We’d like you to meet Vishnu Mohankumar from Kerala, India. A tech enthusiast from a young age, Vishnu has always loved helping neighbors in his village by fixing any and all technology-related issues. Today, he is a Desktop Support Engineer at Astreya Consultancy. Below, he shares his learning journey and discusses how earning his Google IT Support Professional Certificate helped him attract attention from recruiters, land his new role, and launch his IT career.

My name is Vishnu Mohankumar. I am from a small village in Kerala, India, where I have spent most of my life. Coming from a small family with financial constraints, it was difficult for me to gain access to the latest technology and gadgets as a child. But I was passionate about technology and happy to go the extra mile to get my hands on anything tech-related. Like most people in my village, my first experience with a computer was during an IT Lab at my school. I fondly recall experimenting with the computer systems in my classes. 

After school, I joined a Government Polytechnic College, where I learnt more about the IT field. I then enrolled in an institute where I went down the path of Java and Android Programming. Soon after, I got a job. While it was non-technical, I decided to take it in the hope that I would soon be able move into the systems department. Luckily, this move worked just as I hoped it would! 

I moved to Mumbai, and while I was working, I decided to enroll in the Google IT Support Professional Certificate. Soon after completing the certificate, I received the completion badge and updated my LinkedIn profile to include the skills I learnt from the program. Immediately, my profile started receiving more views, mostly from recruiters. I was lucky that the first recruiter who contacted me truly understood the value of the certificate. Through this, I got an offer from a US-based IT Service provider. I am now a Desktop Support Engineer at Astreya Consultancy. 

The interviewers were really impressed with the Coursera platform and the Google IT Support Professional Certificate.

“I truly believe that this certificate is the best one for a beginner looking to enter the world of technology.”

In my opinion, IT is all about automating processes to help people get things done in a way that is simple and easy. With technology evolving everyday, I believe that there will always be unlimited need for individuals who are skilled at maintaining systems, troubleshooting problems, and supporting users. I have always enjoyed helping people and explaining to them how things work. I chose the IT Support path because I love to help people and to fix things. I believe this enthusiasm is the key to the success that I am enjoying now. 

“Having come from a small village in India, working with a global tech company is a dream come true.”

While pursuing the program, there were times when money was an issue. As a result, I couldn’t complete the program as fast as I would have liked. However, l was focused on the content and wanted to learn, so I made ends meet. Completing the assignments on time was another obstacle I faced. In the beginning, I had a tough time planning and scheduling learning hours. I decided to quit spending time on social media platforms and started to spend most of my after-office hours working towards the certificate. Now, I am proud that I learned some life skills along with IT Support fundamentals. 

To my fellow learners and friends out here, my advice is this—no matter the situation you are in, just focus on your goal. There may be times when you want to give up. But, believe me, real magic happens the minute you choose to go on.

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