We caught up with Quan Nguyen to learn more about his career path since completing the Technology Support Professional (TSP) program.
What were you doing before studying at BCIT?
Prior to enrolling in the Technology Support Professional (TSP) program, which in 2010 was co-hosted by BCIT and The University of British Columbia (UBC), I completed my Management Information System Bachelor degree at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside.
What led you to this program specifically?
I came to visit Vancouver prior to my last University semester and fell in love with the city and the vibrant lifestyle. During my visit, I had a chance to speak to a lot of BCIT grads and they had nothing but praises for the school and its programs. I took a chance to come and had a conversation with one of the advisors about which program would be the best suitable option for me. In the end, TSP stood out as the best option with its intense course work along with the 2-month hands-on practicum to best prepare me for a chance of getting a job after completing the program.
How have you benefitted from the program?
I got a lot more out of the program than I could have ever imagined. The knowledge, the experiences, the life-long friends, and all the relationships I made during the program were just the tip of the iceberg. The most important lesson I learned was the determination and discipline to constantly challenge my limits and keep pushing myself forward in my young career. I was amazed at all the things I was able to achieve in such a short period of time. Looking back at all the long nights studying and preparing for our CompTIA and Microsoft exams with my classmates are my fondest memories of the program. I have no doubts that those drives and understanding of doing what it takes to be successful in the IT industry made me who I’m today. It’s impossible for anyone to know it all. You must never stop learning and moving forward, especially in a fast-moving industry like IT.
“I got a lot more out of the program than I could have ever imagined.”
Please tell us about the work you’re doing?
After graduating from BCIT my career has been a very exciting journey. I got an offer to start my career as a Data Center tech intern right after TSP. Then, I got a job at a start-up as a System Engineer 3 where I was quickly promoted to a Technical Project Manager in fewer than two years.
Following that success I moved on to become a Network Administrator at one of the biggest property management firms in North America. I was the main person overseeing the merger of two local property management firms into its new head office in Florida. The project had been going on for over two years at the time I joined. It required a lot of planning and integration implementations from the physical network, software/platform migrations, and upgrades, to setting up both physical and virtual machines, VPN, phone system, security measures, and more, while I was still responsible to support 250 users at the Vancouver office on a day-to-day basis by myself. This was the period where I grew significantly both professionally and personally.
Once the project completed successfully, I departed from my role at the firm to become a System Administrator at a successful but low-profile e-Commerce in Burnaby. The role was quite similar to what I had done previously, but little did I know that I was entering the biggest challenge of my career as well as the fastest career acceleration I could ever ask for. In a little over one-and-a-half years, I went from not knowing anything about Microsoft Azure cloud to be the subject matter expert and now working toward the very first senior role of my young career. Professionally, my level of knowledge and confidence communicating with a developer all the way to C-level execs grows on a daily basis. This is so satisfying and rewarding to see the work and effort I put in finally blossoming.
Additional thoughts?
I consider myself extremely lucky that I found a supportive manager and mentor team, and an environment where I could both be myself while skyrocketing my career professionally. I also understand that I’ve always needed to keep my eyes on the prize, knowing exactly what works best for me, and doing thorough research into whatever that might be while absorbing as much experience and wisdom from my peers and networks. And, BCIT definitely played a big part in helping me realize that at a very early stage of my career, and preparing me for a long successfully road ahead.
BCIT continues to offer applied education in a format appropriate to the unfolding global situation. The School of Computing and Academic Studies is accepting applicants for its upcoming intake of the program. Learn more about the BCIT Technology Support Professional (TSP) program at an online info session on May 21 from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm.