Trump Wins — What Now?

The votes have been counted, and the results are in. Donald J. Trump will be the next president of the United States of America. Trump’s victory is being heralded as “the biggest upset in modern political history.” The results seem to have left every American with the same question on his or her breath: What does this mean for the country?

No matter what your view is of the election outcome, whether positive or negative, remember that our Founding Fathers established this government of the people, and the power is still with the people. You still have a voice and an ability to bring about change and progress. You can make a difference by educating yourself, and contributing in your respective sphere, both professionally and in your community.

IT professionals can make a great difference in the nation’s day-to-day business, and that impact will become greater and greater as technology continues to progress. Last month, Forbes published an article urging the presidential candidates to get a national cybersecurity strategy. IT professionals will be needed to execute Mr. Trump’s strategy. With a global internet and myriad connected networks and devices, security will always be a concern, and security professionals will always be needed to protect others.

TestOut offers a bundle of three IT certification courses that are necessary to fulfill the Department of Defense (DoD) 8570 initiative requirements. DoD 8570 mandates that anyone who either works in government, or does business with government agencies, meets certain information assurance and information security requirements.

The DoD Bundle contains three courses that are now all CompTIA approved quality content (CAQC), the A+, Network+ and Security+. These three courses will prepare you for a job revolving around information security, but they are also the gateway to any successful career in IT.

Your choices today will determine what the nation looks like tomorrow. If you don’t have a background in IT but would like to make a difference, start with the basics today. In this, the day after the presidential election, let’s unite ourselves in the cause to be more educated. And to make America greater.

About the Author — Jake Slater is the social media manager for GoCertify and a graduate of Brigham Young University. Jake is not throwing away his shot.