Preparing Students for Critical Jobs

Cleveland Community College offers several pathways to a career in Mission Critical Operations, a career field that needs trained workers and offers a lot of potential to those who choose that path.

What is mission critical? It’s exactly what it sounds like. Jobs in the mission critical field keep essential systems running so the company can perform its mission. For example, data storage centers, hospitals and emergency call centers all rely on communications and computer systems. If there is a mechanical, electrical or computer failure, operations will stop. Employees in mission critical jobs work to ensure those failures do not happen and the business can continue to perform 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.

These jobs require knowledge and training in multiple types of systems including, technology, mechanical and electrical systems. For those who choose this career path there is a high earning potential of about $50,000 per year or more depending on experience, employer and where you live. According to ziprecruiter.com the average national salary is more than $100,000 per year.

If you plan to stay close to Shelby, ziprecruiter.com shows there are more than 2,000 mission critical jobs available within 25 miles of Charlotte. Beyond that, there are more than 400,000 opportunities worldwide. As technology continues to advance, technicians with the skills and knowledge to keep a company running will continue to be in demand.

To help students who want a quicker path to a job in this field, the College has created the Mission Critical Operations Boot Camp through its Continuing Education Department. The boot camp was developed in partnership with the Mission Critical Global Alliance and prepares students for the Certified Mission Critical Operator Exam. It provides 12 weeks of instruction and preparation. When students successfully pass the Certified Mission Critical Operations exam, they earn the Certified Mission Critical Operator credential. For those who are interested in continuing their education, successful students also earn credit for two classes in the College’s Associate in Applied Science in Mission Critical Operations.

The boot camp’s cost is $439, which includes a voucher for the cost of the exam. Visit https://clevelandcc.edu/course/mco-boot-camp/ to learn more.