Yusuf Ahmad

Before finding Per Scholas, Yusuf had graduated from college in May 2020 and was working at Target in the grocery department as he searched for a job in tech. Even with a degree in Information Decision Sciences, he wasn’t making progress on job applications and realized he had to change his approach. Yusuf started studying to earn the CompTIA A+ certification on his own, but wasn’t able to keep up self-study. 

Per Scholas, which Yusuf found through Indeed, seemed like a good match. He applied to and enrolled in the End User Desktop Support course and began a full-time remote training schedule. According to Yusuf, the remote learning environment was beneficial to the experience as he was able to save time on commuting and was able to spend more time on assignments and his own interests. His instructor, Eldad van Creveld, “was very knowledgeable and loved interacting with us.” Yusuf cites Eldad’s professional experience as providing added insight to the class.

Weekly professional development, led by career coach Kelsey with support from TEKsystems staff, also helped round out Yusuf’s experience. “Not only was [Per Scholas] supportive insofar as they helped me get my education and certification,” Yusuf says, “they also helped me apply and demonstrate I have those skills.” Yusuf says networking was his greatest area of improvement during the course. “That was my worst trait in college,” he says, but reports that he feels like “I opened myself up” through his experience at Per Scholas. He also cites the extensive communication between Per Scholas, TEKsystems, and his class as a particular benefit during training. “There was no opportunity to miss any important announcements,” Yusuf says, “I really appreciate that.”

Yusuf ended up being the valedictorian of his class, but he views the experience as humbling more so than anything else. “I felt that I was privileged because I only had to work weekends,” he says, adding that he had a good support system at home, while some of his classmates had children and families to support.

Yusuf credits Everett, his TEKsystems recruiter, with connecting him to his first post-graduation job providing Google support desk service contracted to Mechdyne Corporation. TEKsystems led him through two mock interviews during training, which convinced them that Yusuf was qualified for the short-term position. “I wasn’t expecting to have a job right out of Per Scholas,” he says, saying it was what most surprised him from the entire experience. 

Yusuf currently works as a Network Services Specialist and is looking forward to the future. “Tech is so diverse,” he says, which has led him to consider earning additional IT credentials, including AWS or Net+ credentials. Yusuf has come a long way since earning his parents’ ire for taking apart the remote, and building his first computer as a sophomore in high school. “Every professional decision I made, I knew that it would lead to some field in technology,” Yusuf says. Now, with the support of Per Scholas and TEKsystems, he has a bright future ahead.