David’s worn a lot of hats, in a lot of places. “I was in the Marine Corps, where I did electronics technician work, mostly working with radios,” he said. “Then I got into real estate when I was in New York. In Texas, I did a lot of logistics work for delivery services. Then coming back out here to California, where I was born, I got another real estate license and started my own business doing field inspection work for insurance and finance companies.”

The pandemic hurt the economy, and he was looking for new options. He’s always enjoyed computers, but had never gotten the chance to work with them professionally. When he heard about Calbright, he realized that this was his chance to get the training to do the kind of work he’d always wanted to do.

“I’ve always been interested in cybersecurity, but have never been able to get into it. This was something I really wanted to do, and Calbright was a no-brainer for me because it’s providing a free service that I would have had to pay for anywhere else,” he said. 

The classes were free, but the quality was high. “I have quite a bit of experience with online learning and training, ranging from real estate training to getting my remote pilot’s license for the FAA, and Calbright’s classes are really good, really enjoyable, and the staff were all great,” David said. “I really enjoyed being able to get in there and go at my own pace. I charged right into it. And when I graduated, Calbright’s career services helped me rewrite my resume to get a job.”

David has earned two Calbright certificates – one for IT Support and the other for Cybersecurity – and now works for an online company that provides cybersecurity training. “It’s a really good job, and I really like it!”

It’s not just a job, though: it’s the beginning of a new career. “I’m going to keep doing a lot of things, and looking for new opportunities,” David said. “This is work I enjoy.”