A Lucrative Career in IT
Supun Manoj Priyadharshana was a youth who followed his vocational training course called Computer Applications Assistant at SOS Vocational Training Centre in Monaragala. His hometown is Okkampitiya, Monaragala, from Uva Province. Supun completed his high school education, but couldn’t score sufficient marks to be eligible to enter a state university. He couldn’t re-sit the examination either due financial constraints in the family. His mother couldn’t afford private education and his father had left the family long time ago. Supun’s mother cared for the family by working as a labourer in a paddy mill.
Supun decided to start working in order to support his family of five. He tried various jobs hoping to earn a monthly income sufficient to support them, but to no avail. He then thought of learning a skill that would increase his chances of getting a job with better pay. After asking around, he was directed to SOS Vocational Training Centre in Monaragala where he enrolled to follow the Computer Applications Assistant course.
Supun completed this six month course and obtained the NVQ Level 3 certificate offered by the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission in Sri Lanka. Realizing his talent in computing, he decided to further his studies by entering the College of Technology in Badulla and obtaining the NVQ Level 4 and 5 certificate. He then gained entrance to the University of Vocational Technology in Ratmalana. Supun is now an IT graduate with a degree in Computer Science. Currently, he is employed at an organization called DMS Computers (Pvt) Ltd as an IT Executive and Helpdesk Engineer earning a good monthly salary sufficient to care for his family. Now, he not only has a good income, but also a promising long-term career. His main ambition is to start an IT institute in his hometown one day. He says he will never forget SOS Vocational Training Centre, Monaragala that helped him when in need, and provided him with free education to better his future.