Stephen Wells

For nearly a decade, Stephen Wells built his career managing and training teams in the restaurant industry before transitioning into robotics and manufacturing. Driven by a natural curiosity and a hunger for growth, he began taking night classes at a community college to learn more about Cybersecurity.

The turning point came when Stephen enrolled in the AI-Enabled Tools IT Support program at Per Scholas Detroit. He dove headfirst into the fundamentals, transforming years of high-pressure experience into tech expertise.

“There were no overwhelming challenges, just moments of intense pressure and heat that helped me forge an alloy of years of customer service, precision building, and cutting-edge insights into the digital frontier.”

Stephen’s journey through Per Scholas wasn’t just a test of technical skill—it was a test of heart. As a devoted husband and father to two boys, including a non-verbal son on the autistic spectrum, his family remained his priority. Balancing intensive training with fatherhood meant pushing well past his comfort zone.

“This program was one of the hardest things I’ve EVER attempted… I learned that some days I can’t afford to know my limits until I am well beyond them. With my family and the desire to inspire and encourage my cohort as my WHY, I showed up ready to engage, learn, push past my limits and fear, and bring the very best I had to offer.”

Through Per Scholas, Stephen earned certifications in CompTIA A+, Google IT Support and AI, Microsoft Azure, and Windows Server. Inspired by his cohort’s energy, he even self-funded and passed the challenging CompTIA Network+ exam.

Reflecting on his transformation, Stephen believes that before diving into homelabs or PowerShell, every tech professional must establish four foundational mindset pillars:

• Humility: “Humility creates the ability to be taught and led by people who know more than you… enabling you to know when to say ‘I don’t know’ and when to ask for help.”

• Curiosity: “Curiosity allows a technician to actively listen, ask insightful questions, and constantly search for more information to discover root causes… Curiosity and exploration are always better than rigid certainty.”

• Patience: “You will fail. That’s a guarantee… Patience turns this into an invitation to slow down, breathe, and accept that changes need to be made.”

• Resilience: “Resilience makes you humble enough to ask for help when you’re lost. Resilience gives you the curiosity to find new ways of thinking and growing… Resilience makes you patient.”

Armed with practical training and a portfolio of certifications, Stephen continues building custom LLMs to streamline his studies and master daily cybersecurity labs on TryHackMe. 

As a proud Per Scholas graduate launching into his IT career, Stephen’s vision extends beyond his own success. He recently accepted a role as a Technical Support Technician at Awecomm. 

Stephen is already looking to the future. “Long-term, my passion is shepherding and teaching. I want to mentor, inspire, and arm the next generations of IT service professionals and cyber warriors. I know it will never be easy. I know that it will always be worth it.”