Raised in the historically industrial town of Franklin Park, Jonathan Sutter began preparing for a career in manufacturing while still in high school. Upon graduation, there weren’t many jobs in the industry. So, Jonthan quickly pivoted and entered the trade industry where he pursued a career in carpentry. Although he was talented in trades, Jonathan was a passionate tech hobbyist and felt that a career in Information Technology (IT) would be better suited to his career aspirations. “I was job searching and trying to get into IT. I completed and earned my CompTIA+ certification but it took me 6 months and it was all fully self-taught.” While job searching on LinkedIn, Jonathan was contacted by National Able Network and IT Career Lab’s Technical Education Manager, Elliott Esparza.
“At first, I thought [IT Career Lab] was like other bootcamps that ask for a lot of money, give you six weeks of training, and don’t do a lot for you. But after I attended [IT Career Lab’s] orientation and actually learned about the program, I was very excited.” Not only would Jonthan receive hands-on training in IT, but he would also receive support to take his Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam, and a free laptop. By training at IT Career Lab, Jonthan would be on track to a career that would support more learning opportunities and advancement. He says, “I greatly increased my learning pace in this program.” Additionally, Jonathan says, “In IT, you can learn whatever you want. There’s no barriers to information and people very much want you to learn new skills.”
Jonathan graduated from IT Career Lab and successfully earned his CCNA! He added that credential to his resume and jumped back into job search. He says, Do you think you could go to my place fi
While job searching, Jonathan applied to the Data Center Technician role at Microsoft. He says, “It was the ideal scenario for me. It’s a lot of hands-on work so it’ll round out my experience. And, there’s a lot of opportunity to move up there…and it’s one of my favorite companies.” Jonathan was hired!
“I’m really glad I get to start working again, and I get to start working somewhere I’m really excited to work at. I didn’t imagine getting here ever – especially for my first tech job.”
