Right after I graduated high school and became an Eagle Scout, I left home to begin attending Santa Fe college while still working part time at a different Publix. From Calculus classes to Cashiering, I had may semesters where I would be at school at 7 am and leave work at 11 pm with no break in-between. It was a lot, But I was finally able to graduate in 2019 with an Associate of Arts degree in Computer Science.
Just before graduation, my college began an Associate of Science course in Computer IT, which focused more on getting certifications and learning as much about computers as possible so that you could start working in the IT field as soon as possible. And even with all the time I had spent with Publix, I knew that my real passion was in technology. So I went back to college and started working on my A.S. Degree. Unfortunately, half way through my first semester, COVID swept through the world school was put on hold.
Not letting that stop me, I spent the next 3 months putting out applications until I found an entry level IT Help Desk job at a company called Neurotronics. In one year, I learned more about computers and the IT field then I did in the 3+ years I went to college.
After that year, I became eligible for a program they had there to pay for any classes and certifications. Which was when I realized that I could still get the certifications I wanted to get from the A.S. degree I was working on. After asking about this to management, I learned that I was the first person to have ever looked into this program! Not wanting to miss this opturnity, I started studying for part 1 of the CompTIA A+ Exam. I would study any down time between calls at work, any time I was at home, even any time I was driving I listened to lectures. After 2 months I felt confident, understanding even more than I would have at my current job. I booked my exam, excitedly waited for the day, sat down at my computer… and I failed!
Like anyone would be, I was disappointed. But after the exam I was given a list of what material I needed to work on, and I narrowed my focus and spent even more time on what I didn’t understand until I knew it better then what I knew going into the test. I reapplied, sat down, and managed to pass parts 1 and 2 of the CompTIA exam, making me A+ certified. Then almost a month later, I was looking at my computer screen telling me that I has passed the CompTIA Security+ Exam as well. At that point I knew that as long as the information was out there, I could teach myself anything I needed to know.