Passion & Perseverance Lead to New Career in IT!

Drew Baxter found his passion for Information Technology at the very start of the pandemic in 2020. While working in administration at a local high school, he saw a need for expertise in IT when all operations switched to remote work. Drew worked with his supervisor at the time to incorporate IT-specific tasks in his day-to-day role. His passion for technology began to grow and he pursued further training on his own and even earned a few certifications. Drew pursued a career change and  successfully began full-time work in the software development industry. Unfortunately, not long after starting his new role, Drew and his entire department were laid off – a theme that was quite common across the industry during that time. In this transition, Drew connected with National Able Network for job search support and guidance to achieve stable, long-term employment in IT.  

Stephanie Levine, Drew’s career coach, says, “In order to increase his employability, Drew aimed to pursue further training and certifications.” He successfully applied for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program which supported Drew in pursuing the CompTIA Network+ certification. His passion for IT as well as his ability to hyper-focus, led to Drew quickly earning the certification. Equipped with his brand-new certification, Drew now wanted to round out his education with hands-on experience. After working with his career coach on revising his resume, Drew began to job search while also  receiving live training at National Able Network’s IT Department.   

He says, “Everyone in the IT Department at National Able Network was super accommodating and super friendly and very knowledgeable and it just felt so refreshing…to be included on a team!” During his tenure at National Able Network, Drew even had the opportunity to receive one hour of career coaching from Chief Information Officer (CIO), Mark Rasmussen. Drew recalls how energizing it was to have access and advice from a C-level executive.  

When applying for employment opportunities and attending interviews, Drew felt that his training experience provided him with more confidence. Just five weeks later, Drew received an offer of employment that perfectly aligned with his aspirations. Today, he is working full-time as a Computer Support Specialist for the University of Illinois. Congratulations, Drew!