2016

Elena

Elena of Mexico thanks Tec de Monterrey for helping with CCNA Networking Essentials which led to a job as a Software Engineer in Cybersecurity with a major tech firm.

“The Academy allowed me to start the journey of networking from knowing nothing while studying Robotic. I volunteered at Networking Academies 15th Anniversary helping with the logistic of more than 150 students in Mexico city at Tec CEM.  During this event, I realized I wanted to work at Cisco and I am happy to say that I have 5 years in the company!!!”

Gabriela

Gabriela of Lima, Peru thanks Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas for help with Networking, Programming and Cybersecurity which led to a job as a Technical Project Manager with Cisco Networking Academy.

“Yes, I fell in love with Networking after taking the CCNA course and that got me an internship at Cisco and later this job I have now. Everything I learned has been key to my professional development.”

Nompilo

Nompilo of Gauteng, South Africa thanks Information and Communications Technology for helping with CCNA which led to a job as a Business Development Manager in the communications industry.

“As a network consulting engineer at Cisco, it became easy for me to support Service Provider customers in terms of helping them optimize and prevent their network infrastructure from breaking and getting exposed to risks. Skills that I acquired from CCNA – Cisco Networking Academy helped me understand and be able to navigate through customer networks and provide best practice recommendations.”

Liliana

Liliana of Mexico thanks the Facultad de Ingenieria for help with CCNA and Networking Essentials which led to a job as Customer Project manager in the Banking Sector.

“Studying the Cisco Networking Academy modules helped me to understand engineering language and how networks work. This complements my current position where I need to attend technical calls with the engineering team and the customer and be able to understand at what point we are at in the migration by having an idea of the network and seeing the network diagram.”

Katikila

Katikila of D.R. Congo thanks the Institute National de Preparation Professionelle for help with Networking CCNA, CCNP, ENCOR, DevNet, and CyberOps Associate, which led to a job as entrepreneur in the cybersecurity sector.

“The Cisco program has helped me grow personally and create job opportunities with my startup, providing IT services to businesses. Our solutions are based on the planning, creation, configuration, management and securing of the computer network for companies.”

Ali

Ali of Tanzania thanks the State University of Zanzibar for help with (DevNet), Networking (CCNA, Networking Essentials), and Cybersecurity (CyberOps Associate), which led to a job as network administrator in the healthcare sector.

“Without Cisco Academy I was blind on Networking and Security Technologies. Since I started Cisco training, I found my Light to see through professional Technologies Carrier Knowledge and experience with a willingness to go above the scope of this knowledge.”

Michelle

Michelle of Missouri (USA) thanks Hannibal-LaGrange University for help with CCNA which led to a job as Professor of Computer Science in the education sector.

“Because I teach networking classes, I was much more equipped to handle the recent job change I was asked to take. Our campus IT director passed unexpectedly and I was asked to step up and take on the campus network. While it is still a huge job, without the network training, the move would have been impossible. There are many things in the production environment that cannot be replicated in educational lessons, but the Cisco training put us in a good position to take the theory and limited practice and move into the practical realm.”

Percy Luis

Percy Luis of Peru thanks Facultad de Ingenieria industrial y sistemas for help with CCNA which led to a job as Networking Engineer in the Information Technology sector.

“I’m from Perú and studied CCNA modules in NetAcad from 2012 to 2013; it was the best experience for learning and also for its good resources. Thanks to this solid base (knowledge of Routing and Switching, configuration with real devices, and using Cisco Packet Tracer software), I got the CCNA certification. Now I’m CCNP Enterprise, Cisco Learning Network VIP from 2019, and work in networking and telecommunication projects.”

Reza

Reza of Jakarta, Indonesia thanks Electrical and Information Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada for helping with CCNA Networking Essentials which led to a job as a Technical Solutions Specialist with Cisco’s collaboration team in the tech industry.

“Cisco Networking Academy provided me with the basics of Computer Networking, how connection works, TCP/IP models, WAN Connection and more.”

Michael

Michael of Australia thanks Blacktown TAFE for helping with CCNA and Networking Essentials which led to a job as a Systems Administrator at a Fortune 500 technology company.

“The skills I acquired from studying Networking Academy courses has broaden my understanding of IT and the different career paths. I’ve been able to help my community, including a church stream their services during the pandemic. My extensive understanding of network issues helps me in my job and at home to ensure a lag-free gaming experience on TWITCH and content creation on YouTube. The courses are worthwhile for expanding your knowledge and advancing your career. All thanks to Cisco Networking Academy.”

Anthony

Anthony of the U.S thanks Horseheads High School for help with Networking Essentials which led to a job as a Consulting Engineer with a Service Provider.

“The skills that I learned through Cisco Networking Academy allowed me to excel as I went through the BS Computer Engineering Technology program at Alfred State College in NY. After obtaining my degree, I was able to successfully land a Network Engineer role at a Service Provider for my first job. One year later, I found myself at Cisco and have loved every second of it. Thanks, Cisco!! : )”

Ashley

Ashley of San José, Costa Rica thanks CTP Calle Blancos for help with CCNA Routing & Switching which led to a job as a Technical Project Manager in IT.

“Thanks to NetAcad, I found my passion for technology, it gave me hope and created a dream… that finally came true, I am here. Today, I am an Instructor and I promote the career of more professionals. Thanks to Cisco and NetAcad I started working when I was young and today, I am happy and fulfilled with my family (my daughter and me), my work and myself. Life has taught me that there are no limits to dream and grow.  THANKYOU Cisco and NetAcad, you are my family!”

Lathifah

Lathifah of Jakarta, Indonesia thanks Information Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada for helping with CCNA which led to a job as a Consulting Engineer in the IT Industry.

“The skills I learned during my time at Cisco Academy were very useful and were the main reason that I could enter the IT industry. It also helped me get my dream job at Cisco.

Who would have thought that this invaluable experience could be achieved. I get to interact directly with big Cisco routers at customer service provider sites, experience long night – maintenance window…it’s incredible.”

Samuel

Samuel of the United Kingdom thanks The Leigh Academy for help with The Cisco IT Essentials Course which led to a job as an Associate Systems Engineer in Sales.

“I started the Cisco IT essentials Course at age 13. Without it, I wouldn’t be working in IT or at Cisco. I owe so much to Cisco Networking Academy, it was a fantastic introduction to networking and enterprise systems.”

Emmanuel

Emmanuel of Estado de México, Mexico thanks Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Coacalco (TESCo) for help with CCNA, Networking Essential(s) which led to a job as a Senior Security Consulting Engineer in Cybersecurity.

“CCNA, Networking Essentials certification gave me the opportunity to enroll and learn about other certifications such as CCNA Security. This allowed me to apply for a junior position at Cisco Systems Mexico where I had the opportunity to share my knowledge to other engineers and students across different initiatives. Finally, and after 5 years and additional certifications (such as Devnet Associate, Professional, CCNP Security and Routing and Switching), I was accepted to a new position as a Security Problem Manager followed by Senior Security Consulting Engineer in Cisco Poland where I live nowadays.”

Wendel

Wendel of Sao Paulo, Brazil thanks SENAI Suiço brasileiro | Centro Universitário SENAC Santo Amaro for helping with CCNA which led to a job as a Customer Success specialised in Enterprise Networking with a major technology firm.

“My point of entry in the industry was at SENAI and taking the Cisco Networking Academy course. The knowledge acquired helped me in my very first job and the fundamentals that I learnt still resonate with me to this day.”

Lucia

Lucia of Seoul, South Korea thanks Kyung Hee University for help with Networking (CCNA, CCNP), and IoT which led to a job as a Network Consulting Engineer in Automation and Data Center.

“When I started in Cisco Networking Academy I had no idea about networking. However, I was able to learn the most basic knowledge relating to the network with CCNA courses. I had the opportunity to deep dive my learning in routing and switching and it led me to Cisco. I did more courses including Introduction to IoT, which I was really interested in, and I found a fascination that I shared with other students, and they loved it. I was very pleased to share the fun of networking and see the students’ interest. I clearly recall the memory.”

Laura

Laura of Atlantico, Colombia thanks Institucion Universitaria ITSA for help with Networking (CCNA) which led to a job as a Technical Consulting Engineer Team Lead in the IT industry.

“I’ve always felt a passion for networking and really wanted to get an opportunity to work with Cisco. I decided to enroll in a CCNA course to start getting Cisco certifications. NetAcad was my first option and attending the course enabled me to participate in the Cisco NetRiders 2015 competition. Thanks to the great instructor I had and the study program, I was able to get in third place in the competition and won a voucher to do a certification exam. I chose CCNA and from there on, I had the skills which enabled me to get a job with a Cisco outsourcing company in Colombia. NetAcad was the door that led me to where I am right now; working directly with Cisco Mexico in the TAC organization and I continue to study to earn more certifications.”

Alim

Alim of U.S thanks Thomas A. Edison CTE High School for help with CCNA, CyberOps Associate, which led to a job as a Meraki Network Support Engineer in Cloud Networking.

“The skills I’ve learned from the Cisco Networking Academy have allowed me to venture into different industries and sectors with confidence in my problem-solving abilities because of the strong educational foundation provided by the Networking Academy. A few industries I’ve worked in include Healthcare SaaS, E-learning, Education, and Financial Services. I’ve achieved multiple certifications following my Networking Academy courses including: CCNP Enterprise, Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate, CompTIA CASP+, Server+, Security+, Network+, and A+. I also endeavor to continually learn new skills and technologies to keep my industry knowledge up to date.”

Hafiz

Hafiz of Pakistan thanks the Nanotechz Institute for help with Devnet which led to a job as cybersecurity consultant in the ICT sector.

“I first got inspired by the introductory classes of my telecommunication engineering journey under the guidance of highly qualified professors at my university. I was particularly interested in SecOps, Machine Learning for Security applications, sensor networks, Internet-of-Things (IoT), Multi-cloud and Antenna Design. I started working to gain professional certifications with Cisco, i.e., CCNA, CyberOps and DevNet Associates, followed by a few more major certifications, after which I became a CCAI (Cisco Certified Academy Instructor).

These have allowed me to work on different research articles that involved advanced technologies. While achieving these certifications, the thrill in me got me ahead. I worked on Programming and Simulation using advanced versions of software, like MATLAB, Python, HFSS, MultiSim, GNS3, EVE-NG, and many tools which helped me find clarity in my concepts with respect to hardware implementation. While in my 7th semester, I worked on a research project, ‘Exploiting UoS Web Server and Enterprise Network Vulnerabilities with Penetration Testing’ and received a distinction at University after submitting my thesis and final year research project.

This project was sponsored by the HEC, the idea bagged the first spot regionally and was among the top 10 globally. More recently, I proposed a methodology and working phenomenon to help improve cybersecurity culture to help advance the level of security. We launched the idea at the National Incubation Center as an Incubatee and developed it into a start-up program. I have also interned at two of the leading telecom companies i.e., PEL and Warid, where I worked on advanced networking projects. Throughout my internship, I developed a keen understanding of emerging technologies that inspired me to a point where I got myself enrolled in a project titled ‘An Offensive and Defensive Technical Approach of 5G for IoT and cloud computing networks”.
In this project, I developed two MATLAB Applications supported by python with fulfilling simulations via GNS3; one that finds the characters of a password on login and implements minimum login requirements, and another that generates munged passwords to ensure password hardening to perform network security hardening and monitoring. This helped me to land a cybersecurity consultancy role at one of the best banks in Pakistan. I have been serving at Google DSC community as a technical lead and at IEEEXtreme as a core team member where I refined my leadership skills. Due to this, I got the chance to work as a section lead for IEEEXtreme, Karachi Section. Moreover, I act as an active part of the NAVTTC Technical Training Centre, supported by the Government of Pakistan, where I educate students regarding scratch technical platforms and programming. All throughout, it has been a great and fruitful journey of my life. I believe this is just the beginning of success, knowing that I had little to no resources. I have and will keep giving my best to attain fruitful outcomes. I aim to focus and explore new ways to understand user specifications; precisely, the ability to structure and design our own ideas and then implement them by fulfilling industry standards; whilst having the ability to code and build software applications that can turn helpful for the transformation of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry. I seek to transform my ideas and make use of my problem-solving approach to become a good researcher that would help me to solve societal problems”.

Nathan

Nathan of the U.S thanks Mesa Community College for helping with Networking (CCNA, CCNP) which led to a job as a Technical Leader in the technology industry.

“The Cisco Networking Academy is the main reason I work in Networking and at Cisco. The Networking Academy courses provided a strong foundation for the future, where I demonstrated mastery of theoretical and practical concepts to Cisco in interviews. The skills learnt through the Networking Academy provided a leg-up and helped shorten ramp-up time when I joined Cisco as a new-hire TAC engineer, allowing me to refine and deepen my expertise in the Routing and Switching domain. The Networking Academy had a truly profound impact on my career, as a Catalyst Switching Technical Leader at Cisco, I continue to utilize the skills built through the courses offered through the Networking Academy to positively impact Cisco and customers around the world.”

Miguel

Miguel of Tamaulipas, Mexico thanks Universidad Politecnica de Victoria, Mexico for help with Networking (CCNA, Networking Essentials) which led to a job as a Consulting Engineer in a Data Center.

“As one of the privileged graduated alumnus from Cisco Networking Academy, I can say that the skills I gained after learning and completing my NetAcad courses were a solid foundation to start my professional career within Cisco. I was able to become an ambassador within my Cisco Networking Academy local community by sharing my experience and encouraging other people to follow their dreams. I cannot thank Cisco Networking Academy team enough for giving me the tools and skills to boost my career after I graduated from college!”

Chiara

Chiara of Santa Fe Argentina thanks Universidad Nacional de Rosario for helping with CCNA which led to a job as a Customer Experience Customer Success Specialist in the communications industry.

“Networking Academy gave me the possibility to discover and experience an entire new world of possibilities. It introduced me into Networking, which was a totally new topic for me, and it changed the way I used to learn through interactive self-learning and simulations that I could complete from home -when that was not so usual-, as well as through hands-on labs. It was a key part of my preparation to sit for my first Cisco Certification. And, most importantly, it helped me to figure out what professional career I wanted to build after University. Sometime later, while working at Cisco, it also allowed me to participate in different opportunities to give back to the community, motivating other students to choose technical roles, teaching a Networking Academy course to contribute to their professional development, and inspiring people about that world of possibilities that tech offers.”

Lucas

Lucas of Santa Fe, Argentina thanks Universidad Nacional de Rosario for help with CCNA that led to a job as a Systems Architect in the technology industry.

“Cisco Networking Academy was the foundation of my professional career. It helped me discover Networking and realize I wanted to work in the world of IT. The skills I have gained during the courses helped me get my first job in Networking, and after that I got into Cisco as a Systems Architect.  But for me, Cisco Networking Academy was not only about learning new technical topics. I’ve realized the way of delivering that knowledge to anyone with a PC, who can learn no matter where they are is very valuable for the community.

Moving to a big city to study and live can be both expensive and time consuming. What NetAcad brings is an opportunity to learn, providing affordable and accessible education for everyone. Students with the desire to learn and develop themselves can take up studying with NetAcad and in turn improve the lives of their families and enjoy a better life for themselves. All they need is the opportunity, and Networking Academy provides this. The mission of Cisco Networking Academy is what impacted me the most. I had the chance to become an instructor and see it for myself. Today, at work, I can say that having NetAcad graduates is both good for the ecosystem and for the community. Networking Academy was the foundation of my professional career”.

Fajar

Fajar of Indonesia thanks Universitas Gadjah Mada for help with a Bachelor of Engineering degree which led to being the winner of the APJ Problem Solver Challenge. This led to Fajar starting his own business as the Founder of Banoo Indonesia in Technology and Aquaculture.

“It was an honour to win the Cisco Asia Pacific Japan Global Problem Solver Challenge 2017. It was a priceless experience to be invited by Cisco to Sydney and visit several technology and innovation institutions there. My team and I developed an aquaculture technology innovation named iFish, Internet of Fishery. iFish provided an affordable and integrated aquaculture technology for calm water fish farmers not only to monitor but also to troubleshoot water quality issues in real-time through a microbubble aeration system and IoT-based water quality sensor, integrated with mobile apps which enables farmers to monitor their ponds remotely. After our trip to Sydney, which Cisco Australia sponsored, we were thrilled to push forward our project and idea to be commercialized to have a bigger impact on Indonesian fish farmers. And fortunately, we could do that and established a start-up named Banoo in 2018. From that time, we succeeded in getting funding from international and national institutions and also won several international innovation awards. Participating in Cisco Networking Academy is one of the most priceless experiences in my life!”

Berenice

Berenice of Mexico City thanks NetAcad’s free self-paced IoT course that contributed to a job as a Technical Consulting Engineer in the Cybersecurity and Telecommunications industry.

“NetAcad helped me to better understand Cisco Technologies which made a big difference when I applied to get a job.”

Charles

Charles of U.S. thanks Texas State Technical College for help with CCNA which led to a job as a Technical Consulting Engineer in Network Intelligence.

“The skills I learned from Cisco Networking Academy and from my instructors have empowered me to think outside of the box and look at the whole problem to provide solutions for customers that are smart, efficient, and reliable.”

Devin

Devin of North Carolina, USA, thanks Wake Technical Community College, Central Carolina Community College, East Carolina University for help with Networking (CCNA, CCNP), and Security (CCNA Sec) which led to a job as System Engineer in the IT Industry.

“Cisco Networking Academy was where I found my love for networking. It kick-started my career and gave me a clear path to develop the skill set I leverage every day to assist customers in designing, optimizing, and evolving their networks”.

Tochukwu

Tochukwu of Nigeria thanks Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Concords Community College for help with Networking Essentials, Introduction to Networks, and CCNA.

“I felt empty after graduating from school in 2017 as I had no relevant digital skills needed in recent times to find work. So, I started searching how to upskill. Having a passion for computer networks and cybersecurity, I decided to start taking courses in these two areas and they have equipped me so much that I feel really confident and employable. If I have the necessary financial resources, I will take even more courses to better equip myself in preparation for the future. Thanks to Cisco Networking Academy for helping to put my career on the right track.”