Commencement
On behalf of the faculty and staff of PC ProSchools I want to first of all congratulate you on your amazing accomplishment. As the Vice President of Educational Services I have had the honor of watching you progress through the program. Do you remember your CAT5 cable? This cable represented your JOURNEY...
Ernest Hemmingway said that "It is good to have an end to journey towards but it is the journey that matters in the end."
Your journeys’ have not always been smooth. I have met with some of you personally along the way. When fears and doubts set in and you wanted to unplug your cables. I am so glad that you did not. I am proud of you. You were strong and perservered.
The sum of a journey equals a new perspective of home. I am certain each of you, especially those of you who already are working in the IT world have a vastly different perspective on life. That’s because you’ve committed to the first click. You’ve heard the sound. You’re locked in.
Congratulations!
So...While your formal education with us is complete your journey with Life long learning as an educated professional is just beginning. You have earned a certain level respect that few ever get to experience but you must maintain it. IT is constantly changing. Keep in touch with each other. This is your network. Each of you will learn about a different new technology or initiative at your place of employment and you need to share it. Read. Stay current. Research shows that children that come from parents that have education past high school consistently score higher on test scores and are 75% more likely to attend post-secondary education themselves. So for those of you that are first generation post-secondary education graduates... congratulations and thank you for starting a tradition of success for your families. For those of you who are 2nd or 3rd generation graduates, thank you for keeping the tradition going. You are securing a successful future for your children.
In closing, stay positive. Dive right into this industry as you dove into school. Employers know you are a recent graduate. Waiting 6 months or until you have ALL of your certifications isn’t necessary. Start building your network and applying. Mom, Dads, husbands and wives…. You have supported your loved ones for months, don’t stop now. Keep on them to get that job. Today is the first day of the rest of your life, right? There’s no need to wait. Commit to the click again and again. Because in the end.. it is the journey that really matters. Challenge yourself to achieve your fullest potential. As Mark Twain wrote: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do".
My message is forever simple. Now that you have completed your program and achieved your certifications, love what you do. Be good at it and command respect and attention for your efforts. I know that you will bring creativity and courage to the IT industry. From the bottom of my heart… Congratulations!
Congratulations, graduate. I stand before you now for your final lecture, so to speak. You have successfully completed your courses at PC ProSchools. As you look back on it, I am willing to bet that it doesn’t seem quite so tough now. I’m sure there were times when you felt a little, shall I say, “outgunned”. I myself, as a graduate of PC ProSchools, relate to the same challenges: the exams, permissions, TCP/IP addressing, printer priorities, all of those fun little things in the world of Microsoft operating systems. However, now as your instructor I urge you to remember that you have taken the time to understand these technologies, and that’s what makes you an IT professional, because you have the patience and understanding of computers that others simply want no part of. You set it up, make it work, fix it when it’s broke, and that’s exactly what employers will pay you for. Your skills will be an asset to a company’s production network, and without you the efficiency of that network will suffer.
As you start the beginning of the next journey, one into the field of IT, be confident. Trust me; you know more than you even know you do. And when new technologies emerge and your employer wants you to be well versed in these systems, don’t panic because you did learn one extremely valuable skill: you have the ability to learn IT, and learn it quickly. Knowing that, don’t be afraid to dive head-first into things you don’t have any experience on. The more you learn, the more you grow, and the more versatile you will become as an IT professional.
With that, I would once again, like to extend my congratulations. I take this moment now to officially welcome you to the IT Industry. I consider you a colleague of mine now. So get out there and prove that you can fix problems, and keep the computers running properly for the end users that use them. Keep up on those certifications, good luck, and I wish you the best.