At Urban Ed, current students as well as staff always enjoy hearing from graduates about the impact our programs have had o n their employment opportunities or their lives in general. Recently, we spoke with DeSean Fisher, who came to Urban Ed in 2011 to begin his pursuit of an IT career. Through the six month training program, he achieved certifications as an A+ IT Tech, Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST), and a Help Desk Institute Customer Service Representative (HDI-CSR).

  

DeSean progressed quickly in his career, and now works as a Manager in the IT Service Management department of Conservation International, a nonprofit environmental organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that employs more than 1,000 people and works with partners in 30 countries. Fol lowing his training at Urban Ed, he landed a job as a field tech at Unisys, and subsequently moved into a triage hardware tech position at Optoro, Inc. Building on this experience, he then joined Conservation International as an IT Coordinator, ultimately being promoted to his current role.

During this time, DeSean has been busy outside of work as well, pursuing a BS in Computer Science that he will complete this December, and earning additional certifications in programming JAVA and C++. His salary has steadily increased along with his skills, and he has become a homeowner.

  

Now DeSean is setting his sights on combining his knowledge of IT with a new area of expertise, the law, in order to become an IT patent specialist. He will head to law school at the University of New Mexico in February 2018, and is looking forward to launching this new chapter in his education and career.

  

DeSean's success speaks volumes about his own talent and motivation, but he credits Urban Ed with giving him a strong start. "Urban Ed definitely laid the foundation for me in IT," he says. "I thank you guys so much." In return, Urban Ed thanks him for sending an inspiring message about what is possible when you are determined to seize opportunities and work hard to achieve your goals.