One of the few Latin sayings I remember is from the movie “Dead Poets Society,” but nowadays I wish that John Keating (played by Robin Williams) taught Semper Doctrina (“always learning”) along with Carpe Diem (“seize the day”). Throughout my 20+ years in the telecommunications industry, I’ve been lucky to learn a ton through many different customer interactions, new projects and technology innovations. Since I already had years of real-world telecom experience before joining Clearfield®, I thought I didn’t have much more to understand about fiber optic networks.
I definitely had blinders on. It was only after I joined Clearfield that I found out how much I really didn’t know about a myriad of fiber products. Call it what you will, but my view was terribly limited. Today, I can definitely say that I have learned so much more from my peers, product managers, sales people and many others that have lived Clearfield products for years!
Clearfield College online is where I started my training as a Clearfield Application Engineer. We open up this training for all of our customers. Fiber optic technology constantly changes and evolves, plus the way customers use fiber connectivity keeps changing. Here’s an overview of the online program:
Going through Clearfield College courses is a wonderful way for our distributors, contractors and customers to learn new tricks of the fiber optic trade and get more familiar with our craft-friendly products! Each module is easy to understand and covers key aspects of Clearfield products. Visit the Clearfield College Online Learning Program page to learn more, view a quick introductory video and request access.
To support our Spanish-speaking audience, Spanish subtitled videos were recently added for each Clearfield College online course.
Clearfield also provides in-person training through our Certified Partnership Training Program. Presented by our Senior Manager for Technical Support, this program is designed for contractors of fiber deployments and tailored to specific contracting needs. BICSI Continuing Education Credits (6 credits for either the Inside Plant or Outside Plant training or 8 for the full training) are earned after completion.
I recently had the privilege of learning more about our industry by becoming a Certified Fiber Optic Technician (CFOT) with the Fiber Optic Association. After months of studying, I passed my test. Celebrating this accomplishment with my peers was one of the biggest learning landmarks in my career. Sure, I may have already known some of the objectives in the class, but I either learned or re-learned way more than expected. It feels great to be more knowledgeable about the telecommunications industry, as well as how Clearfield products solve whatever our customers bring to us.
Always learning more about how fiber optic products can help with your issues is important. My challenge to you is seize the day, learn more about all Clearfield fiber training programs, and contact Clearfield!
By Aaron Krebs
Aaron Krebs is an Application Engineer with over 20 years in the telecommunications industry. He’s held a wide variety of positions, in operations, call center management, contract administration, construction and engineering. Aaron’s expertise includes fiber optic networks, wireless, FTTX, HFC, MDU/MTU and brownfield fiber overbuild projects. His Certified Fiber Optic Technician (CFOT) certification helps him to better assist Clearfield customers with their fiber optic needs.