Technologist Talk

If the economic strain of the pandemic has you feeling the limits of your current job, consider launching a new career working with technology. Listen as Sue Wallace, VP of student & career services at the CompTIA Tech Career Academy, shares best practices for switching to a promising new tech job, starting on the IT Help Desk. Applying this summer can prep you to fill a technology position by the winter holidays.

In this episode of our series complementing the WITS 2020 Virtual Summit, Alicia Park, National Outreach Manager for TechGirlz, a program of Creating IT Futures, explains why volunteering to lead virtual TechShopz during the COVID-19 pandemic is vital to inspiring the next generation of women working in tech.

In this first chapter of our profile series complementing the WITS 2020 Virtual Summit, Mariah Sexton tells her tale of building a successful tech career through IT training, CompTIA certifications and, most of all, mentorship from the community of women working in technology.

The U.S. tech sector is still hiring – despite the pandemic – posting hundreds of thousands of ads for open IT positions. Where will these companies find qualified candidates to fill these jobs – especially when our nation’s tech skills gap remains a challenge? One source: Military veterans. Listen as Leila Melendez, CEO of Workforce Solutions Borderplex, a workforce board operating in El Paso, Texas, tells the tale of helping hundreds of Army veterans transition to new tech careers with support from CompTIA Custom Training.

Is it possible to Pandemic-Proof your career? If so, developing IT skills may just be the way to do it – despite your current job experience.  Join CompTIA vice president Amy Kardel and Charles Eaton, CEO of CompTIA Tech Career Academy and Creating IT Futures, for a conversation about how continuous learning, certifications and working for Managed Services Providers (MSPs) can help you transition or improve your career during trying times.

What is a workforce board? And how does one serve businesses, states, regions or local communities? Hear some answers in this technologist tale shared by Leila Melendez, CEO of Workforce Solutions Borderplex, a workforce board operating in El Paso, Texas, that helps hundreds of U.S. Army veterans transition to new tech jobs with support from CompTIA Custom Training.

Original Technologist Tales theme music by C. Ezra Lange 

For more than a decade TechGirlz, a nonprofit program of Creating IT Futures, has been inspiring middle-school girls to explore the possibilities of technology to empower their future careers through TechShopz – free, fun, interactive workshops bringing young women face to face with tech mentors. Then, COVID-19 struck, making in-person events impossible indefinitely. Listen as Amy Cliett explains how this unexpected operational challenge evolved into an unanticipated deepening of TechGirlz’ value.

As our nation works to recover from the economic impact of COVID-19, the U.S. Congress is considering committing billions of dollars to workforce training programs for millions of Americans who have lost jobs during the pandemic. Great news! But, how does funding from acts of Congress work its way into workforce training? Listen as Mark Plunkett and Jason Mangold explain how CompTIA Custom Training helps. 

Why is a national pandemic a good time to consider your career options? The answer: Growth. Adam Turner, Chief Academic Officer of the newly launched CompTIA Tech Career Academy, explains why, if COVID-19’s economic impact has you feeling the limitations of your current career, a switch to the technology industry may provide the growth potential you seek.