System Administrator
Appliance Warehouse of America Inc.

“After I graduated from high school, I knew I wanted to be in the IT industry. I had a decent start already as a technician for a public school district. It was obvious I would learn a lot in the field, and I wanted to enhance that learning with a good college education focused on that industry. Originally, I was not aware of the exceptional CIT program that North Lake had, but soon I realized that I had made the right decision by enrolling there.

“The staff made it extremely easy to decide on a degree plan and was there to assist me the entire way. I would say that the friendly and knowledgeable staff was definitely my favorite part of the program. I’m a firm believer that the professor ultimately determines how much a student learns, and at North Lake, the professors redefined the meaning of the word ‘school.’ Studying was no longer a chore; it was an activity that I looked forward to. Learning was no longer hit-and-miss; it was a guarantee. I knew my professors would be there to help me learn everything I needed and did so with a positive attitude.

“The experience and knowledge I gained at North Lake have given me what I like to call ‘proof of knowledge’: something I can present to current and future employers that tells them not only have I been successfully educated in the IT industry, but I’m serious about the field and willing to learn and adapt to its constantly changing path.

“If there is one thing I learned while studying computer information technology at North Lake, it is that there is always something more to learn. Likewise, there will always be courteous and intelligent staff at North Lake waiting to teach you something new. That is why, if someone were to ask me about North Lake’s CIT program, I would tell them that it would be a wise investment in their career.

“The fact that I have a career and not just a job, four years’ experience in the IT industry and an associate degree at the age of 22 is quite an accomplishment, I think.”

Christopher C. Haley earned an associate degree in PC Support in North Lake College’s CIT program, along with Personal Computer User and Personal Computer Support certificates. He is Comp TIA A+ certified. In his current position as system administrator for Appliance Warehouse of America Inc., he supports and maintains a TCP/IP wired and wireless network in a domain environment with more than 250 local and remote workstations.