Metallica Scholar: Ty Doss

Graniteville resident Ty Doss is a Metallica Scholar enrolled in the CompTIA Network+ course at Aiken Technical College.

Course/Program: CompTIA Network + Certificate Course

Age: 28

Employment: Lab Technician at U.S. Battery Manufacturing Group in Augusta

Military Experience: U.S. Marine Corps veteran

What does it mean to have tuition and fees covered?

“It means a lot because I’m working full-time and I also have a newborn child so a lot of my time is taken up. I have a little bit of time, so I can spare that if I don’t also have to put forth cost. There’s always the possibility I put forth cost, and then things don’t go well, I have to back out. Or I don’t like it, or I fail, or something like that happens and then, that’s money not going towards my family, not towards my kid. So, it means a lot to have the money factor taken out of the equation.”

What interested you in the program?

“I had a little experience with radios and built computers on my own time for gaming purposes. It was just a little jump over to get into this, because we use it on a daily basis in life. It was just a no-brainer to try it out.”

What do you plan to do after completing your certificate?

“After this I want to come back and do the Security+. And then probably on my own time I’ll do the Pentas+ for penetration testing. I want to dive into the cybersecurity realm.”

For more information about the Metallica Scholars Initiative, visit atc.edu/MetallicaScholars.