Pursuing a passion for tech.
Starting a career within the information technology (IT) industry was not simple for Jordi Becerril. He grew up with a passion for technology and, although he comes from a strong Hispanic community, he lacked role models that had the expertise to advise him on a career in IT.
Not only did he struggle with finding formal education options, the type of work experience needed to be successful; he also experienced a lack of diversity and representation in the technology industry that made it difficult to see himself in the IT career field.
Jordi believed in himself and to get started he enrolled in a short-term web developer training program. Following the short course, his desire for more training increased, so Jordi sought guidance and financial support from Heartland Workforce Solutions (HWS).
The HWS career coaches provided counseling on training and tuition assistance that led to his enrollment in formal web developer training. Upon completion of the course, Jordi also attained support from a salary offset program that assists small companies to hire tech talent, and he attained employment as a Web Developer at a small IT startup.
With the training, work experience and financial support facilitated by HWS, Jordi was hired as an Application Developer within a large national financial corporation.
Jordi is currently enjoying a great IT career and continues to build his application development skills with support from experienced mentors, great resources and numerous advancement opportunities. Also, as a full-time employee, his employer is providing tuition reimbursement to assist his pursuit of an academic degree. He is now an IT role model within the Hispanic community that the younger generation can look up to.
