Name: Morteza Ghazi-Tehrani
Title: Systems Integration Analyst
Company: A Defense Contractor
Certifications: CompTIA Security+, InfoComm CTS, CTS-D
Why You Should Know Him: He was the kid that set up the household’s fancy new VCRs, video game consoles, and DVD players. His dad was a software programmer, but the youth is the one who finally put the family PC on the internet with one of those 56k promo discs there were in endless supply of in everybody’s mailboxes in those days. “That day opened me up to a whole new dimension—one that travels long distances over just copper cable.”
How The Grocery Store Missed Out: When an interview at the local supermarket was rescheduled, Ghazi-Tehrani called a major electronics retailer and discovered there was a job fair that very day. He was hired on the spot, and the rest is history. “A 16-year-old self-proclaimed geek working in an electronics store? I was quite happy with the way things turned out.”
A natural proficiency in the sales side of technology became apparent as the charismatic Ghazi-Tehrani continued to learn everything he could about technology. In the meantime, he was working on the retail giant’s home theater installations, desktop support, and automotive installations.
But Where Could He Get Training?: “An education in AV is rarely offered as a field of study in universities and colleges,” he noted. So he opted to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration while working at his first tech job, working as a systems integration analyst for a defense contractor. On-the-job-training currently comes with his work helping to support, manage, and conduct life-cycle planning for the AV in a large conference center. There, he’s learning “business processes, system designs, and other best practices in the corporate AV world, quite a contrast from the consumer AV industry in the retail environment.”
How He Represents the Future: Fortunately, even without a formal AV curriculum, Ghazi-Tehrani picked up on that whole “convergence” thing, so he’s made sure he has certifications in both the IT and AV worlds.
How He’ll Keep Learning As Much as Possible: Now a handful of credits away from his bachelor’s degree, our business-savvy tech hero continues to build his specialty: “While writing papers in the business realm, I'm constantly finding myself being distracted and reading up on a new AV technology or product—I can't help it!”
How He Once Thought The Only AV Jobs Were In Live Sound: “Our industry has very little exposure to high-school-age students. They don't know about the possibilities, the learning experiences, and the growth-trajectory a career in this field can provide.”
There’s hope, though. As more AV technology becomes an integral part of classrooms, he pointed out, “Students can be exposed to how a well-designed AV system can better their classroom experience and how a properly integrated auditorium can increase the effectiveness of school-wide events.”
Get to know the rest of The Nine...
