Liked Cisco Network Academy Program so much he now teaches it
Program logical, challenging and hands on with real equipment
| You've heard the commercial, "I liked the shaver so much, I bought the company." Well, Sheldon Wong liked the Cisco Networking Academy program so much he now teaches it. "It was worth more than anything else I took; it was worth the whole program altogether." - Sheldon Wong |
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| Sheldon Wong |
He found the program particularly interesting because of his technical background. "It was very intuitive and logical; it just made sense. I also enjoyed it because it was challenging," he says. Wong found the Cisco Academy curriculum was THE highlight of his program. "It was worth more than anything else I took; it was worth the whole program altogether."
The Cisco Networking Academy program teaches students the fundamentals of networking. Started in 1997 it has expanded around the world and partners with groups from business, government and community organizations, ensuring the program delivers the curriculum required to train tomorrow's workforce. As an internet based course it is broadly available facilitating learning anywhere, anytime. It combines the on-line component with instructor training and hands-on practical experience.
One major advantage of the program was the access to actual equipment. Wong says, "We had a rolling pod. We had the devices on a rack on wheels that we could roll in and out of the classroom. Having time on the devices was probably one of the best things. Coming from an engineering background where everything is theoretical, the actual practical application is the fun part."
At the beginning of the program Wong's goal was just to finish but as he went through he was so enthused he decided he wanted to write the Cisco Certified Network Associate exam, which he did within a few weeks of graduating.
When he finished the program, he was hired immediately by SAIT and over the next few years worked as desktop support and a network analyst. "The contracts finished and I took a break. Then I did consulting for other companies in oil and gas. xwave found my resume on the web and called me in. I had the right skill sets and level of experience they were looking for."
xwave is a 30 year old I.T. consulting company based in Atlantic Canada that provides support, infrastructure and help desk advice to companies and governments in Canada and around the world. Wong is based in Calgary where he is the only person from his team. The rest are in Ottawa or Atlantic Canada so he works quite independently. "I'm the only person in Western Canada doing my job."
Having taught English in China, Wong knew he liked teaching so he decided to combine it with his Cisco knowledge and achieve his Cisco Certified Academy Instructor designation. "I teach in the evening in continuing education. I bring the practical side as well as the theoretical." He is teaching certain semesters of the Network Academy program and having a lot of fun. "I can see my students learning and discovering new things. I see that spark in their eyes when they not only understand it but see what goes beyond it."
Bégin is convinced that his new career is "a good fit for my personality," and he wants to keep learning. He would like to pursue a Masters degree in computer science on a part-time basis, if he can find a program oriented toward system administration rather than programming.
"I want to stay in the trenches and work on systems," he says. "Or maybe more on the network side, but that's down the road." Nor has he closed the door on his old career. "I have plans to go back to teaching," he says, "but that's maybe in 10 years. At that time, I'll teach what I've learned about computers."
December 2003
