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What are your thoughts about the

placement or career training?

The career placement provided by

LANWAN Professional works hand in

hand with the technical training.

From day one we were dropped into

a rigorous program of technical

training and then we would be

given a break from the technical

training with career training.

Ray Choi would come in and would

teach us on how to present ourselves

as people who get the job done and be the right people to get the job done. I think that being able to gain that confidence, as well as the skills and knowledge that’s presented in the career placement training, helped volumes. Particularly after obtaining your certifications and you’re now on the job hunt because that’s exactly where it will come in handy.

What do you think both for you and your classmates were the biggest stumbling blocks to becoming hired? How did LANWAN Professional help you overcome those obstacles?

The biggest stumbling block to becoming hired actually occurred straight out of training when we began posting our resumes online and searching for jobs. We would receive the responses for potential employers—and for each of those responses, we would need to properly handle and articulate ourselves. The ability to relay the confidence required for some of these positions was a great stumbling block for me as well as a lot of my peers. The coaching that LANWAN Professional provided on a daily basis helped instill that confidence to articulate our skill set in such a way that you are what the company needs in order to get the job done.

Cory, I know that you were placed in less than a month of completing your training. Tell me about your new position. What company will you be working for and what will a typical day look like for you at your new company?

I was recently hired at Cooper Industries to be the Junior Network Administrator. Cooper Industries is a large, multi-national firm that has seven different departments under it and I’ll be supporting those seven departments both locally and internationally. On a daily basis, I’ll not only be supporting the local area network with the Cisco devices, but also the wide area network.

In your opinion, what were the most beneficial ways that LANWAN Professional had assisted you in being placed in your current position?

The most beneficial way that LANWAN Professional assisted me in becoming placed in my current position was the remote training and the hands-on training. Obtaining the certification was just one step, but by working with the equipment and knowing exactly what we’re doing and how it’s being done, that to me was the most beneficial aspect.

Upon entering the programs at LANWAN Professional, people are usually surprised when they are informed that with the right training upon completion of the program that they should expect a significant increase in salary—sometimes double that of what they were previously making in their former position.  Were those salary expectations met in your new position?

The salary I’ve been offered at this point in time completely exceeded my expectations. I made a significant jump from what I was making before at Apple to what I’m making now. It’s like night and day! [Laughs] I have to thank LANWAN Professional for assisting me in getting that opportunity.

With my new salary and the new opportunities presented, I can personally take care of some outstanding debt that I have. My future goal is to completely resolve my existing debt—especially my schools loans—and continue my life being more successful as well as being more financially responsible. It’s all thanks to the opportunity from LANWAN Professional and the salary I’ll be receiving at this new position.

Since you’ve completed your training and have been placed in this new job, what are your thoughts on the success that you’ve experienced?

With the success I’ve experienced with LANWAN Professional, I honestly can’t believe that it happened in such a short period of time. I’ve gone through college. I’ve worked a normal job trying to make it through the “traditional method.” The LANWAN Professional training, the way it’s structured with the information that’s provided was very intensive, focused, and pinpointed. I really like the interaction provided with the staff and with the material itself; it was amazing.

Now that you have experienced the training and programs at LANWAN Professional, what are your thoughts?

The remote training was really good, but the on-site training at LANWAN Professional exceeded my expectations when I arrived on location. The equipment that was provided for us to work on was right there. It wasn’t a virtual terminal or a group shared project or anything like that. We were separated into individual teams and assigned equipment to work on; to configure and to rewire in order to complete the assignments. That definitely blew my expectations.

What are your thoughts on Eric Choi, now that you’ve met him? There seems to be quite a bit of disparity among what’s presented online and the experience that people have with him.

After looking online and at the reviews, there’s a very negative connotation or a very negative presentation of Mr. Choi’s character and the way he operates. I saw those reviews when I was doing my research before applying to LANWAN Professional. However, when Mr. Eric Choi and I would meet face to face – on many occasions – we’ve talked about practically everything: my past experiences, my personal life, my professional life, what I plan on getting out of the program and where do I see myself as well as my skill sets and proficiencies.

Being able to sit face-to-face to meet Mr. Choi was excellent to me. It provided the credibility that this program needs and it made me want to be a part of it and I think it’s beneficial for my career. He’s a very personable character. He’s a very direct-to-the-point individual. If he thinks this program is not going to be beneficial for you, he will tell you, without sugarcoating it, that maybe you should look at a different career track. And if he honestly believes you are a valuable candidate, he will invest his time and energy in you. Now that—speaks volumes about his character. I understand the screening process is beneficial to the program right now and Mr. Choi took the chance with me. I would like to thank Mr. Eric Choi for giving me the opportunity to come out there and work with LANWAN Professional.

In less than a week and a half after completing his training, Cory shared his excitement in landing a new job, career, change of life--and even being able to pay off a few student loans in the process.  After trying to climb the corporate ladder, Cory never imagined that he would be able to break into LANWAN so quickly.   

Cory McDougall

1. “I did look at completing my training at other locations, primarily at local colleges and the Cisco Academy, but the advantage I saw at LANWAN Professional surpassed the other options.”
   

1. “The coaching that LANWAN Professional provided on a daily basis helped instill that confidence to articulate our skill set in such a way that you are what the company needs in order to get the job done.”
   

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Did you look into completing your training elsewhere? And if so, in your opinion, how did LANWAN Professional differ in comparison to those other options?

I did look at completing my training at other locations, primarily at local colleges and the Cisco Academy, but the advantage I saw at LANWAN Professional surpassed the other options.  At LANWAN Professional, not only was the remote and hands-on training provided at the CCNA level, but LANWAN Professional also provided training for all the specialization: voice, wireless and security. LANWAN Professional also provided me the option to move onto the CCNP as well as the CCDP and I could even go all the way to the CCIE level. All of that training is provided under that one company.

What also attracted me to working with LANWAN Professional versus other training options was primarily the repayment option provided. I chose to go through LANWAN Professional because of the fact that I could go ahead and receive the remote training, as well as the certifications, and the hands-on learning as well as the testing before paying. All of that was provided to me before paying, so I really had to think about was the repayment option; whereas other providers require you have to come up with a large initial investment before you get to use their program or go through their training.

“With the success I’ve experienced with LANWAN Professional, I honestly can’t believe that it happened in such a short period of time. I’ve gone through college. I’ve worked a normal job trying to make it through the “traditional method.” The LANWAN Professional training, the way it’s structured with the information that’s provided was very intensive, focused, and pinpointed.”

How does that make you feel looking at your colleagues and seeing that they’ve also been successful and placed?

Looking at my colleagues and seeing the type of positions they have been placed in instills that confidence that coming through LANWAN Professional really was the right choice for me because now I have this new career. I can also see that it’s not only a select few who come through the program and do well, but that it is actually all of us who have come through the program that have been placed and employed at very great positions.

How has LANWAN Professional impacted your life in both the short and the long term?

In the short term, I’ve gotten a new career, a new lease on life. In the long term, after working with LANWAN Professional, I can plan and look forward to a bright future in the IT industry in the networking field working with Cisco products both with the hands-on perspective as well as the design perspective. I would definitely recommend LANWAN Professional to anyone at this point.

Do you have anything else you’d like to say while we’re recording here?

Yes! I would like to thank Jonathan Klein for understanding my character and the way that I am. He pushed me. He is the career placement expert. He’s the guru of career placement at LANWAN Professional. He assists you with getting your resume set up, your interviews, both your phone and face to face interviews; working with responses as well as handling all the different offers you’re presented.  Jonathan Klein and I, we’re like best friends right now! No, no (laughs). I’m just kidding. Jonathan Klein – he is amazing.

There were times where I didn’t have confidence to believe that the program was going to work the way that it’s outlined. Jonathan Klein, as well as all the other support staff at LANWAN Professional, helped me tremendously in getting this position I am in today.

To many people, the success stories of LANWAN Professional seem too good to be true. How would you explain the success you’ve achieved with LANWAN Professional in such a short amount of time to the skeptics? And what would you say to somebody who was unsure of whether or not to move forward?

[Chuckles]  I was one of those skeptics!  I would explain the success that I’ve had in such a short amount of time to the skeptics by telling them to look at how LANWAN Professional is structured. The amount of information that’s presented to you initially while you’re doing your research is a lot—LANWAN Professional was very open about their program.  While I was doing my own research before I applied, there were several instances where I saw bad reviews and, when I signed up, even my parents told me to look into this and make sure it’s not a scam, but I went ahead and took the risk.

When looking at LANWAN Professional, initially, I was also a little hesitant at the entire opportunity and to the people, who are a little bit hesitant and skeptical of the program, I would go ahead and say do your due diligence. Look online and do your research. I would say to the people that are a little hesitant about the LANWAN Professional opportunity that’s presented to them, that once you’ve applied to it you know it’s a good investment. However, when you are doing your due diligence, you may come across some negative responses just like I did. Like you, it made me wary, but I took the chance to come out to meet with the staff during the initial 3-day camp and that completely changed my perspective on the entire program. 

Deciding to move forward with LANWAN Professional was a key component that helped me ensure that it was not a scam. One of the reasons why [I was able to conclude that LANWAN Professional was not a scam] was the initial training camp, the first 3-day camp. That was offered to me to come out and give their hands-on training a try and meet with the staff as well. It’s basically a quick tour of their program, facility, and what they had to offer. After attending the camp, I realized that this is definitely something that I would consider a great and worthwhile investment. The way that LANWAN Professional operates, the way they’re structured, and the help that you receive from day one is just amazing.

Do you feel that your experience within LANWAN Professional has made a change in your life beyond the technical and the professional level? How has LANWAN Professional impacted you on a personal level?

On a personal level, LANWAN Professional gave me the opportunity to meet new people. I’ve gained new friends from the peers that I’ve worked with in the training camps. We still communicate daily and I have a friend right now who’s working in France because of coming through LANWAN Professional’s program. To me, I think that’s invaluable. I now have friends who are also in the industry working with me and at any point in time I can reach out to them for additional resources or even for a future job placement. They can refer me and I can do the same for them.