Mindy Young, a dedicated educator at College of Western Idaho (CWI), has spent the past 15 years guiding students toward successful careers in network and system administration. Her journey into education began after a successful career in healthcare IT. After earning her degree from Utah State University, Young worked in IT for Intermountain Healthcare for nearly a decade as a system administrator.

“I was excited to land my first system administrator job, but when the program I was working on was shut down, I decided to step back and get into education,” said Young.

With two young children at the time, Young sought a career change that would allow her to be more present at home. She obtained her Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) certification and began teaching for local IT education companies before moving to Boise. Before long, a friend suggested she look into teaching at Boise State University’s Selland College of Technology. When CWI opened its doors in 2009, Young joined the institution as one of its founding faculty members. Her move to CWI allowed her to further her passion for education and contribute to shaping the college’s emerging IT program.

The goal of the program is to get students jobs in the industry, starting with roles like help desk support and moving up to system administration.

Mindy Young

The program spans four semesters and leads to an Associate of Applied Science degree in Network and System Administration. Students can also earn industry technical certificates along the way, including certificates in Networking, Security, Database Fundamentals and Cloud Infrastructure. This structured pathway helps students gain foundational skills before advancing to more complex areas of IT.

Young continually evolves her curriculum to reflect the rapidly changing tech landscape, incorporating cloud-based systems alongside traditional on-premises servers.

“I’m an active member in the MCT community, and I attend conferences like the MCT Summit to stay in touch with my peers and learn about emerging technologies,” said Young.

This dedication to professional development allows her to offer a curriculum that’s both relevant and hands-on. Her classes are designed to balance lecture with practical experience, and many of her graduates have gone on to land high-level positions in IT, including cloud architects and system administrators. But Young was recently reminded of her impact when a former student came to her aid during an IT issue at CWI.

“Just a couple of months ago, we lost internet connectivity in our classrooms, and I called the help desk. On the other end was one of my graduates,” said Young. “When he told me his name, I realized it was one of my former students. It was so rewarding to see him now providing support in the very field he trained for, helping to solve a problem at CWI.”

Young’s impact extends beyond the classroom.

“Employers are reaching out to me because they know my students come out of the program with solid skills,” said Young. “Many former students are now in hiring roles themselves, contributing to the ongoing success of the program.”

Balancing a demanding workload can be challenging, but Young finds the work incredibly rewarding. 

“I do it because I know I’m making a difference. It’s fulfilling to see my students succeed and change their lives,” said Young.

Looking ahead, she’s excited about upcoming changes to her program, including a shift toward cloud security and the program’s name change to Cloud Security and System Administration next fall.

“We’re adapting to prepare our students for a hybrid IT world, with both on-prem and cloud-based systems,” said Young. “I’m optimistic these changes will attract even more students to the field.”