Quick Mentoring Program Overview
The mentoring program is designed to support students through their academic life, as well as to focus on their long-term career development and personal growth, PC AGE's Mentoring Program is a structured, often one-to-one relationship, that connects seasoned IT professionals and successful past graduates with current students to help optimize their potential, to gain maximum benefits from our training, to achieve goals and milestones, and start a truly rewarding IT career.
Luis Galvez
Luis Galvez, 51, was a professional truck driver when he joined PC AGE in 2001. After graduating, he worked as an Instructor for PC AGE and then moved on to work in the IT field. He reached a six-figure income in just 12 years after graduating from PC AGE - with no college degree (and still does not have a college degree). Luis lives and works in New York City, and he has been Head of IT at International Institute for Learning.
- Education: PC AGE graduate, 2002.
- Current Employment: Help Desk Manager/Senior Systems Administrator.
- Prior Experience: Head of IT, International Institute for Learning.
- Certifications: A+, MCSE, MCTS, CCNA, Citrix, C++.
- Hobbies: Computers, playing with his cat, fishing, electronic music, running, eating out, and photography.
Umar Jawed
Umar Jawed, 27, started PC AGE right after high school and graduated at 18 with 5 IT certifications. While attending PC AGE, he landed his first IT job as a Network Administrator. Umar has been a guest instructor at PC AGE, helping students complete the program and attain certifications. He is constantly looking for ways to advance his career, learn new courses, and obtain more certifications. When asked what his motivation is for achieving this much at only 27, his answer is his family.
- Education: PC AGE graduate at Associate in CS, pursuing Bachelors in Cybersecurity.
- Current Employment: Senior Cybersecurity Engineer at Dine Brands.
- Prior Experience: Peapack-Gladstone Bank and Microsoft, where he had the opportunity to work with industry leaders on large-scale projects to help secure the infrastructure for a major public sector customer.
- Certifications: CEH, PenTest+, Azure Security Technologies (AZ-500), Microsoft 365 Security Administration (MS-500), Security+, Network+, among others.
- Hobbies: Going on nature walks with his dog, traveling, and hanging out with his close friends.
Usama Jawed
Usama Jawed, 33, graduated from PC AGE in 2006. After graduation, he landed several jobs with well-known organizations working as an IT consultant. In 2015, he was hired as a Cybersecurity contractor at Microsoft that turned into a full-time position in 2018 and he was able to reach a six-figure income. He says that Cybersecurity is an exciting and challenging field that keeps him on his toes, and motivates him to learn and excel in his career.
- Education: PC AGE graduate in 2006, AS degree (IT) TESU, 2016.
- Current Employment: Senior Cybersecurity Lead at Microsoft.
- Prior Experience: Windows Engineer and Security Engineer.
- Certifications: A+, MCSE, AZ-103: Microsoft Azure Administrator, AZ-100: Microsoft Azure Infrastructure and deployment, CISSP (In progress).
- Hobbies: Traveling and playing competitive tennis.
CISSP: Certified Information System Security Professional
CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Asociate
MCSE: Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert
CCSP: Certified Cloud Security Professional
CEH: Certified Ethical Hacker
MCTS: Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist
Age as of Dec 2020
Fun Fact!
Studies show that people with mentors can have greater career success, including promotions, raises, and increased opportunities.
Fun Fact!
Studies show that people with mentors can have greater career success, including promotions, raises, and increased opportunities.