JFE Dual Enrollment Pathway
Introducing: Ryan Lynch
Ryan Lynch has a course
schedule just like everyone
else: the regular classes, a
couple electives, and- of
course, the college
undergraduate courses like
Hardware Install &
Maintenance and Information
Security Fund, among others.
GSMST student by day,
Gwinnett Tech student by
night, Lynch is enrolled in
GSMST’s Cyber Security Dual-
Enrollment Pathway.
This past summer, you could
find Lynch on The Gwinnett
Tech campus every Tuesday
from 12pm to 10pm. When he
wasn’t in class from 1:00-3:50
and 6:00-9:30, he was
completing homework, study
guides, and class assignments.
“It’s basically free
college and it’s a good
idea to take advantage
of it while you can.”
Contrary to expectations, “the
classroom environment is like a
regular college class. We’re in
the same class as everyone else,
we are working with college
students- at Gwinnett Tech that
means kids as young as us to
older adults that already have
degrees, and the professors
don’t treat us any differently,”
Lynch said. It’s far from the ‘Oh,
high schoolers’ attitude Lynch
and his peers predicted.
In his final project for Hardware
Install & Management, Lynch
learned outside of his typical
comfort zone in computer
science and ventured into
computer engineering and
management. “I was in charge
of IT infrastructure and IT
support, I went on the CISCO
website, Amazon’s website, I
had to work in the same way
anyone in the industry would
work to find real solutions.”
At the end of the summer,
Lynch received his A+
Certification, an industry
certification he is excited to
mention when applying for
jobs in the future.
What is an A+ Certification? CompTIA A+ certification validates entry-level
skills in today's essential IT domains, including computer repair, software & operating
systems, network administration, information security, cloud computing, and
troubleshooting of both desktops and mobile devices. A+ certified technicians also
learn customer service & communication skills in order to effectively interact with
technical and non-technical employees.
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