- Dec 2 2016
- IT Career Lab, Non-profit, Workforce
- 0
IT Career Lab Graduate is Wired for Success!
December 2, 2016 IT Career Lab, Non-profit, Workforce 0


Richard Gutierrez
Richard Gutierrez was looking for a new career after being laid off from his job as a truck driver and was uncertain of his future career path. One day after returning from the unemployment office, he got a lead from an unexpected source: his father. “My ‘old man’ heard about [National Able Network] and recommended it to me!”
Richard came to National Able Network (Able) looking for career guidance, and quickly realized that working in Information Technology was a no-brainer for him. “I knew my way around IT. I’ve been around computers all my life, they made sense to me, eventually I learned how to fix them.”
Richard learned about how IT Career Lab could help him pursue his new career in IT from his Career Coach, Kelsey Briggs-Dineen and was impressed! The course was immersive and fast-paced, and the subject matter was complex. While at times it was challenging to try and absorb so much information so fast, Richard was quick to praise the staff at IT Career Lab: “They’re such good people; if I had questions, the teachers were happy to stop and explain things to me.”
As impressive as his classes at IT Career Lab were, Richard was amazed by how much help he received from Kelsey and his Account Manager, Jon Kimmel. As soon as Richard received his Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) certification, Kelsey helped polish his resume, and Jon helped him look for contract work in IT. Richard has been working contract positions as a PC technician since graduating from IT Career Lab earlier this year, but he is still stunned by Kelsey’s attentiveness: “Kelsey’s amazing; she still keeps up with me even now! She was top-notch.”
Richard is quick to praise Able for helping him figure out where he wanted to go, and then help him get there: “Able held my hand through the entire process.” His advice to fellow IT Career Lab students was simple: “buckle down and study harder!”
Congratulations Richard!
If you or someone you know is interested in a career in IT, click here to learn more about IT Career Lab provided by National Able Network.