Jared W. Alumni Spotlight

JARED:

I just didn't have a backup plan, to be honest. I just lept headfirst into this, and I knew that I had to pass no matter what. 

I did some manufacturing for about three years. That just wasn't for me. I was tired of waking up at 5am every day. I needed to change. It was at the same time that my cousin, she mentioned that she had a friend that did this VetTec program. A week after she told me, at the start of this year, I joined Sabio and here I am now. 

Q: What was your biggest challenge at Sabio?

JARED:

Honestly, just the whole experience was just one major challenge because it's something I've never done before. I've never seen the inner workings, what goes on on the back end of the computer. So every single step was new, it was challenging, but it was also fun because it was challenging. It wasn't just the same monotonous thing over and over. It's always a new experience, always a new bug you gotta squash. 

Q: How did you work through difficulties?

JARED:

Honestly, I stepped away from my computer. If there was something that I really, really got stuck on, I'd say for more than an hour tops, I would step away from it. Just, I don't know, go get a snack, go take a walk, do something else. Just get your mind off of it. More than likely when I came back, I would have a new perspective on what I was looking at. If there was a bug I absolutely could not get through myself, just get on the queue. Just don’t leave the queue, like make sure you sit there and ask the instructor to clarify what they’re saying. If you don't understand, that's the reason you're getting on the queue in the first place. 

Q: How did you deal with stress?

JARED:

Like if you were in the service, you know how to deal with stress. Probably not in a civilian manner, but there are ways. Don't be afraid to step away from the keyboard. Don't burn yourself out. You have 17 weeks of this. It's worth it to get through it.

Q: What was the job search process like?

JARED:

My job search definitely started off slow. I think I started off maybe 150 to 200 resumes a week and I really wasn't seeing much traction come within that first like week and a half. So I had a little one-on-one with one of the mentors that they recommended to us, which I highly recommend, whoever it is, I think it's Cladence right now. After that little one-on-one I had, I started putting close to like 500 resumes a week. After I started to do that, I really, really saw an increase in like phone calls I was getting, interviews. I think I lined up seven or eight interviews after that first week of putting out that many resumes. The job offer that I took, it was one of the first ones that I got just because they met all the criteria I wanted.

Q: How did you stay focused?

JARED:

Time-blocking was really important to me. Like I definitely felt lost, like I didn't know what I was doing throughout the day. But as soon as you get that direction from the time-blocking, it just helps all to just compartmentalize everything and just keep it focused. Especially as far as putting out those applications, it does seem like a daunting task, I see in the chat time. Time-block it and then as soon as you are done with that time, move on to the next thing. Don't worry about it. 

Q: Were you looking for more entry- or mid-level jobs?

JARED:

The majority of them were entry-level just because that's sort of what I aimed for just for the simple fact that I wanted more mentoring from the job that I got. I didn't want to be put with too much responsibility on my end just because I felt like I was still learning a bit and I wanted more room to grow.

Q: Did you negotiate at all?

JARED:

I actually didn't do any negotiation for that original deal just because everything that they offered fit right within my criteria for what I wanted for a job. Everything from like benefits, to pay range, to location, it was still what I wanted. So honestly, I just took it when I got it. But I did get other offers.

Q: Did you have any technical interviews?

JARED:

I think I only had like one technical interview. It was actually like a whiteboard technical interview. Majority of the technical interviews that I did get, they were all just like hacker rank assessments and I had to go do for them and that was pretty much it.

Q: Was your military background helpful in getting a job?

JARED:

For me it really wasn't that much of like an outstanding topic. Yeah, I was in the military, but I think the main thing they got from me being in the military was that I had an active secret clearance and that's what they really took away from that. I definitely targeted that audience just because I feel like there was less competition as far as like people who have security clearances and people who don't. But it's definitely not a mandatory thing. You'll find tons of jobs that aren't asking for that.