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Lucy Lora
Network Support
New York University School of Medicine
Career Quick Look
Age: 28
Location: New York, NY
Education: CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate); A+ Computer Technician Certificate
Ethnicity: Latina
Salary: $35,000 - $45,000
Years in field: 7 months
""The most important thing for me is that I started something and I finished it. I didn't quit," Lucy says."
Getting Started:
Lucy had held previous jobs as an office manager and administrator for a cable company. She was on maternity leave last fall when a friend told her about the Cisco Networking Academy Program. "She was going to sign up herself, but it turned out she couldn't make it," Lucy recalls. "So I went to the orientation, and it sounded like something I would like."
She signed up that same day. "We had to take a placement test," she says, "and write an essay, and go through some interviews." Lucy says she had worked with computers before, "but mostly with applications and software. I definitely thought it would be a good career change."
Education:
The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) was offering the Cisco Networking Academy Program,, which was held at a center in Harlem, "because they were geared toward people in the inner cities - in what they call empowerment zones," Lucy explains. She was working evenings at the cable company, with two days off during the week, so the class schedule - Monday through Wednesday mornings, and all day Thursday and Friday -was "actually very accommodating for me," she says.
The six-month training begins with A+, which taught the students basic computer tech skills. "It was an introduction to computers for a lot of us," she says. "At the end you have to take the exam, which was really hard." After that, she explains, "you go into the Cisco Networking Academy Program classes, and you start with the networking basics." During the training, many students were matched with internships around the city. Lucy was placed at the NYU Medical Center, where she got further hands-on experience in networking and configuring switches. When she learned of a job opening at the School of Medicine, Lucy applied and was hired.
Greatest Professional Achievement:
"I would definitely say it's my [CCNA] certificate," Lucy says. "There were times I thought I was going to quit. I didn't know if I'd make it, I didn't know if I had it in me," she says. Despite the demanding schedule of study and tests, keeping up with her work and her children, Lucy was determined to complete her course. "The most important thing for me is that I started something and I finished it," she says, "I didn't quit."
Barriers:
Lucy says the six-month training was rigorous and extremely demanding for a working mother of two. "You have a test every day," she says. "It's very intense. I'm a mother, I was working, it was very difficult. There were definitely many times I just wanted to quit, but I kept going and made it through."
Working with Men:
Lucy was one of only two female students in their class of 25, but since everyone was starting at the same level, she says she didn't mind. "The school set-up and everything was fine," she says. "Once you're out in the field, it's very different." Most workplaces are still heavily male dominated, she says, "so sometimes it's hard for you to get your respect, to get recognition. It's harder than I thought it would be."
Advice for Women:
"Although it's hard at times," Lucy says, "if it's something you really like, I would say to just go for it. Give it a try." Her own accomplishments have taught Lucy not to be afraid of a challenge. "You have to study and you have to prove yourself … to make a name for yourself," Lucy says.
Typical Workday/Environment:
Each morning Lucy arrives and checks email, then looks at the office's 'Remedy' system, which is how her work tickets are generated. "Basically I go in, look at the number of tickets in my queue, and then I go through the tickets and prioritize," she explains. "A lot of them are port activations or migrations," she says, "when someone has moved to a new location in the building. A lot of them are IP addressing issues, which is what you need in order to get out to the network. It usually means you're registering a new computer." Working at a major medical center makes for a busy and exciting environment. "Within NYU there are many different clinics," Lucy says, "so we support a whole lot of users."
Career Ladder:
Entry level positions in networking tend to be on a help desk, responding to various user problems or questions. With further training and experience, Lucy says, most people look to advance to the level of CCNP (Cisco Certified Networking Professional). "They have more managing responsibilities," she explains, such as planning networks and configuring systems. "That's where you want to be," she says.
Professional Associations:
NA
Hobbies:
When she's not working, Lucy spends lots of time with her family. "We go roller-blading," she says. "We like to do a lot of different things, depending on the weather. And I like reading also."
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