Haaji Peace

Haaji Peace grew up in Chicago, where he graduated high school and elected to immediately join the workforce, first as a security guard and barber and then looking for something with a higher wage at a food processing plant. When the pandemic hit, like millions of Americans, Haaji lost his job. He tried for months to find another, applying to dozens of jobs, but he just could not land one. That is when he found an ad for a free IT training program on Indeed. He applied to Per Scholas and got in, graduated 15 weeks later with two industry-recognized certifications, and landed a Help Desk role right after completing the course. 

Now, post-graduation and well into his tech career, Haaji is currently earning more money than ever before – nearly double prior to training. He was also selected for a prestigious 18-month apprenticeship at Bank of America that started in March 2022. Here, he is working in a tech role, making a thriving wage with benefits including health care, vacation and sick days, a retirement plan, and more. Haaji is grateful for the benefits package offered and the assurance it provides for his life and well-being. He wanted to be considered for the program because he wanted an opportunity to work in coding and is thrilled to complete his duties in application support and working with his managers on trade management. 

Haaji hopes that his experience will help hiring managers see that individuals skilled through alternative routes, without four-year degrees, and Per Scholas graduates are motivated and have the skills needed for tech roles. When it comes to the apprenticeship program, he is most excited about building his coding skills in hopes of obtaining full-time employment following the completion of the program.