At 38 years of age, Khor Kean Hock was in a job that was going nowhere. The routine of his job as coordinator for a shipping company was boring, and his job satisfaction was very low.
He knew what he'd like to be doing. Pursuing his amateur interest in technology, he had already unraveled the mysteries of his personal computer by talking to friends and experimenting on his own. So Khor made a life-altering decision. With the encouragement and support of his wife, he decided to follow his dream by enrolling in the Cisco Networking Academy Program through Singapore's National Trade Union Congress (NTUC).
The Cisco Networking Academy Program is a comprehensive e-learning program that provides students with the Internet technology skills essential in a global economy. It delivers Web-based content, online assessment, student performance tracking, hands-on labs, instructor training and support, and preparation for industry-standard certifications. Cisco partners with schools and colleges, businesses, nonprofit organizations, international organizations, unions, and government agencies to deliver this challenging curriculum.
Because the program is structured to accommodate working adults, Khor was able to balance full-time work with the educational courses. He attended classes three times a week, and he spent other nights studying for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam. His efforts paid off-he passed the test on the first try.
Khor enrolled in the Cisco Networking Academy Program in September
2000 and secured a job at HL Integral Systems Pte. Ltd. as a Network
Engineer while still completing the Networking Academy Program. And
in October 2002, he joined Pan Pacific Hotel and Resorts Pte. Ltd.
as a Corporate Systems Manager.
According to Khor, the Cisco Networking Academy Program provided a clear and accessible path to his new career. "The course provided instruction in the basics of networking, and from there it was like stepping stones," he explains.
"Many people are familiar with networks, but fewer people know how
to configure routers. In fact, some of my colleagues--employees with
quite a few years' experience in IT and networking--actually found
router configuration quite challenging. But for me, thanks to the
Cisco Networking Academy courses, it was not that difficult."
Khor is already looking beyond his CCNA certification; he plans to undertake further study in support of the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification. Having experienced the value of certification first-hand, he is also interested in pursuing other IT industry certification programs.
The Cisco Networking Academy Program has enabled Khor to enter a new and more promising career, while simultaneously overcoming potential employers' reluctance to hire more mature employees. "I am very grateful to Cisco, to NTUC, and to my instructor, Ghee Ann, for the opportunity to participate in this excellent program and for the success I have achieved," he concludes. "Thanks to the Cisco Networking Academy, I have successfully changed my career from shipping to IT. The future looks very bright to me now."
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