Computer Networking programs at St. Charles Community College provide hands-on, skills-based training in state-of-the-art classroom labs. The Cisco Networking Academy, Microsoft Academy, A+ and UNIX for Networking classes prepare you for the corporate workplace and industry certifications.

Cisco Networking Academy (CCNA, CCNP)

St. Charles Community College has partnered with Cisco Systems to work together to train IT professionals – teaching students the skills necessary to program routers and switches and to design, implement and troubleshoot enterprise networks. You'll learn the fundamentals of networking, routing and switching in our state-of-the-art lab by working on real equipment. The Academy prepares you for industry certifications like CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) and CCNA specialty certifications for Security, Wireless and Voice.

The online curriculum is coupled with extensive hands-on experience on routers and switches in our lab. Preview a sample of the online curriculum.

SCC students Ted Davis (left), Frank Mounce (right) and Nicholas Clark (front) each placed in the top 10 in worldwide competition among thousands of Cisco Networking Academy students, alumni and instructors in Fall 2008. Frank and Nick also placed in the top 10 in worldwide competition in Spring 2010.

 “The partnership SCC has with Cisco is extremely beneficial,” said Davis. “SCC is teaching me exactly what I need to know for my job.”

“Participating in the competition was a good learning tool,” said Mounce. “The competition presented real-life scenarios where I could apply what I’ve been learning in my classes.”

“I’m very proud of our students,” said Michael Fuszner, associate professor of computer science and Cisco Certified Academy instructor. “It is an honor to have so many students from SCC’s program represented in the top 10 of this worldwide competition.”

Microsoft Networking (MCTS, MCITP)

Our Microsoft program prepares students for a job as a network administrator, network engineer, end-user support specialist or help desk technician. In addition, our training will help to prepare you for industry certifications like MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) and MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional).

Students in our Microsoft program are assigned two hard drives for use in hands-on training. Training includes installing a Windows desktop operating system along with Server and Active Directory on another drive. The focus of the program will depend on current corporate demands. SCC's training is hands-on to better prepare you for the job market.

Computer Repair & Maintenance (A+)

Learn how to take your computer apart for upgrades or repairs, as well as troubleshooting techniques. You'll learn about the inside of a computer – the CPU, memory, motherboards, hard drives, video cards and expansion slots. You'll learn how to install various operating systems, how to build a system from scratch and how to rebuild an existing system. We focus on hands-on skills, along with concepts to better prepare you for the job market.

UNIX/Linux Administration

SCC's UNIX/Linux class will teach a student how to administer UNIX/Linux in a corporate network environment. This class assumes that a student does not know anything about UNIX/Linux. Students learn the basics of the UNIX/Linux operating system and then continue with a focus on administering UNIX/Linux within a corporate network.

Important Links

• Networking Calendar
• IT Certifications
• Summer/Fall Schedule

Job Outlook

The job market is strong for IT workers, according to the Department of Labor. Employment opportunities are expected to increase much faster than the average. See the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm