A few years back I was listening to a podcast.
The guest that day was Jerome Hardaway, and he was discussing #VetsWhoCode. A non-profit that wanted to help veterans learn to become frontend devs and have a community to discuss and grow with. I am an Air Force veteran that worked as a mechanic and knew nothing at all of code.
When I left the military, I knew I wanted to do something with computers, but wasn't sure what that would be. When I found #VetsWhoCode, I was an aspiring developer in a small town thinking, wow, that sounds like a great opportunity to learn! I looked up the organization and applied that day.
The course was great! I laughed, I learned, I got mad, I got excited...then mad again. But in the end, I've developed skills that have helped me become a successful frontend developer in Chicago and have found a group of people in VWC that understand me, and we really work and grow together better than anything I could have imagined.
I finished my cohort over 2 years ago, but there is rarely a day, that I don't check in to see how things are going. Many of us, including myself, still contribute to the VWC in some way. Currently, I am in the process of becoming the CDO of VetsWhoCode.
If you are a veteran I would recommend applying to become a part of this community. It's a lot of work, but if you put in the time and effort, its worth it.
And, hey, if you apply and don't get in the first time, apply to the next cohort. Persistence pays off.
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