Hatboro-Horsham Grad Talks Military with Eastern Students

A Hatboro-Horsham High School class of 2012 grad had a message for Eastern Center for Arts and Technology students recently: The U.S. Navy is hiring.

Christian Troutner, who completed Eastern's computer network administration program during his high school career, spoke to a class at his alma mater about career opportunities available in the U.S. Navy. 

Troutner is an Information Systems Technician in the U.S. Navy stationed in Virginia. He's been in the Navy for a little over a year, with the first eight months consisting of continued education in computer networking administration. 

He graduated the top of his class in the Navy, and credits his success in his military schooling to the education he received at Eastern, and to his instructor, Karon Crickmore. 

Troutner had a passion for computers from a young age, but it was during his 10th-grade visit to Eastern that he decided the computer network administration program was for him. While at Eastern, Troutner was a student ambassador who regularly volunteered his time at various recruiting events, such as presenting to prospective 10th-grade students at Hatboro-Horsham and representing his computer network administration program during the Hatboro-Horsham college and career fairs. 

Due to the poor job market, Troutner decided to pursue his career interests further through the military. Since the U.S. Navy is the leading force in cyber systems, he knew he would continue to grow and learn in this branch of the military. 

“Eastern gives you a leg up when going to college or into the workforce,” said Troutner said in a press release. “It teaches you attention to detail, time management, and career development, while providing the tools that you need to succeed in your particular career field. Eastern provided me with a great head start on my career, and now the U.S. Navy will help me stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing technology world.” 

Troutner plans on making the military his career and taking advantage of all of the opportunities it offers to continue his professional growth in the IT field.