He’s just 16, but Tom Hiles, an Armuchee High School student who also attends Floyd County technical high school, already knows he wants a career that revolves around computers. “I want to be a computer technician,” he says, with a convincing degree of certainty. “Whatever I eventually do, I want to work with computers.”

This spring Tom’s career path took a giant leap forward with the offer of a paid internship from the Floyd County Management Information Services Department. Under the supervision of Kevin Brown, a graduate of Coosa Valley Technical College, the assignment for the Armuchee High rising junior: to work as needed on the county’s 600 computers.

The opportunity for Tom to intern actually began a year ago, in August 2007, when he enrolled in a CISCO computer class at Floyd County’s technical high school in Rome.  He has attended the technical high school since eighth grade. He saw the CISCO class in session and knew that one day he wanted to take the class. “I’ve really learned a lot,” he says. “The technical high teachers are great.”

At the close of the school year in May 2008, he earned an academic medal at Armuchee High for having the highest grade in his CISCO computer class - the recognition that led to the summer internship with Floyd County.

Kevin Brown, assistant director of MIS for Floyd County, compliments the Tom’s work-ready attitude and ability “to get the job done,” knowing the young intern has learned a lot in technical education classes. Brown adds, “He follows instructions well.  You show him what to do, and he takes off with the assignment.”

On Tom’s first day on the job, MIS received 120 new computers that had to be set up for county employees housed in various locations. “Tom read this brand-new manual for the new computers and just started doing to work,” said Brown, citing a variety of tasks Tom performs. “He’s also had to repair some wireless keyboards and mouse devices. No problem for him.”

 Brown has confidence in Tom’s work ethic, skills and knowledge of electronics and doesn’t feel a need to stand over his shoulder.  “He has my cell phone number, and if he needs to reach me if I’m away from the office, he can call me,” Brown explains.

“The thing I like most about my new job,” Tom notes, “is that I get to see what I am working to become. It’s a preview for me, and so far I like what I see. My employers say I’m doing good and learning fast.”

While the day-to-day job tasks are varied and enjoyable for Tom, they also increase his knowledge base, give him the opportunity to work in a professional office environment – and earn him academic credits. The internship is an excellent model for work-and-learn experience.

Tom’s bright future could include enrollment at CVTC after his graduation from Armuchee in 2010. For the more immediate future, he and Kevin Brown have hopes that circumstances (such as the county budget) will allow Tom to continue his internship during the coming school year.

“I’ll be a junior at Armuchee High when school starts back,” Tom says, “although I’m not sure exactly what courses I’ll be taking there.” He adds with enthusiasm, “What I do know is that I’m taking CISCO II at the Floyd County technical high school.”

No doubt, for Tom and other young people like him, computer knowledge extends way beyond games and idle hours of surfing the Internet. The knowledge he is gaining in college-level classes can create opportunities for rewarding life work.