Power of Partnership – Hristo

After two decades in the hospitality industry, a sudden layoff became the unexpected catalyst for Hristo’s life-changing career pivot. Today, Hristo is a Level 3 Technician at Atomic Data—through Summit’s supportive learning environment and the power of Summit and Atomic Data’s partnership, he was able to follow his dream of pursuing a career in the IT field.

“IT has always been my hobby. I enjoy it,” he shares. “I’ve always wanted to do it full time, but I never went to school for it.”

When he was laid off after almost 20 years at his previous company, Hristo saw an opportunity and decided to pursue his passion by enrolling in Summit’s IT training. He found a welcoming environment that made an intimidating career change feel not only possible—but empowering. “Making this big change, it’s scary,” Hristo says. “Summit helped me get over my fear of ‘I’m not good enough for this.’ They empowered me to think different.”

After graduating, Hristo secured a full-time position with Atomic Data. The company was actively invested in Hristo’s continued growth, and supported his ongoing learning. With support from Atomic, Hristo earned his Security+ certification, finished his degree in computer science, and climbed the ranks from a Level 1 to a Level 3 Technician.

As part of Atomic’s network and security operations team, Hristo specializes in identifying and analyzing cybersecurity threats. “I really enjoy reverse engineering malicious attempts or schemes,” he explains. “I like to see why [perpetrators] did what they did, how they did it, if they were successful or not, and to educate and warn our clients and coworkers, because no one is immune to it.”

Hristo’s goals for the future are always evolving. Currently, he’s aiming to specialize further in cybersecurity with the goal of becoming a security analyst. Regardless of what his future holds, Hristo’s determined to continue building his skills.

“I have to say, Summit definitely changed my life,” Hristo says. “I ended up gaining this priceless experience in the IT industry, and that was my main goal—to get into the industry. It was one of the better decisions I've made in my life.”