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Personal Statement

Matthew McConnell

Red Rocks Foundation Scholarship 2009-2010

I remember when I got my first PC. It was Christmas, 1988. There it was,

sprawled out under the tree just waiting to be touched. It was an UltraComp 8088,(known by more modern terms as an XT PC Clone) which at the time was state-of-the-

art. Now, it’s nothing more then a relic, and the company that made it no more then a

record in the county record office. I’m not even sure where it is anymore, or if it’s evenstill in one piece.

That day opened my eyes to a world that I didn’t know existed. Up until this, my

only computing experience was on green-lettered Apple II’s that my school used to for 

“educating” us about The Oregon Trail. At first the computer to me was nothing morethen glorified arcade games, a big step from the Atari 2600 that was still lying around at

the time keeping me entertained with Space Invaders. But now, I had a nice, shiny new

PC which even ran at 256 colors!

Eventually I realized that in order to play games, I had to get to know the rest of the systems. I learned all about DOS, and command-line programs. I learned about hard

drives and floppy disks. I even learned that trying to “upgrade” it to a much newer  processor was impossible, in fact, it nearly killed it. But, that’s what happens when a

curious kid and his best friend decide something’s a “bright idea”. It turns out we dead

wrong, and there was a lot more to upgrading and maintaining PCs then we thought.

Over the years I’ve learned a lot about the world of PCs, the internet, andinformation technology in general, even to the point of making it my major course of 

study of in college. When I graduated, I though I knew everything I needed to know

about programming and software design, and blindly took a job that proved just how littleI did know. That first job in IT for me was nothing like I expected. It wasn’t exciting or 

glamorous; I wasn’t writing state-of-the art games or helping design web sites. I wassitting in a cubicle starting out a green-lettered screen look and sorting through code thatmust have been written sometime in the 1950’s. I think if I had scoured the office long

enough, I could’ve found the original punch cards.

It turns out that this particular position wasn’t a good for me or the company andwe decided to go our separate ways. That was around 7 yrs. Ago, and I’ve been trying to

find my way back to the technology world ever since. I’ve struggled through times of 

unemployment, minimum-wage jobs, and even a relocation halfway across the country. I

ended up with steady, yet unsatisfying jobs in the accounting field, which is where mymost recent experience lies.

Even though I have an IT background already, the fast-moving pace of the

industry and the constancy of having to keep up have made it difficult for me to return toit. That is why I feel the need to return to school and refresh my skills and learn the latest

technologies.

Since that time 20 yrs. ago when I first started using computers, they have becomean integral part of our society. The internet and other communication technologies have

allowed anyone to connect with anybody else virtually anytime they please. This is the

experience that I wish to be a part, seeing the world become closer and more connected

 by the use of networking technology.

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This is why I’m enrolling in Red Rock’s Cisco Networking Academy. Cisco is the

main provider or internetworking gear, and it’s the ability to understand and maintain

networks that will help drive society forward.I know I will face unique challenges on my way to completing the program. As a

non-traditional student, I have the unique challenge of balance school, work, and finances

in ways I’ve never had to before. On top of that, my previous college background hasmade me ineligible for government grants or work-study programs. But if there’s one

thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that life has it share of challenges and perseverance

is the key to survival.Part of what helps me cope is my volunteer work at my church. Currently I’m a

valuable member of out audio/visual team, which allows me to serve while using my

current technology skills. I’ve learned what it means to be a team-player, even during the

difficult times when everyone thinks they know what’s best. During my time at college Iwas head of the school’s student movie program, a position that ended up being much

more demanding then I realized. I learned that managing volunteers is hard, and that

 being a leader involves submission to those both above and below me. But somehow, I

managed to create a movie schedule that entertained the students and gave them healthyentertainment choices.

All of this I hope to unify together by pursuing a certificate in Cisco networking. Iwant to combine my love of technology with my desire to help others. I don’t fully know

how that looks at the moment, but I intend to spend the next few years trying to learn and

understand myself and my community better in order to become that person.