Course correction leads Goodwill student to achievement

 9/19/2014

For Jimmy Johnson, the chance to earn his latest certification came as a surprise.

Jimmy Johnson (right) shows a copy of his CompTIA A+ certification, which he earned after taking Shawn Thomas’ (left) class at TulsaWORKS.

The transplanted Texan was at a TulsaWORKS orientation to sign up for the private security training course. Johnson had been unable to find a job in IT, which he had studied in college. So, he was feeling forced to fall back on his background in security; he held a Texas license, but not a CLEET certification for Oklahoma.

However, during orientation, there was a mention of a new offering, the CompTIA A+ certification training course. It was so new, the class hadn’t even made it on the course listing.

“I dropped my papers,” Johnson, 43, said. “I was like, “What? Why didn’t they tell me about that?”

CompTIA A+ is the entry-level certification for the information technology field. The certification shows the holder has the technical skill and knowledge to work with PCs, and having one can launch a career in IT.

“I knew that A+ was the key to opening doors,” Johnson said. “You had to have A+ before (employers) would even talk to you.”

Johnson initially learned to fix and set up computers on his own. As a Navy veteran, he took a course at Paris Junior College in Texas through the Veteran Retraining Assistance Program. He graduated with a 3.8 GPA, but felt the course was too light on technical, hands-on training.

Afterwards, Johnson did an internship of sorts and continued his self-study. The chance to earn the A+ certification, however, eluded him. And 7 months later, Johnson found himself in Oklahoma, thinking all of his schooling had been a waste of time and energy.

The class at Goodwill changed that. Johnson is the first graduate of the TulsaWORKS course to take and pass the A+ test.

“This class is what helped me to pass this exam,” he said.

Johnson is already studying to earn the CompTIA Network+ certification. The Goodwill class helped him to grow, Johnson said, and he wants to continue that process.