The tech industry has always struggled with inclusion. Even as recently as 2019, women only held about a quarter of all jobs in the computing field, even though they make up 47 percent of the workforce overall. And although the…

Joe Simanis, an electrical engineer by trade, began work in a sales position within a technology organization. He continued this career path for many years, and he ultimately perfected his skills in sales. Unfortunately, due to a layoff, Joe was…

David Hilo began his professional career in the restaurant industry – a world he knew well since working at his family’s restaurant while young. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Culinary Arts Certificate from Le Cordon Bleu,…

When most people think of an “apprenticeship,” they tend to think about industries, like construction or manufacturing. And while these industries certainly use apprentices, the apprenticeship model can also be adapted successfully into other sectors, like information technology (IT). Under…

Since high school, Susan Zhou had a natural talent for all things information technology. So much so that family and friends would count on her to help set up laptops, computers, and even complete basic troubleshooting whenever they ran into…

Marvin Harvey earned his bachelor’s degree in business in 2012, and worked in the accounting and finance field through 2017. However, that very same year, Marvin was laid off. This unexpected career hiccup didn’t faze Marvin one bit. He took…

Steve Mart, an Information Technology professional, found himself in job search after working for the same organization in different capacities over a span of two decades. He connected with National Able Network to take advantage of all the job search…

Petko Karadzhov, an information technology professional, worked at the same organization in Lake Zurich for 17 years. His expertise included data collection and manipulation, and other data-related skills. Unfortunately, in 2017, Petko was laid off and found himself in his…

Miguel Betancourt had a career in customer service and account management before being laid off in 2017. He wasted no time in getting his job search started! Miguel applied to and was accepted into National Able Network’s Employment Opportunities, Personalized…

This week, we sat down with our IT Sector Center Account Manager, the multi-talented Joaquin Barry, and talked about his Chicago roots, his entry into the tech field, and much more! Q: You’ve been a business owner, a chef, you…

Lukasz “Luke” Majzner was in his mid-thirties and after many years of unstable employment and unemployment, was receiving SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits just to make ends meet. He enrolled in the Employment Opportunities, Personalized Services, Individualized Training, Career…

Ryan Nelson was ready to make a career change, but was uncertain about what type of career path he would pursue. Ryan worked in in the financial trading sector for more than two decades, but the industry declined and he…