Fleming College

Bao Nguyen

Wireless Information Networking, 2015

I came from Vietnam two years ago. I had graduated from university as a Civil Engineer; however I had a passion for Information Technology and had been working as an IT Administrator for seven years in two foreign companies in Vietnam. I decided to take the Wireless Information Networking program at Fleming College to fill the gap in my knowledge, with regards to wireless networking, and to bridge my skill set in IT to the world-leading Canadian labour market.

Before coming here, I thought it was a freezing country. After coming? Yes, it is indeed cold! However, I enjoyed my first winter - ever in my life - in 2013, which was a great experience. Canada is a great country to live. It is multicultural thanks to its many immigrants, it is beautiful in the fall and winter, there are very nice people all around, and it is a safe place to live.

I was lucky to get two co-op offers for my program placement, and I decided to go with Blackberry in Cambridge, Ontario. With the knowledge and hands-on experience I gained at Fleming, I was confident to perform the work (supporting Enterprise customers), resulting in a final evaluation of "Exceeds Expectations" from my manager.

I was also very lucky to land a job offer from Bell Canada in my third-semester of college (before taking the co-op term). The job title is Network Technical Specialist, and I am working in the VoIP industries with carrier-grade equipment. My main duty is to design, implement, maintain and support the network and computing infrastructure for NGN/VoIP throughout Canada. My answer to 'Is your career rewarding?' is definitely a big fat yes! Benefits and training are excellent, and Ottawa is a wonderful place to live—my family are all enjoying living here. Somebody said, 'Find the work you love and you do not have to work a single day'; this is what I am feeling right now.

One of my most memorable experiences at Fleming College was the graduation ceremony. Being able to secure a good job before graduating is something that makes me believe in the path I am taking. I want to express my deep appreciation to Fleming and its amazing staff. Without you, I could not be where I am today, so thank you again!