Redefining Success: Kaitlyn Sisk’s Journey from Dental Assisting to Mission Critical Operations

Kaitlyn Sisk reminds us that we don’t have to stay on the same path for our entire career. If you are in a career that is not the best match for you, change your path. Staff and faculty at Cleveland Community College are here to help you!

“My first career was dental assisting,” says Kaitlyn. “I decided I wanted to pursue something more challenging, so I went back to school for networking and cybersecurity with plans to become a Network Engineer.”

But wait, there’s more. Not only did Kaitlyn go to CCC to study a totally different career, but while she was there, she discovered another career field and fell in love with it.

While Kaitlyn was pursuing two IT degrees, one of her instructors took her class on a field trip to T5 Data Centers. “My cybersecurity professor invited me for a tour of T5 because he thought I would enjoy seeing the mission critical side of the industry,” Kaitlyn says. “He was right. When I took the first tour, I immediately said I wanted to work for T5 Data Centers. During the tour, I asked tons of questions.”  She was impressed by the enthusiasm with which the T5 representative conducting the tour answered her questions, and by the positivity she felt there.

She went on to say, “The critical environment also intrigued me. I thrive under pressure, and the thought of being responsible for the entire facility made me want to become a T5 employee.”

Meanwhile, Kaitlyn had the opportunity to participate in CCC’s Work-Based Learning program, which allowed her to gain real-world experience in her career field.

Jaime Henderson, work-based learning coordinator, arranged interviews for Kaitlyn at two companies in Cleveland County, one of which was T5 Data Centers. After interviewing, Kaitlyn was offered a position at both companies. The one at T5 Data Centers was unpaid, but Kaitlyn saw this as her opportunity to step into the mission critical world, where she really wanted to be.

So, after careful consideration, she chose the unpaid internship at T5 Data Center. She embraced the opportunity and, after completing the two IT degrees, enrolled in CCC’s mission critical program and is currently working on her Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Mission Critical Operations-Information Technology and the AAS in Mission Critical Operations – Operations Technology.

In addition, her supervisors at T5 were so impressed by Kaitlyn’s exceptional performance as an intern that she was invited back to complete a second internship with them while working on the AAS degrees in Mission Critical Operations.

“Through the work-based learning program, I was given the opportunity to become an intern with T5 Data Centers. Thanks to Jaime Henderson for reaching out to them I started right away. T5 Data Centers was impressed by my dedication and willingness to learn, and they quickly hired me as a Jr. Critical Facilities Technician. Soon after, they promoted me to Critical Facility Technician. I was hired and promoted in a matter of four months.”

T5 recently featured Kaitlyn and her accomplishments at the company on its website. Read the article.

The decision to leave a secure career and return to school was not easy for Kaitlyn, but it was the right choice. Now, she’s found more than a new job, she’s found work she is passionate about.

Congratulations to Kaitlyn on her recent success. We can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next!