Graduate earns more than half of college degree while in high school
Aly Barta earned two-thirds of a Gateway Technical College Information Technology degree before she even left high school, and for no cost to her or her family.
She used that kickstart to continue on to an educational career which ultimately ended in her entering the banking industry as an information technology manager – a successful pathway she says was made possible by Gateway. She currently serves as a senior network engineer.
The LakeView Technology Academy high school graduate earned 52 Gateway credits before even graduating high school, which provided her with a huge jumpstart on her career as well as paying for a good portion of a college degree.
“Being that far into my education was great,” says Aly. “Some students took AP classes and received enough credit to be second-semester freshmen. I was a few miles ahead of them – I had about a year and a half of credits earned when I graduated high school.”
Aly applied the credits she earned toward several Gateway certifications, including an IT-Network Specialist associate degree, an IT-Junior Sharepoint Developer technical diploma and a Sharepoint Developer certificate.
“I’ve picked up a lot of different networking skills over the years, but it was at Gateway where I got my fundamentals,” says Barta. “Those fundamentals are helping me to succeed in my career, right now.”
Aly says she was interested in computers since middle school. Like many who join the IT career field, Aly says others came to her for help in diagnosing computer problems – and she discovered she liked it so much she wanted to make a career of it. She chose Gateway because of the hands-on format of the rigorous courses.
“It’s a very technical environment, and that is what I like,” says Aly. “Instead of taking courses I might not need, I was able to start getting into the nitty-gritty of things, and learn what I needed to help me,” she said.