I.t's Friday afternoon and

I Van Paschalis has justIdismissed his class atTech

Data's Training Center inClearwater. After five days oflearning to design, configure andadminister a complex network,the 15 resellers are tired. Butthey?e also excited.The intensityof the week is offset by thereahzation that they'll soon gainvendor certification, the covetedseal of approval that will helptheir business grow.

"See you next time,Van," says onestudent as he gathers hismaterials. "Thanks for your help,"remarks another.

Paschalis, who began his career atTech Data neady LJ years ago,completed his master's degree atnight while working days in thecompany's sales department. Histenure as an instructor began fouryears later.

"I've always been math-oriented,"said Paschalis, who earned a BSdegree in Electrical Engineeringfrom the University of SouthFlorida. He also holds an MBAfromTampa College and maintainsa half-dozen yendof c ertifi cations."I used to build Heathkits. Iremember building a short-waveradio and a television in highschool."

earwaternstructorelps studentsrake the grade

His first computer wasaTI99/4A,wticlrincluded just 16K ofmemory and no floppydrive. Data was storedon cassette tapessimilar to musicalcassettes. AnAtari 800was another of his first

computers in the early 1980s.

With his technical interests takingroot eady in life, the decision towork in the computer industrywas not difficult. One of thebenefits of working for adistributor, he said, is havingaccess not only to state-of-the-artequipment, but also to theexpertise of other instructors andtechnical support personnel.

"Everyone in this business knowsthat as soon as you'ye learnedsomething, it changes.That'sexciting to me and it keeps myenthusiasm up."

The training required to gainvendor certification as aninstructor is extensive, includingcourse work and tests. In somecases Paschalis must presentpoftions of the course to themanufacturers themselves beforeearning their stamp of approval.

"'We didn't have nearly thenumber of vendors when I firststafted," he noted. "Novell was it.Now we're authorized forMicrosoft, Compaq and lots ofothers." Vendor-authorized classesalso include Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, Nortel and WRITAS.

Depending on the class, resellers

can expect a combination oflectufe and lab work. "I encouragepeople to try out things here. It'smuch better to mess up here thanwith the customef," Paschalisemphasized.

Testing is available at most ofTech Data's 11 training centersand 150 partnership locationsthroughout the country and isadministered by Sylvan LearningCenter. Following classes, resellersschedule a time to take vendorcertification tests.The duration ofclasses ranges from several hoursto several days.

"Students have gradually becomemore technical throughout thedecade.They aren't as afraid oftechnology as they were a fewyeats ago I' Paschalis said, "largelybecause of the increasinglytechnical environment in whichthey live."

Paschalis is more than aninstructor who passes alongcutting-edge technology from thetop vendors in the industry. He isalso the manager of theClearwater Training Center.

What's the reaction he most likesto see from resellers who take hisclasses? "I love it when they leavehere smiling and talking aboutwhat they can do with theknowledge they gained. It's agood feeling to pass alonginformation that really helpspeople."

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