He had been waiting impatiently for quite some time in line, just like everyone else on his side. It was hot and humid, the sun was shining on his face, and the dark outfit that he was wearing from head-to-toe was not helping.
The crowd was friendly and cheered each time they heard a name. He thought it was a bit excessive. He seemed to have a funny feeling. He knew that he was not going to be able to walk across the stage without having to go through a study guide or answer a series of questions.
Many of the twentysomethings next to him knew that things were likely to go south. The reality of adult life was obvious to the crowd, but they cheered on everyone. He was puzzled, but it didn’t matter because it was his turn. “Kevin Lee”, a voice spoke loud and clear.
He walked across the stage, counting every step as if his Fitbit wasn’t already. He reached out for the device and grabbed it, before he walked away. It said, in bold, big letters, “Bachelor of Arts in Economics” in the middle.
Kevin graduated from Rutgers University in 2014. He was able to complete one of the most difficult programs at the school. His family was proud, naturally. It was finally worth all the hard work and preparation that he had put in over the years. It was now that he could capitalize on the skills that he had acquired.
He wanted to kickstart a career that offered many exciting challenges and opportunities. He had high expectations, but realistic goals for himself and his career. He was eager to grow as a professional and as a person. He was full of ambitions for the future when he walked off that stage, with his diploma in hand.
He was still not employed in any economics-related field less than three years after he graduated. He had spent so much time learning econometrics, calculus. He didn’t understand any of the theories he tried to understand, despite all the late nights.
He was a college graduate and immediately jumped into a job as a project manager for an interior design firm. Although it was an incredible experience, it didn’t turn out to be what he expected. It had little to do with economics. It was a far better start than the struggles his classmates faced.
He was not inspired by the company’s mission and felt that project management wasn’t for him. After 8 long months, he decided to quit the company and find something that would allow him to put his degree to good use. He was hired as an accountant in a CPA firm.
He found himself looking at his watch way too often when he was at work. It was too repetitive. Although he learned a lot from his job, he began to consider starting over after two years. He wanted a challenging job. He wanted a job that would allow him to tackle big, new projects and grow his skills. He started looking for other options and found Terry Kim.
He was astonished to learn about IT and the Zero to Engineer mentorship program. He was fascinated by the constantly changing nature of the IT industry and how it pushes people towards developing their skills. He was curious about the many career options that IT offered.
He knew immediately that he wanted enroll. It was exactly what he was looking for. He could learn the secret formula to jumpstart his IT career in a matter of months from Zero to Engineer. It would take less time than it would to earn an associates degree at your local community college.
He made a firm commitment to his decision and jumped into the program. He followed the advice and completed every homework assignment. He only paused to catch up on sleep. He learned from every lesson and gained a deep understanding of the industry.
Terry taught him the basics of networking and he was able to give him a solid foundation. He also earned a few technical certifications along his journey. He benefited greatly from his one-on-1 mentorship sessions which he used for his career planning. He never doubted his decision to not pursue a career in the field of his hard-earned economics degrees.
He instead studied hard, as if this was his last chance to have a fulfilling and exciting future. He studied and continued to study, reaching out to Zero to Engineer whenever he needed assistance. He got the most out every minute of his mentor sessions.
He completed the entire program in 2 months. He was ready. It was time to put the knowledge he had gained into practice and enter the industry. He needed to get practical experience before he could do that. He had to do it quickly before he could reconsider his college education and pursue a career as a technie.
Terry helped Terry determine the best way for him to enter the industry. He was still living with his parents at the time and didn’t need to earn a serious income. Terry suggested Terry that he pursue internships to gain experience with real equipment.
He could then aim for a role in network engineering right away. It was difficult to land an internship to help him develop his skills. There were often hundreds upon hundreds of applicants looking for one or two spots. Terry’s industry navigation techniques were used to solve this problem.
He woke up at 5:45 AM the next morning. He felt the same anxiety as before when his name was called at the graduation ceremony. He got on his computer, reached out to dozens via LinkedIn, and asked for coffee.
He would create a thoughtful message each time, taking into account the profiles of everyone and looking for common interests. This would increase his chances of starting a conversation. He was only answered by one person. They met at a local coffee house a few blocks from where he lives.
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In 18 months, from zero to Samsung Network Engineer
