Getting an IT career off the ground isn’t always easy for those who didn’t get started young at the bottom rung of the tech career ladder. An aspiring IT professional may have worked on computers his or her entire life but doesn’t have the credentials to back up those skills on paper. Or they may be someone who wants to join the vibrant IT job market without a great deal of previous technical experience. In either case, getting effectively credentialed and up-to-speed can be difficult and costly for those looking to enter the IT workforce as adults. And as anyone who has considered going back to school knows, the busy schedule of an adult – the financial responsibilities and sometimes the family ones – can create hurdles for any new endeavor every day, at every step.
Brandman University, part of the Chapman University System, has for decades been helping adult learners navigate such difficulties and amass credentials that allow them to jump quickly into the job market. In recent years, Brandman has begun to leverage the unique advantages of the online world to provide competency-based distance learning, with great student success.
The My Path Competency-Based Education program allows adult students to pursue a variety of self-paced degree programs from home. Students come out of the program not just with a degree but with multiple industry certifications in their area of study. When the school began putting together the curriculum for its newly-introduced Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) degree, CompTIA certifications were at the top of the list as a necessary part of the program.
“Through an accumulation of different sources of industry feedback, [CompTIA certifications] floated to the top of importance for IT professionals out in the field,” said Lindsay Racen, director of strategic business development, new initiative development and implementation at Brandman University.
Thanks to the CompTIA Authorized Partner Program, which offers an array of teaching tools, supplemental materials and discounted exams to learning institutions, Brandman has implemented the CompTIA A+ certification and the CompTIA Cloud+ certification as part of its BSIT program. Those getting the BSIT degree must earn these certifications in order to demonstrate competency in specific areas. So when a student graduates with a BSIT degree, that student has these certifications on his or her resume as well.
Having also implemented CompTIA certifications as a part of the IT track of their bachelor of business administration (BBA) degree, Brandman has seen first-hand how employers are looking for IT talent with certification. As the BSIT program launches, adult learners interested in more IT-specific roles have a new option for getting their skills career-ready by amassing certifications that are proven to help get a foot in the door of the IT world.
“We want to have the most up-to-date technology and information for our students and we want them in the working world immediately once they graduate,” said Kimberley Hundley, manager of community and corporate relations. “If they have these certifications they are more likely to be hired than the person coming from another school [who] does not have as many certifications or does not have these certs at all.”
While those who attend Brandman’s BSIT program can benefit from earning both CompTIA certifications while in the program, the school knows that adults returning to school don’t have time to repeat work. If a person already holds a certification, Brandman recognizes what that signifies – that the student already possesses the skills the cert tests on. So if someone coming into the program already holds one of the CompTIA certifications required for the course, it transfers into the program and counts as credit in the area of competency.
The most exciting part of Brandman’s BSIT program are the countless kinds of adult learners who can benefit from matriculating, such as:
- Certification holders in need of a degree on their resume.
- People with outdated or outmoded certifications that need to get up-to-date.
- Older people who need the certifications to prove it to themselves and potential employers.
Any adult learner whose career road has led them to IT is an ideal candidate for the BSIT. The school is offering a $500 scholarship for students interested in enrolling in the program.
Brandman University has a long history to draw from, and a long future ahead – one that promises even more innovation in delivering education and certification to an ever-increasing number of talented, job-seeking adults.
“We’d like to maybe start doing some cohorts in the area where we can get some of these competency-based students together in an actual room and they can discuss their programs,” Hundley said. “There’s a lot on the horizon.”
As the world of competency-based adult learning grows, one thing is certain – CompTIA will be an important resource for educators and job-seekers alike. As Brandman keeps an eye on the certification world to see what’s most valuable to job-seekers, CompTIA continues to gather information from every corner of the IT industry to make sure that the certification exams always test on the skills that an IT professional needs on the job in today’s workplace.
Brandman’s relationship with CompTIA has already helped adult students from disparate backgrounds take the big leap into the IT workforce and with the IT-focused BSIT program the numbers will only grow.
“We’re going to keep progressing with the most up-to-date technology, which includes using CompTIA certifications,” Hundley said. “We just keep getting really positive feedback.”
For more information on this program click here or contact Kim Hundley at khundley@brandman.edu.
Matthew Stern is a freelance writer based in Chicago who covers information technology, retail and various other topics and industries.
