Northeast State has established a testing site for computer information technology students seeking to earn valuable industry certifications.
Located on the second floor of the Technical Education Complex building of the College’s Blountville campus, the Pearson VUE center provides a testing site for computer science students seeking certifications from top-tier technology companies.
Pearson VUE is a computer-based test proctor and delivery company used worldwide. The center welcomed its first students for exams at the Northeast State site in the spring of 2023. The center houses exams used for information technology companies such as Cisco, CompTIA, and EC-Council, among others.
“It is an excellent demonstration of skill as an IT job candidate has taken the time to learn the content to the level to be able to sit down and take that exam,” said Jim Holbrook, instructor and chair of the College’s Computer and Information Sciences department. “Certifications are vital for people in computer science as it is a testament to a skill.”
As a test center, Northeast State delivers certification exams that demonstrate a high level of knowledge by students earning certifications while completing their associate degrees. Proctors monitor students during testing via video as required by Pearson VUE site control.
The Preston VUE test center in the TEC building.
The new testing center gives individuals access to take the coveted Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification exam, among other Cisco certifications. The Northeast State networking curriculum for the associate degree includes CCNA 1, 2, and 3 classes, giving students a deep dive into Cisco networking.
The certifications specific to Northeast State computer science students also include the CompTIA Network+, A+, Linux+, and various cyber defense certifications. Northeast State offers a UNIX/Linux class that amplifies the students’ knowledge of both class operating systems. Holbrook said the department seeks to make all course content more robust to prepare students for passing the exams and demonstrating their knowledge.
“We are going a step beyond and teaching all of the content to each of those certifications in their respective classes,” he said. “It is going to make for more rigorous classes; however, the students will benefit from it as they will be exposed to that whole certification path.”
Holbrook said many of the certification exams, particularly the Cisco networking categories and various cyber security subjects, were challenging, to say the least. Students needed to know a great deal of base and core knowledge before pursuing the certification exam. He noted Cisco exams required scores of 80 percent correct to pass the exam, with others even more rigorous.
Holbrook said that students earning subject-specific certifications, a technical certificate, and/ or an associate degree stand out among candidates when entering the workforce. He explained that many companies wanted to see students who have demonstrated a deep knowledge of information technology subject matter to meet the expectations of their workplace, and potential employees with certifications are the ones who stand above the others.
“I have lost jobs because I didn’t have specific certifications during the interview process,” said Holbrook. “I have also gotten jobs by having specific certifications because it set me apart.”
Holbrook said he planned to expand certification exam offerings in the coming months for students. Two popular certification avenues were Amazon web service certifications and a selection of Google certifications. Those exams are smaller, with knowledge bases broken up into more specific topics.
Northeast State offers associate degree pathways in the academic programs of Cyber Defense, Networking, Programming, and Systems Administration in addition to transfer-specific degrees. The department also features associate degrees in computer science and information systems through the Tennessee Transfer Pathway options for students pursuing a four-year degree.
Students majoring in computer information technology move into professional careers as cybersecurity technicians, system administrators, network technicians, or move on to four-year institutions to continue their education. Holbrook said the CompTIA and EC-Council curricula marked only the first of many new opportunities he plans to implement going forward.
“As our capabilities progress, we may bring in more certification content as they come online and become relevant to the field,” said Holbrook.
Northeast State has established a testing site for computer information technology students seeking to earn valuable industry certifications.
Located on the second floor of the Technical Education Complex building of the College’s Blountville campus, the Pearson VUE center provides a testing site for computer science students seeking certifications from top-tier technology companies.
Pearson VUE is a computer-based test proctor and delivery company used worldwide. The center welcomed its first students for exams at the Northeast State site in the spring of 2023. The center houses exams used for information technology companies such as Cisco, CompTIA, and EC-Council, among others.
“It is an excellent demonstration of skill as an IT job candidate has taken the time to learn the content to the level to be able to sit down and take that exam,” said Jim Holbrook, instructor and chair of the College’s Computer and Information Sciences department. “Certifications are vital for people in computer science as it is a testament to a skill.”
As a test center, Northeast State delivers certification exams that demonstrate a high level of knowledge by students earning certifications while completing their associate degrees. Proctors monitor students during testing via video as required by Pearson VUE site control.
The new testing center gives individuals access to take the coveted Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification exam, among other Cisco certifications. The Northeast State networking curriculum for the associate degree includes CCNA 1, 2, and 3 classes, giving students a deep dive into Cisco networking.
The certifications specific to Northeast State computer science students also include the CompTIA Network+, A+, Linux+, and various cyber defense certifications. Northeast State offers a UNIX/Linux class that amplifies the students’ knowledge of both class operating systems. Holbrook said the department seeks to make all course content more robust to prepare students for passing the exams and demonstrating their knowledge.
“We are going a step beyond and teaching all of the content to each of those certifications in their respective classes,” he said. “It is going to make for more rigorous classes; however, the students will benefit from it as they will be exposed to that whole certification path.”
Holbrook said many of the certification exams, particularly the Cisco networking categories and various cyber security subjects, were challenging, to say the least. Students needed to know a great deal of base and core knowledge before pursuing the certification exam. He noted Cisco exams required scores of 80 percent correct to pass the exam, with others even more rigorous.
Holbrook said that students earning subject-specific certifications, a technical certificate, and/ or an associate degree stand out among candidates when entering the workforce. He explained that many companies wanted to see students who have demonstrated a deep knowledge of information technology subject matter to meet the expectations of their workplace, and potential employees with certifications are the ones who stand above the others.
“I have lost jobs because I didn’t have specific certifications during the interview process,” said Holbrook. “I have also gotten jobs by having specific certifications because it set me apart.”
Holbrook said he planned to expand certification exam offerings in the coming months for students. Two popular certification avenues were Amazon web service certifications and a selection of Google certifications. Those exams are smaller, with knowledge bases broken up into more specific topics.
Northeast State offers associate degree pathways in the academic programs of Cyber Defense, Networking, Programming, and Systems Administration in addition to transfer-specific degrees. The department also features associate degrees in computer science and information systems through the Tennessee Transfer Pathway options for students pursuing a four-year degree.
Students majoring in computer information technology move into professional careers as cybersecurity technicians, system administrators, network technicians, or move on to four-year institutions to continue their education. Holbrook said the CompTIA and EC-Council curricula marked only the first of many new opportunities he plans to implement going forward.
“As our capabilities progress, we may bring in more certification content as they come online and become relevant to the field,” said Holbrook.
For more information, visit the Northeast State computer information technology webpage at https://www.northeaststate.edu/academic-affairs/academic-divisions/technologies/computer-science-cyber-defense.html.
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