Life before the cohort program at Geekwise Academy meant 18+ hour days working as a retail manager under tremendous stress, impossible standards, and unending expectations of improvement. I saw my family very rarely, and when I did, I was always under a lot of stress. The cohort afforded me the opportunity to learn (and get paid for learning!) a skill that was immediately marketable. Because of those skills, I gained confidence in myself as an employee, I was able to find a job where stress is (honestly) not a factor at all, and the hours I spend I with my family are always positive, focused, and uninterrupted.
Because of the cohort, I was able to land several jobs as a contractor where I improved my skillset and gained even more confidence, and eventually I was blessed to land a job working for Shift3 Technologies as a Software Programmer (my DREAM job!) All this transition happened in under two years! My first class was May 3, 2015 and today I have achieved the career and personal goals I set for myself during that first class.