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After family business closes, man finds second chance in IT career

Trenton Earwood spent hours on video games and taking apart gaming devices "for fun." Looking back, it's easy to see how his natural inclination would lead to an IT career.

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By
Jane Albright
, freelance reporter
This article was written for our sponsor, MyComputerCareer.

Most people went to school with someone like Trenton Earwood. He wasn't involved in sports or school activities, and grew up quietly in his small Alabama town.

"I wasn't one of the cool kids," he said. "I didn't leave the house."

Instead, he spent hours on video games and taking apart gaming devices "for fun." Looking back, it's easy to see how his natural inclination would lead to a career in information technology. But the expectation was for him to join the family business, so he did.

Last March the family business, a small manufacturing facility, closed. Earwood got a job with a big box store delivering appliances.

"I did math on the money and what I was making a year," he said. "I deserved to try harder for myself. So I did research on better jobs and how to get into them."

IT came out on top of his list.

His brother, living in Concord, N.C., told him about MyComputerCareer and offered him a place to live. So Earwood accepted his offer and enrolled at the Charlotte campus.

Earwood believes he has found his future.

As he attends classes, he has a contract job setting up a new call center for a telecommunications company. He is hoping for a position someday working with people who need help with IT.

His heart is in customer or technical support or any position where he works with people.

"A large part of the IT field is communication, customer service skills," he said. "You have to be patient with people."

Earwood understands the need for patience with anyone who is afraid of computers, and he wants to make life easier for them.

He admits that he wasn't a star in the classroom while growing up, but he enjoys the "learn by doing" approach, along with the classes and theory. The coursework requires concentration and focus -- it isn't easy.

"You need good broad knowledge, and you have to study," he said.

He enjoys the hands-on experience with software, where simulated exercises allow a student to fail and start over without really messing up a computer.

Earwood likes North Carolina and hopes he can find an IT position there but is willing to go wherever he finds an opportunity. He is working through the whole course load for nine certifications and looks forward to learning more about cyber security.

"I have found myself feeling genuinely better about my future," he said. "I have a positivity about myself that I have not had in some time. I am so thankful for these new opportunities in my life."

This article was written for our sponsor, MyComputerCareer.

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