What the tech? An overview of Computer Support Specialist, Networking, and Emerging Technology

Today we learn more about the Computer Information Systems Technology program at Athens Tech. 

Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.

A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. Equal Opportunity Institution.

 

Welcome to Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how the programs at Athens Tech can connect you with in-demand and high paying careers. Today, we're going to hear about the Computer Information Systems Technology program.

 

Welcome to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how the programs at Athens Tech can connect you with in-demand and high paying careers. Today, we're going to look at computer information systems, computer networking and emerging technologies.00:00:20S2Upon graduation, most of our students are finding jobs, those that want to find a job. There are more open positions available in technology than any other area.00:00:32S3I think the students that we've had that we've hired on have been exceptional. They are experiences and they get a lot more hands on than some of the mainstream larger colleges and universities do.00:00:47S4It was kind of just just looking around at different degree programs at different places. It seemed like this was just a better return on investment.00:00:57S1In today's episode, we're going to find out how studying computers at Athens Tech can open up a vast number of jobs and industries where you can shine.00:01:13S2My name is Helen Hall. I am the chair for Computer Information Systems Technology CIC, which is composed of two majors, computer support specialist and networking specialist. I am also chair of the Emerging Technologies Department and it consists of Emerging Technologies Major.00:01:35S1Helen is the person that can give us more details on what exactly these programs are.00:01:41S2The networking specialist is for network administrators, students who want to become a network administrator, and computer support is actually for those students that are interested in either the hardware or technical support track the emerging technologies. Basically, it has about four different components. We have gaming, robotics, drones and mobile apps.00:02:10S1That sounds like a lot. And it is, but that's why we're here today.00:02:14S5My name is Todd Campbell. I'm an instructor at this technical college. I have two different curriculums. I teach I teach computer information systems, technology and emerging technologies. My background is I'm actually a former student of Athens Technical College. I graduated in the computer support program. I went on to Southern Polytechnic and finished my four year degree and got a Bachelor of Science in I.T. And then I went to Kansas State and finished my Masters in I.T. secured. I like to specialize in programming, so I do a lot of the programming in computer information systems. I actually explain what the computer is and how it works. And the computer support specialist is one pathway we have, and it is designed to take the computers apart and fix them and put them back together. I teach programming and logic and the basic things of computers support.00:03:23S1Todd's career journey means that he is not only well-equipped to teach these courses, he also has firsthand knowledge of what it's like to be a student at Athens Tech.00:03:33S5Anybody that has a technical knowledge and desire to understand how computers work and programs work, whether it be mobile applications or applications like Windows, operating systems like Linux or some of the other ones are great candidates to go to school here. We try to get our students ready to go to work, you know, have internships and partners

Episode Transcript

S1 (00:01):
Welcome to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast
of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how
the programs at Athens Tech can connect you with in-demand
and high paying careers. Today, we're going to look at
computer information systems, computer networking and emerging technologies.

S2 (00:20):
Upon graduation, most of our students are finding jobs, those
that want to find a job. There are more open
positions available in technology than any other area.

S3 (00:32):
I think the students that we've had that we've hired
on have been exceptional. They are experiences and they get
a lot more hands on than some of the mainstream
larger colleges and universities do.

S4 (00:47):
It was kind of just just looking around at different
degree programs at different places. It seemed like this was
just a better return on investment.

S1 (00:57):
In today's episode, we're going to find out how studying
computers at Athens Tech can open up a vast number
of jobs and industries where you can shine.

S2 (01:13):
My name is Helen Hall. I am the chair for
Computer Information Systems Technology CIC, which is composed of two majors,
computer support specialist and networking specialist. I am also chair
of the Emerging Technologies Department and it consists of Emerging

(01:34):
Technologies Major.

S1 (01:35):
Helen is the person that can give us more details
on what exactly these programs are.

S2 (01:41):
The networking specialist is for network administrators, students who want
to become a network administrator, and computer support is actually
for those students that are interested in either the hardware
or technical support track the emerging technologies. Basically, it has

(02:02):
about four different components. We have gaming, robotics, drones and
mobile apps.

S1 (02:10):
That sounds like a lot. And it is, but that's
why we're here today.

S5 (02:14):
My name is Todd Campbell. I'm an instructor at this
technical college. I have two different curriculums. I teach I
teach computer information systems, technology and emerging technologies. My background
is I'm actually a former student of Athens Technical College.

(02:36):
I graduated in the computer support program. I went on
to Southern Polytechnic and finished my four year degree and
got a Bachelor of Science in I.T. And then I
went to Kansas State and finished my Masters in I.T. secured.
I like to specialize in programming, so I do a

(02:56):
lot of the programming in computer information systems. I actually
explain what the computer is and how it works. And
the computer support specialist is one pathway we have, and
it is designed to take the computers apart and fix
them and put them back together. I teach programming and

(03:18):
logic and the basic things of computers support.

S1 (03:23):
Todd's career journey means that he is not only well-equipped
to teach these courses, he also has firsthand knowledge of
what it's like to be a student at Athens Tech.

S5 (03:33):
Anybody that has a technical knowledge and desire to understand
how computers work and programs work, whether it be mobile
applications or applications like Windows, operating systems like Linux or
some of the other ones are great candidates to go

(03:53):
to school here. We try to get our students ready
to go to work, you know, have internships and partners
with different people so that they actually start working in
the field to leave after their two year degree.

S4 (04:06):
My name is Luke Ballou. I work in the I.T.
department here at Athens Tech. I'm a technical support specialist.
And essentially we work on tickets for classrooms, instructors, faculty
members when technology is not working correctly, whether it be

(04:29):
a printers not printing a projector or not projecting someone
can't get to their e-mail things. Things like that. I
studied the networking specialist program. Now, I had spent a
lot of time outside of the field, sort of the

(04:51):
kind of adjacent jobs. And I always ended up doing
tech support is like, why don't I go back to
school and get the credentials to be able to do
what I'm always doing and get paid well.

S1 (05:06):
Get paid well. Isn't that what we all want?

S2 (05:09):
Our network administrators. We've had students start anywhere from depending
on the company, whether it's a small company, medium company,
large company, and depending on the skill of that company.
But their pay has ranged anywhere from from 30,000 all
the way up to 55 for networking and therefore computer support. Basically,

(05:36):
they started out around 30 as well and they've gone
up to, you know, about 45, 50,000 as well. So
they they're able to find some good paying jobs. What
we teach is actually what the industry is looking for.
We make sure that what we teach is industry related

(06:00):
because we have a program advisory committee in our program
advisory committee consist of industry people that are in technology.

S1 (06:10):
Did you hear that at Athens? TAK You're going to
learn exactly what companies need you to know, and that's
going to help you get a job.

S2 (06:19):
With our advisory board, we need once every semester. During
our meetings, we basically have our advisory board, which are
industry people tell us what they're looking for and we
have people as far as that are in computer support,
that are in networking, that are in technology management, emerging

(06:42):
tech security. And they are they actually tell us what
are they looking for, what's coming next as well? Because
we want to be able to forecast what we need
to offer for our students.

S3 (06:56):
Sir, my name is Hassan Chowdhury. I'm the chief operating
officer for Firestorm Cyber. We are a managed security service
provider here in the Athens area. As far as Athens Tech,
I think I've been a member of the advisory panel for,
I think about ten years now, give or take. And

(07:17):
it's been it's been an awesome experience being able to
to participate in the good that they do. And over
the years, we've we've hired directly from Athens Tech is
what we do here. We're in the trenches day in
and day out, 24 hours a day. And so we
get to see a lot of interesting things and use

(07:40):
a lot of technology to to not only secure the
customers that we have, but their infrastructure and so on.
So it helps me to to give them some feedback
on the types of things that we're actually seeing that
maybe they should consider focusing on. I think over the
years that's been helpful for them to say, well, you know, is,

(08:04):
is a direction to go, virtualization is a direction to
go now and maybe even add things to the course
availability that would lend towards being successful in the field
and not just get out of school with a piece
of paper that says you took X number of classes
in X number of tests and here you go. So

(08:25):
I think it allows them to focus. I think the
students that we've had that we've hired on have been exceptional.
They are experiences. They get a lot more hands on
than some of the mainstream larger colleges and universities, too.
So I think it's been it's been rewarding in both directions.

S1 (08:47):
A short recap. We know that you'll learn the exact
skills the industry is looking for. We know that the
instructors are well versed in these topics and we know
that the industry pays well. So let's get some details
about the program.

S2 (09:01):
In our areas, we have both lecture and lab for
almost every class, and it's actually built in as far
as in the catalog we show students for how many
hours or lecture and how many hours a lab out
of the week. And then that basically depends on the class.

S4 (09:23):
You're going to learn a lot. There are a lot
of moving pieces when it comes to art work, and
you do have to be aware of a lot of
things and you might learn some things that you won't
necessarily use every day, but that you would need to
be familiar with. So in this program, you're going to

(09:43):
learn the the basics of of computing, you know, what
a mouse, a keyboard, a monitor are, and then you
know what the components of a computer are. And from there,
there's a lot of learning how Microsoft Windows works, how

(10:05):
Microsoft Server works, which you use a lot. And it
because that's that's how you manage the network and the
users and the computers on that network. And you will
learn how how networking works, how switches were, how servers work.

(10:26):
That's I guess that's a basic re I'm trying not
to get too technical.

S1 (10:32):
And what about emerging technologies? What is that?

S2 (10:36):
Well, in emerging technologies, it is all about those technologies
that are new, in our case, drones and robotics and
3D printing. All of that is what we consider emerging technologies.
And now we're getting more into not just how to

(10:56):
fly a drone, but our classes now are teaching toward
the to get the the drones pilot's license. And that
license is actually certified by FAA. So they. I actually
have to be a pilot to be able to pass
the drone pilot certification. As technology changes, we're changing as well.

(11:19):
We have to because in an emerging technologies was emerging
today is not going to be emerging tomorrow. But right now,
as far as emerging technologies is concerned, we have the drones,
the robotics. And in robotics, they do build their robot,
the print, the body of it, and they build their

(11:40):
robot and they program the robot as well. Now, we
do have something that is exciting that's coming along. We
are actually getting I don't know if you've seen that
robotic dog. Have you seen that? Yeah. I mean, you know,
not too many people have it yet, but it is

(12:00):
emerging technologies and we are going to get that as
well so that we can teach our students about this
robotic dog and how to program it. And it can
be used in various situations. Even a lot of police
departments are are trying to get this robotic dog now
so that, for instance, if there's a some type of

(12:23):
lock down, then the dog can actually be sent out.
And it has video capabilities. It even has capabilities to
open a door and walk upstairs. So that's just one
application for this robotic dog. But because it is a
robotic arm, I think it is a very good application

(12:45):
for our students to learn real world applications for robotics.

S1 (12:51):
Drones, robotics, 3D printing. That's pretty cool. Here's an important question.
What does a real employer in the industry think of
the education you can get at Athens Tech?

S3 (13:04):
I think they get more hands on and they're able
to get beyond just the theory that they learned from
reading books or or having a professor or instructor telling
them things and taking notes. And in the world that
we live in. That's priceless to me. Someone who's had
the hands on who's who's actually done the things that

(13:27):
we do on a day in and day out basis
is far, far more valuable to me than someone who's
read books and attended classes that I think even in
the larger institution's labs, don't really even cover that because
you're in a lab for once, twice a week for five, six,
ten weeks. And that's not really enough, because in the
lab environment, you're getting to touch some things, but you

(13:50):
don't really get to play. And I think that's what
differentiates the tech schools, especially Athens tech from from, say,
Georgia State. You get the professors and instructors, from my experience,
have that real world experience and they're able to share that.

S1 (14:07):
You'll learn what you need to know to be successful,
and because of that, you too can achieve more.

S4 (14:13):
I achieved more with Athens Tech by taking control of
my education, my career and my future.

S5 (14:22):
You achieve more by by spending your dollars wisely. I
mean students now. You know, there's a big thing in
the news now about student debts and all this kind
of stuff. You can come to Athens Technical College and
leave here debt free with a two year degree and
a job. Or you could go to a four year
school and spend your first two years accumulating debt and

(14:45):
still not have a job, you know, and working in
the industry. So what makes us in the technical college
system in general, great, is that you can come in here,
we're prepping you, you know, for a job. And we
have employers asking us for students. So, you know, so
that we can refer them out in internships and in

(15:05):
actual jobs where they're making money. So the turnaround time
you can start and in two years, two and a
half years working in the field that you want to
be working on certifications that we prep for here, we
get technical certifications here. So and we're actually a testing

(15:26):
center that will help you get your certifications here. So
that's what really makes us makes us different.

S3 (15:31):
The instructors and professors are exceptionally good. You're very good.
I've met a lot of them. They all have real
world experience. Ask questions, always ask questions, never be afraid
to ask a question. Chances are someone else has the
same questions they're afraid to ask. But you have to
ask the questions and don't feel like you're just regurgitating

(15:54):
what what you're reading or what you hear. You have
to be able to understand it, ask the questions the
only way you're going to learn better.

S1 (16:01):
Do you have questions? Thanks for listening to achieve more
with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
For more information, visit Athens Tech Dot Edu.

S6 (16:20):
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