Alex Nguyen originally wanted to be a teacher after graduating with a history degree but always had a knack for fixing technical computer issues.

“I had a friend who did IT, and she’s like, ‘Well, it’s not any different from what you’re doing right now. So why don’t you just get a job and do this for a living?’” he said. “So that kind of led me down to searching up how to get into IT. And the rest is history, I suppose.”

That was what led him to enroll in an IT program on NW Campus, which has recently been expanded to NE Campus and started its first session on Jan. 13.

The Computer Networking and Cybersecurity Technician program has been offered on NW for two years and offers three industry- standard IT certifications while helping students build networking and cybersecurity skills.

The CNCT program was a direct evolution of the Personal Computer Network Technician program that Nguyen took. The latter only offered two certificates while CNCT offers three.

The expansion to NE was to accommodate the demand the course generated. NE coordinator Hank Johnson said these certificates help distinguish a person in the IT industry.

“Some of those are defining certifications,” he said. “These absolutely establish with any employer the value that this person brings to the table if chosen as a The six-month program puts students into small classes that Nguyen said he preferred over his experience getting a history degree at UNT.

“You … establish a better connection with not only your professor, but with your peers as well. Considering it’s a tinier classroom, it definitely felt more close-knit.” he said. “We all got to know and get along with each other much better than being in a class of 200.”

NW coordinator Tripp Moultrie was a mentor for Nguyen during his time in the program.

Before coming to TCC, Moultrie had worked 25 years in the IT field and said certifications have helped open opportunities for him, and he wants the same for other people.

“Not everybody has a couple hundred thousand to go to college. Not everybody has the opportunity to earn scholarships,” he said. “This is another way to kind of keep in the playing field. You can spend a fraction of the money and still earn a living, and a very good one at that.”

The program has gained the interest of DFW employers who have a high demand forpeople with IT certifications. Graduating students have worked at places like John Peter Smith hospital, Texas Oncology and Nextlink Internet, Moultrie said. Nguyen got a job only a couple months after finishing the course. He said the certifications gave him an advantage.

“I made it to the end decision,” he said. “It was between me and another candidate, and the person who hired me said they hired me because I did have both of my certifications.”

Johnson said the program’s goal is to help students get a start in the IT field.

“This course, and the instructors that are part of this course, are there to help people take that first step with confidence … and move forward into a career that’s very rewarding and very high, very strong in its demand,” Johnson said.

Moultrie said the CNCT program is one of the best programs at TCC, and he wants to spread the word that there is an alternative to the traditional college route.

“It’s a cheat code. I think it’s kind of something that people sleep on,” he said. “This is one other option that I think maybe some folks would be interested in … And it can have a really, really good payoff.”