medical error,
Will Rivera-Fantauzzi had to come up with a new direction, fast.
Watch Will’s Story:
www.bit.ly/WillVid
4

Healthcare IT Technician
Information Technology is vital to the
healthcare industry. Nine out of ten
doctors, dentists, and administrators view
technology as an important component of
their practice (CompTIA Report, 2012).
Though IT workers do not have medical
training, they are a crucial part of patient
care. Whether supporting family practices
or major hospitals with state-of-the-art
surgical departments, healthcare IT
technicians are in the forefront of
modernizing the industry.
Fact:
Venture capitalistsinvested more than$633 million in newhealthcare softwareand IT services
in 2011.
(Dow Jones VentureSource)
“If you are naturally drawn
to nursing, teaching, or
other careers that focus
on people, consider
information technology.
Because of the increasing
importance of technology
in healthcare and
education, IT really is
the newest ‘helping’
profession.”
— Charles Eaton,
Creating IT Futures
Foundation
CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician Certification:
www.bit.ly/HITtechPath
5

Eloise knows what it takes to be successful in
information technology. In her late 20s, she started
working in the mail room at the Philadelphia
Gas Works. Then she began to climb the ranks,
working as a database administrator, system
administrator, the manager of systems services,
and the director of tech strategy and support.
Now, after 27 years, Eloise leads their entire IT
function. Her department supports the technology
that powers the huge utility, which means mak-
ing sure all 1,700 employees have the technology
they need to keep things running smoothly.
Born in Philadelphia, Eloise was attending
Temple University when she began working nights
in the Gas Works. When she
found out she was pregnant,
something had to give, so she
dropped out of college.
“The job was so
demanding, I just couldn’t keep up my classes.”
As it turned out, her on-the-job learning and
certifications earned her one job promotion after
another. It was only later in her career when she
decided to go into management that she realized
she needed to finish her bachelor’s degree. (As of
this year she’s started work on an MBA.)
Salaries are lower at the gas works than at
some private utilities, but there are upsides, too.
“People here have a sense of doing something
for the community. They have a sense of public
service.” The health plan is also excellent, Eloise
said. And, after 30 years, a person can retire with
a pension—even if she is younger than 60.
Achieving Greatness
As chief information officer of the largest city-run utility in the
country, Eloise Young holds one of the highest positions a person
can achieve in IT.
“I was working in
the mail room. I was
about to go back to
school when I found
out I was pregnant.”
6

Network Administrator
Today’s world is built on a digital framework. Those with the technical skills to under-
stand it and the people skills to make a network easy to use are the most in-demand
people in their workplace. Just a few of the ways your talents might be put to work:
• In order to save energy costs in your company’s headquarters, you’re in charge of
installing and maintaining state-of-the-art sensors that detect human beings such
that lights, AC units, and even espresso machines automatically power down when
they aren’t needed.
• Working for a professional sports team, you manage a complex database that tracks
players’ training routines, the team’s statistics, and travel itineraries. You’ve also
implemented a system so your team’s coaches can use tablet computers on the
sidelines to access their playbooks and record observations on the other
team.
• At a cable fashion network, your job is to make sure video footage is
piped from the recording studio to post-production suites, and then
finally to satellites that send the perfected video to viewers worldwide.
Fact: By 2016, there
will be five billion
users of smartphones
and tablets and 50
times the amount
of wireless network
traffic as today.(Cisco)
CompTIA Network+ Certification:
www.bit.ly/NETworkPath
7

Threats to internet and computer security
disrupt lives and cost billions of dollars
per year. IT security professionals have the
same cutting-edge skills as hackers, but use
their knowledge to help people, protecting
businesses, governments,
and individuals.
Fact: Some predict
that in the next five
years most passwords
will be replaced by
biometric logins such
as retina or fingerprint
scans.
IT Security Professional
At the front line against attacks, with jobs as diverse as:
• Computer Crime Investigation. You trace attacks by hackers
and others who have gotten past security.
• Security Systems Testers. By hacking for the good guys,
you use your skills to find the weak links and back doors in
security systems.
• Security Design and Implementation. You create and
maintain systems that protect software, computers, and
mobile devices from spyware, hacking, viruses, and other
security breaches.
See the video at:
www.bit.ly/CYBERvid
CompTIA Security+ Certification:
www.bit.ly/CASPpath
8

Foiling The Hackers
Julius Clark uses his special knowledge to protect bank assets
— while keeping his career moving forward.
Julius grew up in Boston and attended
Madison Park High School, where one day a
teacher casually invited him to sign up for a
computer programming course. Julius went
along. “I was intrigued.”
Turns out, programming was a fun challenge
for Julius. “There was this whole different level of
thinking. You set your variables, and you didn’t
have to play with the numbers anymore.” Julius
went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in electrical
engineering and worked a number of different
technology-related jobs.
After exploring several different avenues,
Julius gravitated toward network security. “I said
to myself, ‘I should go to grad school and study
information security and get into the field.’ ”
Before too long, he knew he had found his niche.
Today, Julius is part of the Wholesale
Technology Risk Management Team at Wells Fargo
Bank. He has earned IT security certifications and
a master’s degree in IT security management. He
feels valued for both his breadth and depth of
experience, loves his work and has moved up in
rank and pay.
Says Julius: “I’m in the hot seat. I make
decisions every day on accepting risk or denying
projects from being implemented because there
is excessive risk.”
Julius feels valued for
both his breadth and
depth of experience,
loves his work and has
moved up in rank and pay.
9

Fact: A candidate’scustomer-serviceskills are rated
by many tech
employers as beingjust as important astechnical ability.
CompTIA A+ Certification:
http://bit.ly/AplusPATH
10

Coming to the Rescue
James Depew used to jump out of airplanes.
Now he jumps in when technology fails.
James left the military in 2003 after 20 years
as a soldier, jump master, and drill sergeant. He was
hopeful that a second career in computers would
work out well for him. Unfortunately, employers
wanted to see more than a bachelor’s degree.
Just three months after achieving his
CompTIA A+ certification, James landed his first
job in information technology. He went on to earn
his CompTIA Network+, Security+ and Server+
certifications as well as becoming a Microsoft
Certified Information Technology Professional
(MCITP).
Says James: “My success in obtaining those
certificates will lead to something so much bigger
than I would have ever imagined.”
Today, James works for the federal government
as a lead IT Specialist of customer management
support professionals at Fort Bragg Army Base in
North Carolina.
“My customer management support team
keeps thousands of computers, multiple networks
and user accounts running smoothly on post.
Those workers support our troops and civilian
work force minute-to-minute. If their systems
go down, it indirectly makes life more difficult
for them and the whole chain of support. So I’ve
definitely got a mission that keeps me motivated.”
11

As a girl growing up in the
shadow of rockets in Huntsville,
Alabama, Sittra Battle still never
imagined she would someday work
for NASA.
But she knew she’d succeed at
something.
“Pointing to her brain, my
mother would say, ‘No one can
take what you have up here,’ ”
recalls Sittra, now 46. “I was the
student in class who liked word
problems, and taking things apart
and putting them back together.
I like challenges.”
Today, as a data center manager
at NASA, Sittra makes sure that
the information that scientists and
engineers use is stable and secure.
After high school, Sittra entered
college where she majored in electrical
and computer engineering. Her first job
was working as an electrical engineer
for the Army Corps of Engineers.
With the nation’s space mission
for 21 years now, Sittra has had
more than her share of exciting
missions. Just as important to her,
she said, has been her family and
her church.
“I am glad that I can serve my
country as a civil servant, while
being aligned with my personal
career goals. And, yes, whenever
I would see a shuttle mission go
up in space and later return to
earth safely, it made me smile
with a sense of pride.”
Launching Success
Sittra Battle aimed for the stars early.
No wonder she’s working for NASA.
12

Mobile App
Developer
Know how to use your
smart phone to its fullest?
As someone who is quick
to adopt technology, you
might have what it takes
to design it. People carry
technology wherever they go,
and the trick is to think of ways to
make it even more accessible.
Ever thought how you could make an
app easier to use? Usability testing
is key to the success of software
design, and it takes someone who
understands people to make
a program work smoothly.
If you like to solve problems,
have a willingness to
experiment, and
enjoy collaborating
with others in
order to complete a
project, mobile app
development may be
your kind of career.
These Folks Get IT
CompTIA IT Pros around the country
were recently invited to share their
reasons for pursuing an IT career.
Meet a few of these pros
and learn about their
own career pathways.
Valerie
www.bit.ly/ValerieVID
Lasheantea
www.bit.ly/LasheanteaVID
Narcisse
www.bit.ly/NarcisseVID
13

A degree suggests book and classroom knowledge,
but a certification proves hands-on mastery of a
very specific set of skills and knowledge. Dozens
of IT certifications are available, with CompTIA,
Cisco, and Microsoft being among the most
popular. Students may self-teach online or with
printed training materials, may enroll in a course
at school or through a private training company,
or find a nonprofit program that helps individuals
in-need. Test centers abound where the
certification exams are administered, usually for
a fee. Do your homework and see if a certification
is feasible for you.
“Certs CAn’t
Hurt!”
The Value of a Certification
Computer Support Specialist
Network and Computer Systems Administrator
Database Administrator
Network Systems or Data Communication Analyst
Computer Systems Analyst
Software Engineer
Computer or Information Systems Manager
$67,710
$71,550
$73,250
$77,080
$92,430
$112,210
$44,300
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY JOBS – MEDIAN SALARIES
The CompTIA A+ Certification is the centerpiece of the
IT-Ready Apprentice Program and many IT training programs offered by other organizations.
Find out more about certifications at http://certification.comptia.org/getCertified or go straight
to the A+ page (look for the “Get Started Now!” box): http://certification.comptia.org/aplus
Which certification is the best oneto start with?
According to Dice.com, the following certifications were thetop 10 most notable among tech consultants looking for work:1. CompTIA A+
2. PMP (Project Management Professional)3. CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate)4. CompTIA Security+
5. MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer)6. CompTIA Network+
7. MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional)
8. CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)9. ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library)10. MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional)
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Occupational
Outlook Handbook 2010-2011
Okay, you’re ready!
14

company.
We’ve put
down roots
in Cincinnati
and Minneapolis/St. Paul hoping that success
in those locations will allow expansion into
other cities. Mainly we want to provide a
model for a training program that other
organizations can adopt.
When a person develops a career with the
promise of upward mobility, everything improves,
from family life and health, to financial well-being
and future outlook. That’s why we say,
“A Career in IT Changes Everything.”
With so many open jobs in the IT industry (over
400,000 by some estimates) and so many people
looking for a family-sustaining career, it’s crucial
that organizations do all they can to close the
skills-gap. The Creating IT Futures Foundation
is committed to helping individuals in-need and
populations under-represented in IT to prepare for,
secure, and be successful in IT careers.
Since being established in 1998 as the philanthropic
arm of CompTIA, the IT Industry Association, the
Creating IT Futures Foundation has been working
hard to invent better onramps to IT careers. We’ve
done it in a number of ways:
• By partnering with online training companies
and providing free testing vouchers, the
Foundation helped hundreds of military veterans
such as Will Rivera-Fantauzzi (cover and page
4) and James Depew (page 11) update their skills
and certifications to land their first jobs in IT.
• By supporting educational and nonprofit
workforce development organizations such
as the Chicago Tech Academy (a high school
geared toward leadership and technology) and
Year Up (serving urban youth ages 18-24), we’re
making sure that more individuals have a chance
to reach their high potential.
• New in 2012, the Foundation has launched the
IT-Ready Apprentice Program, an eight-week
training program that qualifies graduates for
a six-month paid apprenticeship with a local
To take the first step toward an IT career, just turn the page.
Our Motto:
“A Career in IT Changes
Everything”
From GED to corporate climber: Brenda Arroyo completed
the Year Up (www.yearup.org) tech-training program and an
internship to help her land a $50,000-a-year full-time desktop
support job at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
15

Gain the professional skills you need and prove your value
to a company through IT training and certification.
A career in IT offers competitive pay compared to other careers, with
starting salaries up to $50,000 a year or more. (See full chart on p. 14.)
Inside, read the stories of those who have succeeded in IT.
Then take the first step on your own IT Pathway.
Take the first step. Go to:
http://certification.comptia.org/training.aspx
Pathways is a publication of the Creating IT Futures Foundation and the IT-Ready Apprentice Program.
A PDF version of Pathways is available at our website: www.creatingITfutures.org.
Please contact us to request additional copies as available: (630) 678-8511, info@creatingITfutures.org.
The Creating IT Futures Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization based in Downers Grove, Illinois.
© 2012 Creating IT Futures Foundation, Inc. (“CITFF”). All rights reserved. Creating IT Futures and IT-Ready are trademarks of CITFF in the U.S. and internationally. Other brands and
company names mentioned herein may be trademarks or service marks of CITFF, CompTIA Properties, LLC or of their respective owners. Reproduction or dissemination prohibited
without written consent of CITFF or CompTIA.
Fact: Ninety-threepercent of companiessay there is a gap ininformation
technology (IT)skills among theiremployees.(CompTIA, “State of the IT Skills
Gap,” Feb. 2012)
A Career in IT Changes Everything
Fact:
What is a
problem for
employers is
an opportunity
for you.
www.creatingITfutures.org
Established in 1998 as the philanthropic arm of , the IT Industry Association.

Pathways: Creating IT Futures Foundation (2013)

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