Jacobus Verpakker

I'm James Packer and I have worked in education for 12-years progressing from a technician to network manager during that time. Once my children had grown up, I could look for more challenging roles, in particular, IT roles and realised very quickly that while I was technically capable, employment positions required certain qualifications. With this in mind, I investigated my options and training courses including distance learning.

I settled on Firebrands approach and it's unique way of rewarding hard work through instructor-led courses. It was easy to follow and the classroom was open 24/7 so I could revise whenever I wanted. This was a learning experience like no other and it enabled me, in just two weeks, to progress to a fully qualified MCITP Server Admin and then Enterprise admin. Due to the great structure of learning and the possibility of resists, the instructor helped me to pass another exam: so I am also Sharepoint certified.

With my newly found qualifications, I reentered the job market and put out my CV on a job board and within 2 months I had three job offers. I accepted the role of Technical Manager and started on my new life with 20 staff working for me. The next step in my professional development entailed returning to Firebrand to complete MCSA Office 365 and Azure MCSA and these together with my experience in education has enabled me to progress to become Head of Technical, in a Managed Services company, running a large technical department of over 100 staff.

Thank you Firebrand.