Tristan Atha is a student in the Information Technology Program and began his education at WVJC in August 2020. Tristan previously attended both Marshall University and Fairmont State University. While at Marshall, Tristan was enrolled in the civil engineering program before transferring to Fairmont State for a short time before leaving school and joining the workforce.
For a few years, Tristan worked in the Carpenter’s Union doing construction work. While working in the construction industry, Tristan was faced with hard-labor jobs that were riddled with inconsistent work schedules and uncertainty of even having a job through the changing demands of the industry. After dealing with the difficulties of the construction industry for a while, Tristan decided it was time to go back to school.
Tristan says he has always had an interest in the Information Technology field and decided to look into programs close to his hometown of Weston, WV. After some looking, Tristan decided to attend WVJC because he did not want to take online classes. WVJC was also the closest school that offered hands-on, in-person classes for an Information Technology degree.
Since starting school at WVJC, Tristan has come to really enjoy the opportunities and experiences that come with applying what he learns in a hands-on manner. He also says that he enjoys the friendly rivalry between his peers regarding grades and certification* exam scores, which has only pushed him to apply himself further.
Tristan says his favorite classes have definitely been the networking and A+ certification*- related classes. He especially enjoyed his Introduction to Computer Hardware class. He had the opportunity to pick out the parts to build a PC and take those parts and put them together to build a fully functioning PC.
After graduating from WVJC, Tristan would like to land a career that is in the field of networking or security. Beyond a career, Tristan also hopes to someday further his education by earning a Bachelor’s Degree in either programming or a security-related field. Tristan has enjoyed his education experience at WVJC and would recommend the school to anyone looking to get an education in the field of Information Technology, but stresses that “you must put in your best effort to get anything out of the education.”
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*Certification is contingent upon passing the corresponding industry certification exam.