The True path to Success

Focus on IT

The True Path to Success

By: Shayan Jebraeili , IT Management, Ryerson University student, Video NOC support with Rogers Communication Inc, Founder, Administrator SJTech Solutions Group 

Ever since I was a kid living in Iran, I have been constantly reminded by those around me that an education is the key to success. It has become the rule of the realm that a university degree is the only way to be happy and successful. But I am finding that this is not necessarily the case. The world is changing, and with it, the skills required for employment and achievement. Though many mainstream careers require theoretical education supplied by institutions such as universities, new discoveries and inventions have paved new paths to employment opportunities and new forms of education to complement those positions. 

Let me start off by telling you a little about myself. My name is Shayan Jebraeili and for the past 22 years, I’ve been living and learning from those around me, and little by little, I’ve been able to establish what I believe to be the key to accomplishing one’s dreams. I think I was around the age of 7, when my father brought home the very first computer I ever used. Of course, at that point, I had my Super Nintendo game system to keep me occupied and wasn’t really interested in the new machine. It was around that time that my uncle introduced me to a new form of entertainment: PC Gaming. I was completely amazed at the new possibilities this machine could bring to my gaming world and soon began to spend more and more time on it. However, it was only after being unable to start the games by myself that I became interested in just how the system actually worked, and so began my technological education.

It was during that time that my family decided to move to Canada, which at that point, opened me up to a whole new world of computer uses and abilities. It was during my sixth year of elementary school that I set foot in the Canadian educational system and quickly learned about the practices of using the internet to find information. It was also during that year that I learned about the different types of computer systems such as Apple’s Mac system. Having learned more about the internet, I convinced my father to sign up for a dial-up internet connection service to aid me in my school work. I, once again began to look for more and more information and now had a faster and more efficient tool to use. Over the years leading to Junior High, I learned more and more about the proper uses of the internet and became familiar with more programs. At the recommendation of my father, I completed a self-learner course regarding utilizing the different elements of Microsoft Office and continued to learn even more programs.  

It wasn’t until my first year of high school that my ambitions became more directed at certain aspects of computers. Having always wanted to know what makes the system tick, I enrolled in two courses entitled: Computer Programming and Computer Engineering. As the lessons started and continued through the semester, I began to learn at an accelerated rate and was able to provide above and beyond programming which earned me a grade of A in the class. Having built a strong foundation in the programming, I put forth the knowledge in my computer engineering course and was able to master the binary language and computer-human interfacing which led me to another grade of A. I decided to further my education and enrol in the next set of programming and engineering courses offered the following year. However, it was during the same time that my girlfriend suggested I enrol in the Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) course offered through my school. I decided that it would another course I could excel at and immediately took her up on the suggestion.  

I had no idea just how much this course would change my life. While the course load was heavy and the language a bit hard to retain for a 16 year old student, I read through the curriculum vigorously and made notes at every point to make sure I could always refer back to my information if necessary. I was right, this was another course I excelled at but more than that, I found myself completely engulfed by the field and began to find every moment possible to build a network or configure a router. My passion soon led me to search out likeminded students in the class, and together we formed an organization of elite and tech savvy students. We decided to start small by implementing a wireless network within the school to make internet access easy and convenient to use for everyone at the school. Soon after the project was started, we began to find that our funding didn’t quite cover our costs. We decided to brainstorm for ideas to fundraise our projects and finally decided on building a cyber café within our school. I was put in charge of this project and after 5-6 months of hard work, we were finally open.  

Having worked with all those people not only gave me the confidence to lead, but also taught me important things about teamwork and cooperation. I learned about risk management and conflict resolution while taking every moment to learn as much as I could from each person I worked with. It was thanks to their lessons that I was able to learn about another operating system known as Linux. And through each lesson I learned more and more about Linux and its contributions to the world of computers and networking.

When I left high school, I knew that I had to become a networking professional and I knew exactly how to get there. The problem was that this knowledge is not gained through a conventional education. No university course could teach me the practices involved in a purely technological field. Rather, the knowledge is obtained through specified industry training, much like other trades such as performance or carpentry. It was then that I encountered my biggest obstacle yet: my parents. I decided that there was no way for me to convince my parents that a university education was not for me, so I enrolled in the engineering program at U of T, while secretly looking for a way to enter the industry. Though my CCNA certification wasn’t as advanced as most companies required, a year later, I was hired at a small telecommunications company - FCI Broadband. After a year of working at the company, I had learned a lot, working my way to the position of third out of the thirteen (senior to me) technicians working there in terms of knowledge and expertise. It was then that FCI Broadband was acquired by Rogers Communications Inc (RCI), which ultimately led to my current position at the Video Network Operations Center of the RCI team.  

Later, I decided to switch my major to Information Technology Management to further pursue the study of telecommunication, but to this day I know that the reason I was able to be successful wasn’t because I studied in university and got a good job based on marks; but rather, it was because I understood what I want to do and did everything in my power to make it happen. The CCNA course may have been a start for me, but it definitely wasn’t and isn’t the end and though I haven’t yet reached my goals, I strive every day to learn more and push myself to reach my dream job. So after twenty two years of learning, working and following my passion the truth of it is that conventional education is not necessarily the ticket to happiness, achievement or even success. If you truly want to be successful, you must be the best; and to be the best, you must follow your passion. If you wish to be a techy like me, a performer, a carpenter, or anything else that requires unconventional education, learn about it, find the path and follow it. A university education and books don’t always lead to your dream; it is hard work and determination that are the keys to unlocking the true path to success.