My name is Arthur and I’m from the state of Massachusetts. I completed the Google IT Support Professional Certificate, and today I work in IT as a level 1 Systems Engineer. I spent the last 12 years in restaurant management and did not have any professional IT experience before I was offered my new job.
I’ve been interested in IT for about 20 years. I was always the person people called to fix hardware, software, and networking issues, but I wasn’t able to get a job doing these things because I had no professional experience. In the fall of 2018, I heard radio commercials for the Google program while I was at work. I was intrigued, so I signed up and by December I had finished the whole program. I enjoyed working on the labs and logging into virtual machines to do the coursework. The instructors were thorough, and I felt like I was set up for success.
I decided to switch from restaurant management to a career in IT for several reasons. My wife and I were expecting our first child while I was taking the classes, so I decided to move into a career that I was passionate about. I was an excellent restaurant manager, but I excelled at it without any passion. It was just a job. I was on call around the clock, and I could never take time for myself at home. I wanted to be able to provide a better life for my family while giving myself a better life, too. I thought if I could be great at something I don’t care about, imagine how I might do at something that truly interests me!
I began talking to an IT recruiter and ended up landing the first job I interviewed for!
When I started to apply for jobs, I listed the Google IT Support Professional Certificate on my resume. The recruiter I was working with helped me fine tune it to emphasize the most important skills I learned. I highly recommend someone changing fields to work with a recruiter.
I enjoy my new job because I get to help people with their technical issues. I can now leave work at the office and enjoy time with my son!
When I worked for the restaurant, I had to work during the holidays. Today, I don’t have to miss spending time with my family anymore.