Continuing Studies’ computer technology courses offer new career opportunities

Continuing Studies’ computer technology courses offer new career opportunities

BY DOTTIE ROARK
Special to the Rice News

Cindy Adams didn’t
start out with plans to be a Microsoft certified systems
engineer. She was a graphic artist who discovered she actually
enjoyed fixing computer problems.

Joe Castorina
had been in retail management for 20 years when he decided
to get into the technology industry.

“If there’s
any common element in the people who are retooling to enter
the technology industry, it’s that they don’t
come from common backgrounds,” said Siva Kumari, director
of the Rice Technology Education Center.

“They’re
male and female, young and middle-aged. What they have most
in common is that many are career-changers,” Kumari
said.

“Basically,
I was at the head of my field in a company with no more
opportunities to advance,” Castorina said. “I
decided it was time to make a change to something different,
something new.”

After researching
job opportunities, he observed the technology industry was “very hot” and made a plan to leave his job and
enroll in Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) courses
at Rice University.

“The first
class was ‘Networking Essentials.’ It was pretty
daunting for someone like me coming from a retail background.
I didn’t know a router from a switch,” Castorina
said. “Taking that first class really set my study
habits in place.”

Besides getting
up to speed in a totally new field, Castorina’s other
concern was how long it would take him to get his salary
back to the level he had achieved after 20 years in retail
management.

“It’s
one of those Cinderella stories,” he said. “I
had a position within four weeks of finishing my last class.
Within six months I was at the level that I was making in
retail, and within one year I had surpassed it,” said
Castorina, who is now a director of network operations and
infrastructure for a worldwide Internet solutions provider
in Houston. “I’ve accomplished more in two years
here than 20 years in retail,” he said.

As with Castorina,
Adams started an MCSE training program at Rice Technology
Education Center in hopes of greater advancement opportunities.

“I was
a graphic artist and didn’t feel that I would advance
in graphics as quickly or as far as I would in computer
support,” Adams said.

Because she
enjoyed the challenges of fixing computer problems, she
had become the point person at her job for computer issues
and problems. So she jumped at an opportunity to take the
MCSE evening courses through the Rice Technology Education
Center.

“The most
difficult part for me was working eight hours a day and
then going straight to class for four hours every night,” she said.

“The most
rewarding aspect of the class was walking into work and
fixing problems that I had just read about,” she said.
“The amount of respect I gained from my co-workers
was great.”

Since completing
her training, Adams has secured a new job as a computer
specialist for a Houston Web consulting firm, building personal
computers and providing hardware, software and network-related
support.

“[MCSE training]
is truly a great catalyst for your career and confidence,”
Adams said. “The amount of knowledge gained in the
classes is incredible, but not impossible to keep up with.”

Rice Technology
Education Center of the School of Continuing Studies offers
advanced computer education courses for adults who want
to change careers or upgrade their skills to better compete
in the workplace. Courses include MCSE Windows 2000 and
NT 4.0, A+ Certification, Lab View series, AutoCAD and Object-Oriented
Analysis and Design.

For more information,
visit <http://scs.rice.edu/rtec>,
e-mail <rtec@rice.edu> or call (713) 348-5653, Ext. 441.

— Dottie
Roark is the marketing director for the School of Continuing
Studies.