Features » Education

Subscribe

Keep computer courses a priority in Victoria

  • Photo by Contributed Photo •
Jessica Miller
  • BY JESSICA MILLER
  • Originally published June 13, 2012 at 6:36 p.m., updated June 13, 2012 at 6:36 p.m.

Every year since I graduated, I've heard rumors of the computer education courses on the VISD career and technology campus being 'downsized.' I've recently heard of their funding being reduced and the teachers that have taught them for years being reallocated. I strongly urge the community to put more focus on these classes instead of allowing them to be forgotten.

I graduated from VISD in 2004 with a focus in computer maintenance and networking. The experience I gained during my time on the career development campus is the main reason I have done so well since graduation. Thanks to my education in John Mixon's computer maintenance course and the networking course, which was previously taught by Mrs. Kelso, I was able to not only get a job right out of high school, but I have succeeded in staying employed since then. I've never struggled to find a position with the company of my choosing and the experience I received my senior year on that campus has served me well.

I would like to give you a brief history of what I've done since high school, thanks to those technology courses and the experience I gained because of them.

Immediately following graduation, I was hired by a local doctor's office to upgrade, install, and maintain their entire computer system. In the fall, my courses allowed me to jump right into some great computer courses at VC. Soon after I started college, I found the hours at the doctor's office did not agree with my class times and left the medical practice to work for TISD, the well-known area Internet service provider. I helped teach a computer curriculum for a local program called La Costa while I worked for the ISP until I finished my associates at Victoria College.

With a few University of Houston/VC classes already under my belt for my bachelor's, I left Victoria to pursue a Computer Information Systems Degree from A&M. During that time, I worked for the Computer Science department and often tutored networking students until I found a position working for an aircraft contracting company. After applying for the job, they immediately called and offered me a position while I was still in school. The month I graduated, I received an offer from a multimillion-dollar engineering company that has given me more opportunities than I could ever imagine.

All in a matter of a few years, I was able to begin a career in a field I enjoy and if anyone asks me where it started, I have to say that the experience I received on your technology campus prepared me for the challenges I met after high school. Mr. Mixon's computer maintenance course taught me everything I needed to hit the ground running and the networking course helped prepare me for the job I have now. I honestly wish I'd had taken more than a year working with Cisco networking devices early on, because that is the standard in the workforce and in high school I had no idea the importance it would have to my career.

I urge you to help ensure these courses, their teachers, the certifications and their materials are fully funded. If not, increase their budget in a meaningful way to allow more students to gain the benefits from these classes that I have experienced. Your own children and any students in the community should be urged to take the courses on this campus. I know many students that I took those courses with have gone on to succeed and work for large companies, thanks to the teachers and the curriculum helping them be serious about what they want to do after school.

Mr. Mixon is a teacher who can relate to his students while preparing them for the challenges of the real world. While I have not taken courses from Mrs. Alexander, her teaching has been proven in the students I've seen come out of her classes. Many of the students that take those classes are going further than most people know. I hope you will recognize the importance those experiences and certifications have for a high school student. Giving students the best chance they can get for a great education should be VISD's top priority. Please don't neglect to see that in a world that depends more each day on technology, these courses are the best head start they can get for their future.

Jessica Miller graduated from Memorial High School in 2004 and now works as a systems engineer for a defense contractor in North Texas. Email her at cticourses@gmail.com.