Career Change Success Story: Shaughn Belmore

Shaughn Belmore was a Golf Pro when we met. He was having some physical problems that were making it likely that he would not be able to continue golfing on a regular basis. Shaughn had to find a new career for himself that would allow him to do less physical work and eventually become independent and self-employed.

Shaughn has always had an interest in computers and he enjoys working with computer hardware. After taking a serious look at his options, Shaughn decided that a career in Computer Networking would not only provide the type of work that he would need as his physical condition deteriorates, but would also be challenging and stimulating enough to keep him interested and motivated.

After considering his options to get qualified for a career in I.T., Shaughn decided that New Horizons Career Program offered what he needed and had a great track record. Knowing this gave him the confidence he needed to commit to a rigorous career program.

Shaughn had to deal with doubts from the very beginning. One of his doubts was about the investment. He wondered if he could afford to go back to school and if it would really pay off as an investment. He knew that the program would be very demanding and was worried about pushing himself mentally and physically to succeed. One doubt that lingered was a fear that maybe he couldn’t do it and be successful.

I asked Shaughn how he overcame these doubts. He said he never really overcame them; they still come up for him from time to time. Physically Shaughn found it a challenge just to be in class so much and from time to time he was worried that he might not be able to complete the course just because of the pain he was experiencing. He was able to work with the doubts, keep his goals in sight and push through. Shaughn is glad he did not give in to the doubt that nagged at him.

Shaughn now works for a large I.T. outsource company. He manages an Active Directory environment with over 100 servers and more than 3000 work stations world-wide. His main responsibility is to implement client projects and maintain security on the network. Shaughn enjoys his work and is building important experience that will open new opportunities for him as he advances toward his goal of self-employment as an I.T. consultant.

Faced with a serious physical disability many people shut down and withdraw into themselves. Shaughn took a different track. He seized control of his life and put his career on a new path that leads to opportunity and real security. Shaughn says, “Now I have a solid career path and the tools to continue to succeed at what I do.”

I asked Shaughn about the challenges he had to overcome to be successful. In his typical humble way Shaughn answered, “I’ll tell you when I get there.” He may not feel that he has achieved a great success, but I look at Shaughn Belmore as a very successful man, with even higher achievements in his future.