Massimiliano - CCNA

Massimiliano Massimiliano Bettini, '76, I live and work in Milan, a great city where you can find your own place.
I used to work in the area of imports and exports of fish. This was not the job I dreamt of, but it let me pay my studies.

I graduated as a computer expert but I realized that my studies weren’t adequate to find the proper job for me.

In 2005, the company where I worked was about to close down and I needed an immediate solution. I met a guy who had attended a course on networking. I did not know anything about it, but I understood that it could help me because the Internet is the future. So searching on the Internet I learned of Europa Networking.

At the headquarters in Bergamo, I felt a technological but also very welcoming environment, and I was immediately at ease. I met Rocco Tessicini, a charismatic man, who talked to me about the Academy. "But at the end can you find a job?" I asked, and he showed me all the job opportunities received from companies. I met also with Michele La Rosa who explained to me the online course’s curriculum. He told me how Europa Networking helped him to improve his career. I was getting married so I could not attend the course immediately, so Tessicini joked: "Why don’t you start preparing for the next course?". And so I did. Back from the honeymoon I became unemployed. I sent my resumes, but no answer ... In December I started attending the Europa Networking’s CCNA course and wrote it in my resume. Two days later, I was contacted by a company which a week before had not considered me: they appreciated that I enrolled myself in the CCNA course. I accepted they offer immediately: I had to manage a small LAN of 100 computers and 20 servers of mixed type for an energy company. Meanwhile I went on studying. I had not a previous knowledge of networking; the only requirement was a basic knowledge of English. Subnetting has been the most difficult part for me, but with Michele Querci’s help I reached all my educational goals. Frankly I felt well at Europa Networking ... on Saturdays at the end of the lesson I never wanted to go home, I was always the last one leaving the classroom. I studied during the night until 2 am. In fact the Cisco Networking Academy Program’s method also includes hours of distance study, and Europa Networking asks us to read the chapters online before attending lessons. This way the grasped the concepts firmly. I still remember well Michele’s lessons full of tips which you cannot find in any textbooks.

Once CCNA certified, I began to seize new opportunities. I had offers, but I often meet people who knew less than me because of their self-taught experience. Finally a big chance came my way: a job as a consultant at a large distribution company with a comprehensive network of routers, switches and access points, four thousand devices. I couldn’t believe in it! My initial task was to find defects and troubleshoot them, and to configure equipment. When my company needed another person, I suggested asking at Europa Networking, and after a month another Academy’s student joined me. We hit it off immediately, as the preparation level was very similar to mine. We became friends and we stay in touch despite I got another job. I also have a close friendship with other people I met during the course, as with Giorgio Piero Berto.

Certainly the CCNA course is a good starting point, since it covers many networking’s matters, but it is not enough to deal with the problems of complex networks. I’m thinking of enrolling in the second course (CCNP) as soon as I have the opportunity, but not for the moment.

Now I am a Computer Science’s student at the University of Milan, and my CCNA certification was recognized there too.
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