MaSSSoftech

By Chris O'Nan

KAYSVILLE -- Austin Abel is hungry for knowledge, and the information technology program at Davis Applied Technology College is feeding the 13-year-old over the summer.

Austin said he is captivated by his father's work with computers as an electrical engineer and wants to follow in that path.

"My dad is a problem solver," Austin said. "That's what I want to be."

During the new school year, students desiring a career in computer technology will get a little more than in years past as DATC implements a new industry-driven certification program, allowing students to earn certifications such as A+ (hardware) and Net+ (networking) while in school.

"We are here to augment education," said DATC information technology instructor Don Spatig. "The bottom line is the students. We want to get them every advantage we can."

Spatig said information technology students get a certificate of completion at the end of the 12-month program, but many students stay for only a few months to get job skills needed for employment.

DATC recruiter Allen Turner said the new program lets students earn certifications the computer industry values even if they don't complete the entire program. He said certifications will cost students extra when they take the tests.

"We've always trained to those standards," Turner said. "It was optional, previously, for the students to take the A+ test if they wanted. Now that test is part of our curriculum."

Over the summer, the information technology program at DATC is giving youth a taste of the computer field by letting students build their own computers and take them home.

Over a three-week period, Austin and about 20 other youths will learn the inner workings of a computer at DATC through class instruction and hands-on computer building. The program is part of the college's Summer Youth Experience.

Spatig said students first learn about computer parts and electrical safety, then order computer towers, wiring, inside components and software through approved vendors.

While waiting for the computers and parts to arrive, students spend time building computers in the classroom. Spatig said the school's equipment is a mixture of working and dead parts to give students an opportunity to trouble-shoot problems with the computers they build.

Once the students' computers and parts arrive, they are prepared to put them together in class, Spatig said. Computer prices can range from $300 to $1,500, depending on how the students want to use the computers, he said.

"Some gamers purchase expensive graphics cards, while others just want a basic computer to browse the Internet," Spatig said.

After all the parts are in place, the students load the operating system and trouble-shoot and fix any bugs in their new system.

"What they end up with is a computer that is customized for what they want to do," Spatig said. "We want them to see how things work and get a hunger to learn more."

Syracuse High School student Jared Walker, 16, said he took the summer class because of his curiosity about how all the components work together.

Spatig said high school students and a group of Boy Scouts working on a merit badge are currently taking the class.

Boy Scout Bryson Williams, 11, also began learning about computers from his dad but he'd never seen the inside of one.

"Now I can really see how they work," Bryson said.

"Computers involve using a lot of math, which is my favorite subject."

"I want a new computer, and I want the experience of building it myself," Bryson said.

"I want to understand how it all works -- the wiring, the processor -- and where all the things go."

"These kids learn so much and they feel pretty confident when they leave," Spatig said.