PEOPLE IN CERTIFICATION
increased, friends soon began asking
for help with their computer prob-
lems. “With each repair, I just kept
getting a little better, and pretty soon,
I was good at fixing computers,” said
Tokar.
Turning IT wizardry into
a successful business
In 1992, a stranger phoned asking
for help with a computer problem and
Tokar fixed the issue in short order.
What he did not realize was that this
phone call would change the direction
of his life. “It turned out that the guy
owned a computer repair company
and was interviewing me without
my knowing it,” said Tokar. “Based
on my ability to fix his computer,
he offered me a job. I accepted and
dropped out of school to repair com-
puters full-time.”
When the company was sold the
following year, the new owner failed
to recognize Tokar’s technical acumen
and decided to show him the door.
“He called me into his office and said,
‘Some people think they’re smart
enough to work in a particular job but
they aren’t, and should find another
job.’ ”
Most young repair techs would
feel crushed by such a rude brush-
off, but not Tokar. He knew how to
improvise, adapt, and overcome, and
was not at all inclined to take such a
disdainful dismissal lying down. “It
may have been the marine mentality,”
he said.
In a gutsy move that every fired
employee would envy, Tokar walked
to the building manager’s office at the
end of the block and asked if there
was any open space he could rent. He
got his space, just two doors down
from his old employer, and opened
his own computer repair company.
Competing with his former em-
ployer was not going to be enough
for Tokar — he was going all-in to
win. “Over time, I managed to lure a
lot of their customers away,” he said.
Eventually his old boss went out of
business.
After eight years in operation,
Tokar sold his company in 2001. For
the next two years, he stayed busy
with random IT jobs until the school
district lured him over to be the net-
work administrator for Beaufort High
School.A sidelong route to educationAs the network administrator for
Beaufort and several feeder schools,
Tokar would often come into the
classroom to explain concepts behind
repairing and networking computers.
“I really enjoyed my job and figured I
had found my calling,” he said.
Recognizing a number of students
who had interest in networking, he
soon started an internship program
for the students to help meet the
needs of the IT department. “After
they had taken a couple of classes, I
was able to have them help out and
give them deeper exposure to net-
working and other topics they were
learning.”
Tokar’s role would expand even
more in 2010 when the regular IT in-
structor announced he was resigning.
Beaufort’s principal approached the
teachers asking for a volunteer to take
over instruction. The principal knew
Tokar spent a lot of time in the class-
room, and that he enjoyed teaching,
and according to Tokar, “When no
one volunteered, he asked if I would
be interested in getting my teaching
credential and teaching the class.”
Excited for the opportunity, but
concerned with the pay cut accepting
the position entailed, Tokar and his
wife spent a lot of time discussing and
praying whether he should accept the
position. After a time, they decided
to take the position and he began his
teacher certification process. “I was
honestly worried about the cut in
salary, but I knew it was where God
wanted me to be,” said Tokar.
His official start date was August
1, 2010. “It was one day before the
school year began and there I was
without any guidance or textbooks
and with no idea what to teach.” He
downloaded CompTIA’s course out-
line standards and, starting at section
1.1, began teaching the topics covered
by the CompTIA exam. “It wasn’t all
that hard to teach,” said Tokar. “I just
talked about what I did on my previ-
ous job.”