![During a panel discussion at the ATE Principal Investigators Conference last week, Matt Glover, senior director of Global Information Technology for AMX by Harman, talked about interviewers' positive impression of Chelsea Hall-Fitzgerald, who will complete her associate degree from Collin College in December.](local/data/caches/images/scaled/img_00020207_300x300.jpg)
Six months ago, a rainbow-haired Chelsea Hall-Fitzgerald had just completed a computer networking certificate at Collin College. She also worked part time in a big box appliance store.
Today, her hourly wage as a full-time project coordinator for AMX by Harman is three times what she made as a clerk, and she is on track to complete her associate degree at Collin College in December.
Hall-Fitzgerald became an information technology (IT) technician before graduation because the humble attitude, tenacity, and, most importantly, excitement for IT that she demonstrated during a student presentation got her a interview for a job initially advertised as requiring a bachelor's degree.