Katherine Webster interview on ACT NOW Education - talks about VetsinTech programs in Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship and give valuable advice for transitioning veterans looking to break into tech careers.
We plan to have a great panel of leaders and recruiters in tech as well as several members from the VetsinTech Employer Coalition which includes Facebook, Google, Genentech, Cloudera, Adobe, BlueShield, ConEd, and Disney to discuss opportunities at these companies and in the tech ecosystem in general.
Mario Morales served as a sergeant in the Marine Corps for a little under ten years. As a USMC veteran who spent most of his military career overseas, Morales found his transition to the civilian workforce in the US even more challenging. Morales learned about VetsinTech during his transition to Austin from his end-duty station in Okinawa, Japan, and describes VetsinTech as “one of the best organizations I have seen during my transition”.
Thanks to VetsinTech, Morales was able to take advantage of free courses in both front end and full-stack immersive web development which proved foundational in building his tech career. Next Mario took both Security+ and Palo Alto Networks classes as part of VetsinTech Cybersecurity offerings and continued to broaden his knowledge with a nanodegree program - a scholarship provide by VetsinTech and AT&T
According to Morales, “All of these courses were offered at little or no cost to me and helped me stand out from the crowd.” These stepping stones led to multiple interviews and subsequent job offers from top tech companies around the country. Morales eventually accepted a position as a Production Engineer at Facebook, Inc. “Without VetsinTech, I would not be where I am in my career today.” adds Morales.
I am so thankful that Vets in Tech exist! I wish it existed back in 2010 when I first got out of service. I really felt alone, and hopeless in a world that was supposed to be home. I really had to figure things out on my own. And felt that way for the longest time until recently being more active in the Veteran Community. I was recommended to look into Vets in Tech by an Air Force Officer colleague. He talked about a community of Veterans that work in the tech industry. I thought it is great to see if I could network as I’m a Realtor who specializes in helping Vets utilize their benefits to become homeowners. My first Vets in Tech was a mixer where I got to hear CO CEO of Salesforce speak about his support in hiring Veterans. As well as other top-level execs speak about the same or other Veterans talk about their journey on how they achieved success after the Military. It was so uplifting to hear the support, and the paths of other Veterans like myself make it in Silicon Valley.
Even though I was starting to get great momentum in my Real Estate career I heard about the Vets in Tech Coding Bootcamp for Front End Web Development. Something that is still instilled with me from the Military is that the better cross-trained the individual is in taking responsibility for many hats; the easier it is for the individual to get promoted and achieve success. So I decided to take the Bootcamp to have a better understanding of my own Business Website, and have the credentials just in case I need it in the future. Coming from a business background, I honestly got overwhelmed on day 1. I thought it wasn’t for me. But through the patience and support of my instructor and Vets in Tech contacts. As well as the encouragement of my Veteran peer classmates. I was actually able to finish! I haven’t felt this type of comradery pushing me to achieve something when I wanted to ring the bell and quit since I was in the Military.
I really feel Vets in Tech helped me in so many ways as a Military Veteran Realtor. They have helped me network with other Veterans in the Tech Community. Help me strengthen my technical skills which allows me to reach out to other Veterans and potential clients via online platforms. Which allows me to help Veterans utilize their benefits to become homeowners in a not so friendly VA buyer area. Along with serving on my Non-Profit VAREP (Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals) I also was on the front lines helping the new Blue Water Navy Act VA Loan lobbied and passed in Washington DC. A bill that helps Vietnam Veterans claim benefits that have been deserved for way too long now, and Veterans in high-cost counties like the Bay Area. I’ve now helped 6 Veterans and their families become homeowners in the last year alone. It truly is my passion to continually serve the Veteran Community, and I’m so glad to be aligned with Vets in Tech.
20 veterans completed front end web development training at Galvanize in Austin, TX. The 12 week course concluded on 11 December.
Six VetsinTech students in Phoenix, AZ completed WebDev training on 11 December.
The Galvanize/Samsung/VetsinTech Scholarship program covers between 50 - 65% of tuition for veterans in the Software Engineering Immersive or Data Science Immersive study programs. Click here for more information.
Facebook University for Veterans graduated 10 veterans from their cybersecurity program on 15 December 2018.
There were 10 VetsinTech referrals who graduated from Facebook’s Cybersecurity University on 15 December 2018 in Menlo Park, CA. This was a challenging ten week course wherein Facebook Cybersecurity and Facebook VetWorking teamed up with CodePath.org to teach veterans the fundamentals of Cybersecurity. Click HERE for details of what this course provided and be on the lookout for future offerings.
Galvanize/Samsung/VetsinTech scholarship program that covers between 50 - 65% of tuition for veterans in the Software Engineering Immersive or Data Science Immersive study programs. For more information - click HERE
Facebook University Cybersecurity Class is a 12 week introductory class on provided free to veterans. Free for veterans, this course will be conducted on the Facebook campus in Menlo Park, CA. Dates are every Saturday from 9AM - 2PM between 2 March - 1 June 2019. One page application is HERE and when answering the final question on the form: How did you hear about this class? - please type in VetsinTech.
Oracle Veteran Internship Program (OVIP) – Spring 2019 starts on Monday 18 March and runs through Friday 7 June for a total of 12 weeks. There are 10 positions open for veterans. Interested? You must formally apply HERE.
Examples of internships avaailable:
Data Center Infrastructure Engineer Intern (Santa Clara) - Job # 190001J4
VetsinTech Web Dev Fundamentals, October, 2018
My name is Robert Wining and I'm from Youngstown, Ohio. I served in the United States Navy from 2002-2006. I was an Electricians Mate and a member of the All Navy Marksmanship Team.
Upon moving recently to San Francisco, I realized the talent pool is deep. My decade of sales experience and military service may not be enough to set me apart. I enrolled in the VetsinTech Web Development Fundamentals course to learn more about front end web development and to bridge the gap between myself and other highly qualified job seekers.
Through this VetsinTech training experience, I learned more about the vast world of tech than I have in my previous 35 years on earth. This has been so incredibly beneficial to me. I wish this class was available when I got out of the service. Instead I was given my medical records and a friendly pat on the back. Classes like this should be available for each industry and economic specialization. VetsinTech is an outstanding concept that I believe can be replicated across multiple disciplines. Not only is this the best resource that has ever been available to me as a veteran, it's a phenomenal way for employers to tap into veterans that are career/education oriented. This class is filled with people that never ever want to stop learning.
Adam Hoek
VetsinTech Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Course , June, 2018
My name is Adam Hoek. I served in the Army infantry with assignments in the 82nd Airborne Division, and with United Nations Peacekeeping Forces. Recently, I have become interested in securing cloud applications. I learned about VetsinTech through a contact at Palo Alto Networks.
My involvement with VetsinTech has presented me with outstanding training opportunities with both Salesforce and Facebook. As a result, I have earned certifications from Salesforce.com as an Administrator and I completed the Facebook University Cybersecurity Academy. Neither would have been possible without the networking support provided by VetsinTech. Additionally, I have been able to complete training as a Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate. I will be assisting the next VetsinTech Palo Alto Networks cybersecurity training in February 2019.
My future goals are to continue learning cloud security and to stay involved with VetsinTech program.
We have closed out 2018 with a bang and now gearing up for our next major event, our 2nd annual National Conference - The Invasion in Silicon Valley!
The Invasion will bring together veterans from all over the country to provide access and introductions to some of Silicon Valley’s hottest tech companies and an incredible entrepreneurial network.
The Invasion, hosted by google launchpad, will be held March 8th and 9th in San Francisco- check out our amazing line up of sessions and speakers. Steve Blank - the father of modern entrepreneurship and the Lean Startup movement, Michael Brown of the DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit here is Silicon Valley, and Carol Eggert - head of Comcast Military Affairs. We have over 20 speakers from across many tech and entrepreneurship fields who will be speaking and engaging with veterans.
Sign up and come join us on this invasion to support our current and returning veterans with re-integration services, and by connecting them to the national technology ecosystem.
ViT is committed to bringing together a tech-specific network, resources, and programs for our veterans interested in Education, Entrepreneurship, and Employment.
CAMP PENDLETON- ANNUAL TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY FORUM AND HIRING EVENT
Founder & CEO Katherine Webster spoke on a panel on future technology and trends at US Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton’s annual Technology Industry Forum and Hiring Event. VetsinTech joined other partners including Google, Oracle, TEKsystems and more in helping inform transitioning members of the Navy and Marine Corps.
SAN DIEGO HAPPY HOUR WITH VETERANS AND PARTNERS
VetsinTech hosted a happy hour for our San Diego chapter. Alumni and prospective students attended and met with representatives of our Employer Coalition partners which included TekSystems and Oracle. This was another excellent opportunity for veteran networking in the tech space and connecting with mentors.
Checkout this PR NEWSWIRE article on The Invasion.
We are more than ecstatic to hold our second national conference "The Invasion" in Silicon Valley. Over 500 veterans are coming from around the nation to network, learn and give back.
We are thankful to have amazing speakers and sponsors. We are appreciative of their support and time to make this event the IT event of the year for veterans transitioning into tech careers and/or entrepreneurship.
A couple of reminders and shoutouts.
If you haven't gotten your ticket yet! Get it NOW!
We are just a few weeks until The Invasion and we are thrilled with the excitement from across the country.
Last Month, we hosted The Invasion in Silicon Valley A national conference that brought 500 veterans from around the country into SF for 2 days of keynotes, panels, workshops, and networking. We had over 40 incredible speakers, and a dozen of the largest tech orgs who joined as partners. Over 250,000 veterans transition out of service every year, 80% of them enter civilian life without a job --- meanwhile there are millions of open roles in tech including fast growing demand in cybersecurity in which veterans are uniquely positioned to succeed. VetsinTech works to close the gap. Thank you to all our attendees, speakers, and sponsors for making this such an impactful program. View photos from the event here.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projected growth of employment in web development is 15 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations. Demand is driven by the growing popularity of mobile devices and e-commerce. That is why Vets in Tech is so excited to offer veterans free web development training in Boston on 22 April 2019. If you are interested in this training you can register here, and if you know of anyone else who can benefit from this scholarship please share with them.
VetsinTech is proud to share that 16 Veterans are currently going through a Web Development course in Austin Texas. This is a challenging 4-week course where we teach veterans the fundamentals of Javascript, HTML and CSS. The graduation is on April 11th at 7:30pm. We are excited that our class family and friends will be in attendance. We want to highlight our dedicated and determined instructors in Austin, Hunter Jefferson and Justin Baize. “ This is my very first time teaching a course organized exclusively for veterans. I'm blown away by how diligent, hard-working, and respectful all of the students are. Every day I'm inspired by their self-motivation and resilience in the face of increasingly tough challenges in the classroom” Hunter Jefferson.and Shoutout to our student Tim Katje “ Having a background in computer programming has given me a leg up in the class, but that also means that the coursework itself has not been very challenging for me. But Hunter is extremely dedicated to the class and is always available to us, and she provides me with harder programming challenges outside of the curriculum to complete.”
Congratulations to the April Austin Web Development course grads. 15 veterans completed 4 weeks of web development training. To paraphrase a student's spouse who encouraged him to go, "[Veterans are] a very tight community, they live all over the world, and they stay connected. Thank you for the opportunity."If you are interested in doing what these guys have done, sign up for the next web development class in San Francisco on May 20th. VetsinTech is proud to announce the Graduation of the two-week Web Development Cohort at DraftKings’ new state-of-the-art headquarters in Boston. The course focused on teaching veterans and military spouses front end web development skills. DraftKings and invited Employer Groups are invited to work with the veterans to grow their understanding of employment opportunities at high-tech companies and to further support the veteran graduates pursuing careers in tech.VetsinTech and Palo Alto Networks held a special 5-day class in Cybersecurity – As the next-generation security company, Palo Alto Networks is leading a new era in cybersecurity and threat prevention. Palo Alto Networks is one of the fastest growing security companies in the market. Breaches are prevented by uniquely integrating Next-Generation Firewall, Advanced Endpoint Protection, and Threat Intelligence Cloud.
