Speaker: Erik Hurtado, Technical Instructor
Introduce yourself! What is your role and how long have you been with ACI Learning?
Erik Hurtado: Hello, my name is Eric Hurtado. I'm an Instructor/Mentor here at ACI, and I've been here for just under 2 years.
Tell us about your professional journey.
Erik Hurtado: I first started out in IT after I completed my course with ACI back in 2018, I got my ITIL, A+, Net+, and Security+ certifications all through ACI. From there I went on to become part of everyday IT teams to learn more about the technologies that I was introduced to like help desk roles, security analysts, and some freelance work. Then I went full circle back to where I started here at ACI, where I've obtained my CEH certification, honed my skills and continue to advance my knowledge.
What is your favorite thing about the IT industry?
Erik Hurtado: I think my favorite thing about the IT industry is the seemingly infinite amount of knowledge there is to obtain. There's so much in IT there's cybersecurity, there's networking, there's the software part of it, the hardware part of it, just so much to learn and it really keeps you on your toes. Every couple of years more new technology is introduced and then you have to learn about that new technology in order to stay current with the times. I think the pace of it all, is what really drives me towards IT.
What has been the most valuable lesson you have learned from your education?
Erik Hurtado: When you first start getting into this, it's gonna be a lot of new information that you're not familiar with and you're also gonna see people around you who know more, who understand more, and who are just at a much more advanced level than you are. I think the most valuable lesson is to understand that's okay. Realize that everyone is running their own race. Everyone will get to where they need to be in due time as long as you put in the work, as long as you put in the time, you'll get there.
What's something you want students to know about you?
Erik Hurtado: I'm passionate about making sure that you learn the information that you need to know because of that, I love questions. That's the only way we do learn, asking questions. If you don't understand something, ask a question. I am more than happy to take a few seconds out of my time to answer your question than for you to sit there and wonder and beat your head because you're trying to understand a specific concept. There is no such thing as a dumb question.
What advice would you give to students starting out in the IT industry?
Erik Hurtado: I want you to be patient. Now, there are a lot of fast tracks to where you wanna go but I think the best thing to do in IT is to be patient, to build a good foundation, and then build off of that. You don't want to just jump into high level certifications. You don't want to just jump into high level concepts without first understanding the basics and the foundations that are behind those.
