Inspiration
Kenzie Academy from SNHU Presents the Many Stories of Tech
There are many different paths toward a future in tech.
Each path toward a future in tech is different. The journey can begin anywhere and take you through many different learning experiences before bringing you to a tech career.
Whether you’re a high school or college graduate, a stay-at-home parent, or a retail worker, your story matters. It’s what makes you you and the reason why the Kenzie Team is so determined to guide you as you find your version of success. The Many Stories of Tech is a collection of unique learner journeys. Each one is filled with initiative and determination and each one is worth sharing.
Learners shared the origins of their tech story.
“I was a union ironworker for about 7 months. There were a lot of journeymen that were telling me, ‘Hey, why are you here? You’re going to destroy your body.’ I wasn’t treated the best as a female in a men’s working area. So I was like, okay, I’m done.”
– Alyssa Wiser, Kenzie learner, Full-Stack Web Development
“In my former life I was actually in nonprofit administration. I lost my job in August of 2019. I decided that I needed to make a change.”
– Zachary Kline, Kenzie alum, Software Engineering
“So I did come to Kenzie right after high school. I was looking at my options as far as college goes. I was feeling frustrated about spending four years until I could get into the industry. So I was really excited to shorten that expectation and get through Kenzie and have relevant experience and get ready for the workforce.”
– David Richardson, Kenzie alum, Software Engineering
They shared their Kenzie experience.
“It was a big leap of faith because I have no tech background. Once I started Kenzie, it just felt so natural to me. It was wonderful, that first experience. Being a little more hyper-focused on something like Kenzie, I think made way more sense.”
– Jeffrey Simpson, Kenzie alum, Software Engineering
“Kenzie does teach you exactly what it’s like in the real world. You have to spend a lot of time outside of class learning. They really teach you about the growth mindset and how your abilities are not fixed. You can learn almost anything with the right time, with the right teaching. You can learn almost anything if you set your mind to it.”
– Kash Farhadi, Kenzie alum, Software Engineering
“I feel like the condensed model really helps me because in the traditional four year colleges, there is a lot of studying around the topic. [In a Kenzie program], you are getting one thing and you’re focusing in on it and you’re honing in and you’re learning the different skills.”
– Zachary Kline, Kenzie alum, Software Engineering
They weighed in on whether tech is worth it.
“I like to consider myself a Kenzie success story. Everything was going downhill and it allowed me to make something of myself and make me feel honestly good about myself again.”
– Zachary Kline, Kenzie alum, Software Engineering
“It was a big turning point for sure in my career. I wasn’t a programmer at all. I didn’t know how to do any of the things I learned in Kenzie.”
– Kash Farhadi, Kenzie alum, Software Engineering
We also heard from the Kenzie Team.
“I think our mission is so driven by this idea that we can create equity in tech in order for folks to obtain the next steps in their lives. We are connecting folks to careers that are going to be meaningful and impactful in their life.”
– Matt Cummings
“You get to do that active learning here in this safe educational environment so that you are then set up to be immediately recognized as someone who knows absolutely what is going on.”
– Alecia Kissel
“The opportunity to provide opportunities is paramount to Kenzie’s mission. We’re trying to get these students to make a difference in their lives and to really help them get into this world of opportunities that they may have not had access to before.”
– Alec Stephens
“Helping put the pieces in place, either for the learners directly, or for all of the people who support those learners, to be able to make that thing happen for a person.”
– Fred Manning
How Will You Write Your Story?
The Many Stories of Tech give us a closer look at what can happen when you consider a future in tech and go for it. These are stories about finding the determination to keep going and staying motivated through anything that comes your way. So, how will your story play out?
