Getting a Fresh Career Start

It was 2015 and Susie Douang was contemplating a cross-country move and a fresh start. 

Working as an administrative assistant in Minneapolis, Susie felt like she had hit a professional ceiling. She enjoyed her work — she quickly mastered the entire suite of Microsoft Office programs — and she was eager to learn more about office technology, but it appeared to her that there was no room to grow. 

She confided these thoughts to a friend living in San Francisco, and he recounted how another friend left the service industry to attend a technology “boot camp.”  That guy was experiencing tremendous success in a newfound career as a technologist. Susie should move to San Francisco, her friend advised her, so she could complete a similar boot camp and enter the career field of Information Technology. 

One night, while mulling over that idea, Susie found she couldn’t sleep. She went online to see whether similar technology boot camps were available locally — and she discovered IT-Ready Technical Support. 

“Once I began IT-Ready, I felt I was slightly ahead of the materials being taught, which actually helped me greatly, because it reinforced my belief that I could pursue IT as a career,” she said. 

Gaining new hard and soft skills

It was the program’s emphasis on softer professional skills that really positioned her for success, she said. 

“IT-Ready Technical Support taught me how to be resourceful and how to network successfully,” Susie said. “Social networking with instructors, peers, colleagues and recruiters is invaluable and key to professional success. I also learned that patience is key; you don’t learn everything on your first day or in your first role.” 

Following her graduation from IT-Ready Technical Support and earning CompTIA A+ certification, Susie accepted a full-time position as an IT/marketing manager for Bill’s Gunshop & Range in Robbinsdale, MN, overseeing IT-related functions for the company’s multiple geographic locations.

What’s most important for her, Susie said, is that the IT industry doesn’t have ceilings to hit — and her career will be what she makes it.