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Our Perspective

Insights, analysis, and perspectives on technology, IT careers, and the future of work, written by practitioners.

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15 articles

AI & AutomationArticle

What Local AI Actually Looks Like: Building a Private Job Search System on One Desktop

A graphics card bought for gaming now runs the language models behind a job search system that reads company career pages directly, ranks postings against a resume, and never sends a single byte off the machine. Here is how it is built, and what the process revealed about the quiet ways small local models fail.

Nicholas Ely·Jul 27, 2026·8 min read
CareerGuide

CCNA for High School Students: From Free Intro to Certified

A three-stage path to the CCNA outside district programs: free self-paced Cisco intros, a live 12-week course, and the 200-301 exam through Pearson VUE.

Nicholas Ely·Jul 19, 2026·3 min read
CareerGuide

CTE at Home: Career and Technical Education for Arizona Homeschoolers via ESA

CTE usually lives inside district programs. Arizona homeschoolers can reach the same outcome independently: live courses from a CTE-credentialed instructor, paid with ESA funds.

Nicholas Ely·Jul 19, 2026·3 min read
CybersecurityArticle

Summer Camp Certificate vs. Industry Certification: What Teens Actually Keep

Camps deliver exposure and spark. A 12-week certification course targets a proctored exam and a credential employers verify. What students keep from each.

Nicholas Ely·Jul 19, 2026·3 min read
StrategyArticle

Why We Teach Live, Not Self-Paced

Every paid ElyIT course is a live 12-week cohort. Here is the reasoning: accountability, questions answered in the moment, and pacing that adapts to students.

Nicholas Ely·Jul 19, 2026·3 min read
StrategyArticle

Coding Classes vs. IT Certification Courses: Which Is Right for Your Student?

Coding builds software. IT certification runs the systems businesses depend on. An honest comparison of what each path teaches and which student fits which.

Nicholas Ely·Jul 19, 2026·3 min read
CareerArticle

Can My 14-Year-Old Take the CompTIA A+? What Parents Need to Know

Yes. CompTIA sets no age restriction and recommends candidates be at least 13. Here is how parental consent and proctored testing work for minors in 2026.

Nicholas Ely·Jul 19, 2026·3 min read
CareerGuide

How to Put an IT Certification on a Homeschool Transcript

Naming the course, assigning credit hours, listing the certification as an earned credential, and how colleges and employers actually read CompTIA and Cisco.

Nicholas Ely·Jul 19, 2026·3 min read
CareerArticle

Tech Electives for Homeschool High School That End in a Real Certification

Most tech electives leave nothing behind. A certification-bearing elective produces an industry credential and maps cleanly onto a homeschool transcript.

Nicholas Ely·Jul 19, 2026·3 min read
CareerGuide

How to Pay ElyIT Through ClassWallet: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents

A practical walkthrough for Arizona ESA parents: finding ElyIT in ClassWallet, submitting the purchase request, approval timing, and what happens after payment.

Nicholas Ely·Jul 19, 2026·3 min read
CareerArticle

Where Arizona A+ Holders Actually Work

A look at the Phoenix-area employers, wages, and career paths that A+ certified IT support technicians can access in the 2026 Arizona job market.

Nicholas Ely·May 30, 2026·8 min read
AI & AutomationOpinion

Why AI Will Need More IT Professionals, Not Fewer

AI is restructuring the IT workforce, not eliminating it. Here's what the data shows about jobs, skills, and your teen's career path.

Nicholas Ely·May 30, 2026·9 min read
CareerOpinion

CompTIA Tech+ for Teens: The Right Starting Point for Most High Schoolers

Tech+ is the entry to the CompTIA certification ladder. For most high schoolers, it's the right place to start. Here's what it covers and why.

Nicholas Ely·May 29, 2026·5 min read
CareerArticle

Is CompTIA A+ Worth It for a 16-Year-Old?

A practical look at CompTIA A+ for Arizona high schoolers paying with ESA funds. What the certification is worth, who recognizes it, and how the math works.

Nicholas Ely·May 26, 2026·6 min read
StrategyArticle

The Oldest Problem in Business: Why ERP Still Breaks Empires

Most ERP failures are not software failures. They are process failures that got expensive because leadership assumed a better tool would fix a business it had never bothered to fully define.

Nicholas Ely·Apr 23, 2026·8 min read

Staff