e-skills & Your Career: You are welcome to the program, e-skills and Your Career on Career development for the knowledge economy. Please let us know more about you.

Akpan: My name is Mbosowo Akpan, I work with Dolland Technology in Calabar in Cross River state. I graduated in Electrical / Electronic Engineering from Yaba College of Technology in Yaba Lagos.

e-skills & Your Career: That's interesting, what have you being doing since graduating from Yaba College of Technology?

Akpan: Well after graduation I decided to leave Lagos to go back to my place – Cross River/Akwa Ibom states. I discovered that technology wise and digitally too my people and my place were far behind time in terms of what exists in Lagos. I therefore decided to explore ways of establishing myself in the technology field. The need to manage my career proactively motivated me to invest in training and skills acquisition in VSAT and Cisco certification, specifically CCNA.

e-skills & Your Career: That's good to know. That means you had to take the initiative on your part. Congratulations on becoming a certified IT Professional. You mentioned CCNA. Please explain the meaning of CCNA for the benefit of our audience. What motivated you into the VSAT cum CCNA combination?

Akpan: CCNA is Cisco Certified Network Associate, Okay. I went for CCNA because I have an interest in Networking and I also saw the need for such skills in my environment. In fact Wireless Networking and the VSAT stuff is seen as something that is so mysterious or difficult that it can only be deployed by people with super special skills or people who have gone abroad for specialized training.

I wanted to stand out. I therefore decided to break this myth, this barrier. I made sure I invested in the practical aspects and have been using all means to demonstrate the skills I acquired. I now know that so many people were in the dark. So many people, a lot of people continually call on me to come and give them enlightenment. They are amazed that this can be possible with somebody in their own back yard. I'm always called for jobs and have become what you can call a "go-to" person in my place for these skills.

e-skills & Your Career: We’re glad to know you’re succeeding. We want you to share key aspects of your experiences with our audience. For example, we receive a lot of mail containing questions on training and certification. How did you make your training and certification choices?

Akpan: Thank you very much. When I decided establish my foundation in Information Technology, I did not just wake up one day and pick any training course or any institution that looks okay. I decided to call my friends who stay in Lagos and my friends who are more or less enlightened in this area., i.e. training and certification. They pointed me in the direction of a training school that does not just cover the theoretical aspect but also is strong in the practical experience. Again I did not jump at their suggestions. I decided to search online for the company and visited the website of the company. What I saw on that website (www.jidaw.com) so amazed me that I couldn’t wait any longer. I knew if I wanted to make progress I just had to invest in the training.

e-skills & Your Career: With regard to VSAT, how was your training experience?

Akpan: A lot of people believe that VSAT training must take like four, five years. Many people didn’t believe or take me serious when I said I was going for the VSAT in just two days. But in the first day the instructor took us through the theoretical aspect of the VSAT. And on the second day the instructor made sure every student was given an opportunity to practice and ask as many question as possible concerning the VSAT installation and configuration.

As a result we all had an in-depth knowledge not only on the theoretical side but actually more on the practical side. I have been using these skills to get jobs, solve problems and provide solutions through VSAT.

e-skills & Your Career: As a VSAT field engineer, please let us know what VSAT Field Engineering entails?

Akpan: VSAT is all about wireless satellite technology. With VSAT skills engineering you know how the signal comes from the Satellite, you know how to incline the dish, you know the direction of the dish, you know about connecting the modem and you know how to achieve Internet connectivity through VSAT technology. Most of the time the focus is on technical ways through which you can provide internet using VSAT. You know about the equipment required and the connections of equipment as well as field issues that come up during installation.

e-skills & Your Career: Mr. Akpan what are your future plans

Akpan: Thank you very much. I want to keep on growing, learning new things and building on the foundation I’ve gotten so far. In fact I will not stop where I am now and I intend to invest in other professional areas like network security, wireless and network admin.

e-skills & Your Career: Okay, thank you Mbosowo: How has Jidaw and Jidaw.com been of benefit to you?

Akpan: When I came to Jidaw I discovered that the training is in depth. The instructors are very sound. You are fed not only with the theoretical aspect but you are also well equipped in the practical aspect. I must mention that the Jidaw seminar as well. If you attend Jidaw Seminar the Jidaw Team really drills you on having the right reasons for getting certified, how to achieve certification, and why it is important not to go to sleep after getting certified.

In fact the way I see Jidaw is that they want IT to reach every nook and cranny of Nigeria. They believe that though Nigeria is regarded as a developing country but Jidaw wants to tell the whole world Nigeria can do what the whole can do also.

e-skills & Your Career: Okay thank you very much for your kind comments. And finally what are your thoughts on this program, e-skills and your career?

Akpan: Well thank you very much. e-skills and your career is meeting a need because a lot needs to be done. Even those selling in the market don’t know they can use internet, or how they can use computers to enhance their skills. Every sector and profession needs technology so it is a timely and useful program that requires the support of all.

 

e-skills & Your Career: Thank you very much Akpan, for your time, interest and enthusiasm in developing Nigeria’s knowledge society.


Mbosowo Akpan, CCNA, is an IT professional based in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. He specializes in providing VSAT, Networking and related services.

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