La Vergne computer repair class opens doors to jobs in IT world ...

LA VERGNE ? Frank Cathey has one ground rule for students in his computer repair class at La Vergne High.

?I tell them to leave high school at the door,? he said. ?When they come in here, it?s job training. In here, they?re my employees.?

Cathey began the school?s computer program in 1988, when La Vergne High first opened.

?Back then, everything we did was writing programming, mostly in DOS,? Cathey said. ?Now, mostly what I do is preparing students for a job or postsecondary training, mostly job prep.?

He stayed at La Vergne until 1994, when he left to work at Nissan. Six years later, Cathey returned to the classroom, spending two years at Blackman before moving back to La Vergne in 2002.

About that time, the program?s focus shifted from programming to computer repair. Cathey said he realized then that he could teach students just as much as instructors at the Tennessee Technology Center without the tuition.

Several of his students have gone on to gain industry-level certifications, such as CompTIA A+, Network+ and Security+. A+ lets students get an entry-level information technology job. Network+ is a step up from that, and Security+ goes a step further.

?Once you get (Security+), you?re automatically Department of Defense-certified,? Cathey said.

First to be certified

Senior Cameron Dempsey is the first student in school history to earn that last distinction, with junior Julian Capistran completing the security test during spring break.

Capistran is the first student to become CompTIA Linux+ certified, making him a junior administrator in the operating system. He said his interest in computers began to develop in eighth grade.

?I took old computers we had at home and just started working on them,? said Capistran, whose goal is to earn as many certifications as he can before graduation and work in a Linux-based environment.

Capistran described Linux as the difference between Windows and Apple.

?You can almost not tell the difference, but Android devices run on Linux,? he said.

Courtney Branum is one of three females in her repair class. She found herself having computer trouble a while back and was encouraged by a friend to figure it out before paying someone to do the job.

?I took it apart, saw where everything was. Now I?ve been more involved with figuring out the issues,? she said, adding that her mother is also attending school to attain similar skills. ?I could see myself doing this as a career until I reach my goal of being a music teacher.?

Students are also able to take certification tests on campus in the Pearson VUE-approved testing center at a discounted rate. Postsecondary students have to go to Shelbyville, but Cathey allows his former students to use the center, as well.

?The kids are the ones who are driven,? he said. ?There?s nothing I can do to make them learn.?

Hands-on training

The classes involve hands-on work. The student technicians diagnose operating malfunctions and pull parts from old, donated computers. Repairs cost a flat $50, about 20 percent of what it would take a local shop to do the same work, Cathey said. Those funds are used to purchase vouchers, enabling students to take certification tests at little or no cost.

?They get a chance to see the same things they?d see in the real world, but they?ll spend 12 or 15 hours working on it,? the instructor said.

Matt Parker graduated from La Vergne High in 2007. He said Cathey?s class gave him the idea of what direction to pursue in IT.

?I knew I liked computers but didn?t know what I wanted to do. I won a scholarship through SkillsUSA, then I went to the tech center to get certified,? explained Parker, who now handles desktop support for a trucking company.

Two years ago, Billy Quinn finished second in the state?s computer maintenance SkillsUSA competition. Because the demand for the local technology center?s IT program is so high, it took two years for him to start classes.

?I won a four-year scholarship because of this class, but I had to keep studying. Things change so much, so you have to stay on top of it,? said Quinn, who graduated in 2010.

Cathey said producing students like Quinn and Parker is why he has chosen to stay at La Vergne High.

?I pass by three schools every day to come work here. I could be making a lot more money in the private sector,? he said. ?I feel like I make a bigger difference here.?

Article source: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120326/NEWS01/303260020/La-Vergne-computer-repair-class-opens-doors-jobs-world

Source: http://learncomputerprogramming.net/la-vergne-computer-repair-class-opens-doors-to-jobs-in-it-world/

golden globe nominations los angeles clippers los angeles clippers charlize theron telenav telenav wade phillips