My Nonprofit Reviews

My Story:

I was looking for anything IT related I possibly could because I knew I was good with computers but did not have the degree to prove it nor could I afford to put the money down on certifications. Every job I applied for I was told to get more experience and try back later. So when I was job searching I stumbled upon this too good to be true program called IT Ready Apprenticeship. At this point I decided it was well worth giving it a go so I applied only half expecting to get it but really hoping it was exactly what it sounded like. I received a call asking me to come in and take a quick test to evaluate some basic high school skills and then do some interviewing with representatives of the program. I explained my situation - no college degree/ no money/ lots of hands on computer skills but no experience, and how hard it was to find a job.

I went through all of the basic testing and evaluating and was lucky enough to be able to spend my time speaking with each member that was running the program throughout the process. At this point I was excited to see what I could do with the program and very invested in entering. I kept asking them what the catch was but even to this day not a one has surfaced.

I will never forget that first day where I began getting to know so many genuinely good classmates, mentors, and friends and for 8 weeks I was guided into what I can now happily refer to as my IT Career.

Specifically, what I liked about the program:

-I think the structure of the program itself was very well done -- there were never days where we had nothing to do or things felt stretched. I was always being jammed with new information despite my technical background.

-Several get-to-know my classmates exercises was a phenomenal idea; rather that just diving into things. It made me much more comfortable and, I am sure I was not the only one, but many of us were able to work together outside of the program as well to answer questions and help one another network.

-I also think that the interviewing skills we developed have been immensely helpful. I walk into interviews now and feel like a veteran and make it more of a conversation than I ever did before.

-The additional certifications after the program are a godsend. Not only have I picked up my Network+, Security+, and Server+ through vouchers, I was given extensive training materials that were invaluable to my success.

IT Ready for Me

IT Ready has given me the confidence in my abilities and the desire to learn more and acquire more skills in every job I have obtained since. It totally changed my attitude -- I used to try and fix software and hardware with what I know and Google.com -- now I go through it methodically. Start basic and get more complicated; this approach has saved me countless times where coworkers have spent hours I have spent minutes. The interviewing skills are amazing and I feel confident before every interview because now I know what they look for. The additional certifications provided by the program have easily handed me my most recent job at Carle Hospital in Urbana Illinois, I know I would never have it without them and the vouchers. I would have been too afraid to spend the money to take each test. Above all IT Ready gave me a direction, I knew I wanted to do technical support, but now I have a career and I now know how to advance that career. I spent $80,000 on college and learned more from IT Ready than I did from college. This program has most definitely changed my life.