PC ProSchools – The Click

Scott Slunaker is a PC Pro graduate now working in the IT industry. In this article Scott shares his journey from working in construction to an exciting career in information technology.

Before attending PC Pro Schools, I was a union sprinkler fitter. I was responsible for installing the overhead piping system for fire protection purposes in buildings under construction.

I made the decision to come to PC Pro Schools because I was looking for a better way to support my family. My union construction job paid well, but there was no guarantee that I would even have a job the next day. The economic downturn hit the construction industry very hard. I had been laid off three times in the last three years and this last time I was laid off for over a year, with no hope in sight that I would even get back to work. I decided that I needed to make a career change. I have always been interested in computers. I have two computers at home but my knowledge and experience with them was very basic. I heard the radio commercial for PC Pro one day in the car and decided right there that was what I was going to do. I scheduled my seminar with an academic advisor and I had my mind made up before I even walked through the door. Just sitting there and talking with the advisor made me realize even more that this was the right choice for me.

I am now working as an IT Technician in Plainfield, IN. I am responsible for pretty much everything you could think of concerning computers. I work 2nd shift with one other person and together we are responsible for over 250 workstations and over 300 printers of all kinds, including bar code and combi printers as well as the normal color and inkjet printers. I also do a lot of troubleshooting for hardware and software application issues. I am responsible for user maintenance as well. It’s hard to describe a typical day because no two days are the same. One minute I might be 30 feet in the air, in a boomlift, running cat-5 cable to a new switch. The next minute, I might be configuring a co-worker’s user account in Active Directory. Some days, might receive call after call after call for all 8 hours to fix this or come look at that, or we might spend most of our time in the admin area troubleshooting and researching prior problems while everything out on the floor is running smooth.

What I enjoy most about my new career in the IT field is the fact that I never know what is going to happen that day. I learn something new every day and I get to work within all different aspects and areas of our IT department. Back in the construction trade, I knew that every day I was going to be hanging piping. Now I get excited to go into work because I never know what I’m going to get my hands on or what I’m going to get into!

I was very interested in the accelerated program due to the fact that I felt I didn’t have the time to go to school for 2 – 4 years. I had only been laid off for a few months when I decided to go to PC Pro, and I knew that if I was going to change careers, I needed to do it quickly. The fast-paced coursework and the opportunity to obtain industry recognized Microsoft certifications while still in school were vital to my plans of getting a job in the IT field as soon as possible.
PC Pro Schools was definitely the right fit for me. From the accelerated coursework and the hands-on labs and classes to the interaction with faculty, staff, and other students; it made learning and studying very enjoyable and made me excited to see what was next. I enjoyed the hands-on labs and time in the classroom the most. I learn best by doing, and the opportunity to actually work with the technology you have been watching videos on and studying on all week is fantastic. Having your instructor right there and being able to collaborate with your fellow students is a great learning tool and one that I took advantage quite frequently!

My experience with Career Services was exceptional. I can’t say enough good things. My career advisor really worked his tail off for me. While I was still in school – I have to be honest and say I really didn’t try too hard to find a job, because I really wanted to concentrate on studying. However, once I graduated, I came out of the gates charging and my career advisor was right there with me. I talked to him at least 3 times a week, letting him know which positions I had applied for while he continued to inform me of any opportunities he had heard of. I called him frequently just for some advice on what I could doing in the job search. He was always right there for me whenever I needed him. When I did finally get hired it was like we both had just landed a job! I went through a recruiter for my current position and within five minutes of my interview, the hiring manager had called the recruiter and told him that he was impressed with me and the PC Pro curriculum and that he wanted to hire me. I can’t thank my career advisor enough for his tireless efforts. He went above and beyond the call of duty in helping get my new career started.

I would definitely recommend PC Pro Schools to others. I convinced my next door neighbor to go and see what they were all about and he ended up enrolling as well. I would recommend PC Pro to anyone who feels stuck in a dead end job or is constantly getting laid off. If you feel it is time for a change, like I did, then you need to give PC Pro a call. I’ve only been in the IT field for a short while, but I can already tell that moving up in the IT world is only limited by how much you are willing to invest in yourself. The opportunities for advancement into many areas are limitless.

My life has changed so much since I graduated. In my old construction job, once I reached a certain point, I could go no higher until the day I retired. Now that I have my foot in the door in the IT field, how far I go is up to me. I now have the job security that I didn’t have in construction. No matter how good of a worker I was in construction, I could still be laid off due to lack of work. I feel so much better and am much more optimistic now that I have a job in a field where I can continue to grow and expand my knowledge and skills. I no longer have to worry about whether or not I will have a job tomorrow or next week or next month. I learn something new every single day and as long as I keep learning I have nowhere to go but up, and that just really makes me feel good about myself and my decision to go to PC Pro.
I only wish I would have done it sooner! Thanks to all of you at PC Pro Schools who helped and encouraged me!