Ershad Nozari was an IT consultant for 10 years, and then he became interested in cloud computing. Ready to change his career path, Ershad began applying for positions where he could work with Microsoft Azure. Unfortunately, his strong background in integration and Microsoft BizTalk Server made him a less than ideal candidate for his new dream job. That's when Ershad took the Pluralsight plunge. 

Learning > Paycheck

With his heart set on cloud technology, Ershad quit his job and began devoting his time to training. For more than three months, he spent five to six hours a day diving into courses, dissecting code and exercise files and trying to apply what he'd learned.

While he was without work, Ershad received several job offers to continue working within integration, but he turned them all down and continued to fill his time with Pluralsight courses.

“When cloud computing came along, I had to make a choice: either I stick with what I'm doing and my skills would become obsolete, or I take this opportunity to re-skill and learn something new. And I'm happy I made the latter choice. Sometimes in life you have to take two steps back to make a leap forward,” Ershad said.

Showing off new skills

Ershad takes his training seriously. He always downloads exercise files, follows along with the course and extra materials and stops frequently to try out what he's just learned.

“If I want to learn something, I prefer watching a video and hearing someone explain the concepts while I'm playing with the code on a second monitor. Hence, why I have a Pluralsight plus subscription, so I can download the material too.”

Once he feels confident, Ershad takes advantage of the assessment feature to gauge how much of the course he's truly understood. Ershad even adds these accomplishments to his resume. “I figured, I'm putting all this effort in, why not add these certifications to my CV?”

Two months after he began adding his Pluralsight certificates of completion and assessment scores to his CV, Ershad began noticing a change in how he was received by prospective employers. Now, rather than silence, he was receiving phone calls in response to his job applications. It was a “game changer.”

Embracing a culture of learning

In time, Ershad found his perfect match. Solentive is a software development and technology consulting company that puts a strong emphasis on culture and the growth of their employees. This was important to Ershad, who considers himself a driven individual with a passion for personal development.

According to Ershad, Solentive builds a strong culture where employees can connect, push outside of their boundaries and enjoy learning every day. In fact, employees who complete 30 hours of training on Pluralsight per year, get their subscription reimbursed-a program Ershad loves because it rewards him for being a hungry learner.

Already an avid Pluralsight fan, Ershad began noticing some similarities between his new company and his favorite training site. Both hold a strong stance on continuous learning and maintaining a strong internal culture, and Ershad strongly feels that he's finally found where he belongs.

Read more stories like Ershad's here.