Network Engineering grad solves IT challenges with confidence

Darius working with network systems

Each day as he heads into work at IBM, Darius Moredi looks forward to facing new challenges. Since January 2020, he’s used the skills he gained in Mohawk College’s Computer Systems Technology - Network Engineering and Security Analyst program to help the company offer customers an array of solutions.

“(Facing new challenges) makes the job exciting and challenges you to problem solve,” says Darius, who works in large systems technical support at IBM. “I always wanted to work for a big company in the information technology (IT) industry.”

Darius’s journey to launching an IT career started in 2015 when he first attended Mohawk College’s Computer Systems Technician – Network Systems program. He then took advantage of the College’s Pathways options and furthered his education by graduating from the Computer Systems Technology - Network Engineering and Security Analyst offering in 2018. A lifelong Hamiltonian with an interest in IT, Darius’s decision to attend Mohawk was an easy one. Not only were the programs he attended the perfect opportunity to expand his knowledge, but Mohawk’s convenient location also played a deciding role.  

“I chose Mohawk because it had a well-developed Network Engineering program, and it also meant I didn’t have to commute,” he says. 

In the Network Engineering program, Darius discovered a vigorous and comprehensive offering with a focus on hands-on training. It helped him to build a solid foundation in network connectivity; virtual infrastructure; network and data security; server operating systems; security auditing and computer forensics; and cloud computing technologies. As he learned how to manage sophisticated, multi-vendor computer network environments with an emphasis on virtual infrastructure, Darius appreciated how vast the IT field was. It made him look beyond his classroom.

“Study hard in school, but also take time on your own to study other things that aren’t covered in school,” he advises aspiring students. “IT is such a huge topic that a single program cannot cover everything.”

To ensure students are equipped to make an immediate impact when they graduate, Mohawk also extends learning beyond the classroom. In addition to hands-on experience — testing and applying course concepts using modern software and equipment; completing a capstone research project; and partaking in applied research — the program has a built-in co-op. It was during this experiential learning experience that Darius was first introduced to IBM Canada, one of the country’s largest software development and IT services organizations. 

As a systems service representative at IBM during his co-op, Darius was responsible for various tasks. This included on-site installation, maintenance, and repair of IBM and multi-vendor systems and components — including hardware, electronic equipment, networking products, software, and operating systems. He also got the opportunity to advise clients of preventive maintenance, configuration, operation and environmental factors that may impact product performance.

“I had a co-op term with IBM, which allowed me to network and build relationships,” he says of the experience at the IT powerhouse. “Ultimately, that co-op term was what enabled me to get a job at IBM after graduation.”

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