My Name is Frankie Santiago, I started working on computers in 1998. I remember taking apart my computer I just bought from Circuit City (What a throwback) and putting it back together. From that day on I began working on computers for friends and family to hone in on my skills on reinstalling windows and fixing common issues. I had a dream of working in the IT field before I knew it really existed or what IT stood for.
My Education Road Map
In 2004 I took a chance and went to Branford Hall Career Institute where I graduated with a 4.0. During this time period I received my Comptia Net+ and A+ Certifications. I was naïve at the time my thought process was “I need a piece of paper to get a job!” The recruiter said not to state that on my application.
In 2007 I went to the American Intercontinental University to start getting a degree in Information Technology. I received my Associates in Business Administration under Information Technonlogy. I then decided to continue my education and get my Bachelors in Network Administration and graduated with Magna Cum Laude Honors.
In 2011 I kept studying and went on to complete a course in Health Information Technology at Capital Community College and took a vigorous test to get my Certified Healthcare Technology Specialist certification.
In 2011 I also received my Microsoft Certified Professional Certification on my birthday.
In 2016 I went and took my Healthcare Technician Certification with one of my technicians on Dec 31 (Bring in the new year with a new Certification)
My Current Work Status
I now am the Director of Information Technology and have a few good IT technicians who I supervise and show the tricks of the trade. This task is not an easy one due to the high demand where I work. One day your working on servers and the next your writing policies while managing day to day tickets. This makes it hard to train on a specific item so when things come around we make sure to document the steps taken.
My staff and I currently manage approximately 1000 devices which include PC’s, laptops, printers, scanners, VOIP phones, meraki switches, routers, wifi, servers, and much more across 15 sites. I could get dizzy if I ran down the list of software’s so I won’t for sanities sake! We work with and assist approximately 450 staff members, students, and residents. My career was a dream which came to life with a company that gave an intern a chance back in 2005. Life has been full speed ahead since.