As an educator in her native Pakistan, Saira Mirza had a wonderful career where she helped children gain digital literacy skills. “Children would love coming to my computer class!” recalls Saira. In 2002, Saira moved from Pakistan to Garfield, Minnesota…

Margaret Feret is a survivor. During the 27 years she worked as a clinical care nursing technician she also raised her four children. When two of her sons enlisted in the military and went on to take part in the…

Jennifer Edwards, a 44-year-old single mom, had been successful in the import business for more than 20 years, but she felt that her career had reached a plateau. “I’m a two-time ovarian cancer survivor,” says Jennifer, “So when I had…

Marse Visnevac was pursuing his bachelor’s degree in information technology when he heard about National Able Network’s IT Career Lab program. Marse was very eager to fulfill his career goals, and after attending an information session to learn more about…

Jonathan Clark had been searching for career direction for quite some time. “Before coming to National Able Network I was struggling trying to get a normal job and trying to get in school, so I could have a career,” says…

Sheree Hamilton decided to reinvent herself at the age of 67. Her life was full of experience. Originally from Houston, Texas but raised in East St. Louis, she had a diverse upbringing which helped her fit right in when she…

St. Patrick’s Day is here, and while the holiday and the “luck of the Irish” is fun to celebrate, when it comes to job searching it’s probably better not to leave it to chance. LinkedIn is a great tool for…

The tech industry has always struggled with inclusion. Even as recently as 2019, women only held about a quarter of all jobs in the computing field, even though they make up 47 percent of the workforce overall. And although the…

Raven Macon, a Chicago native, recently returned home after a year in Miami. She worked as a Nutritionist in South Florida while she finished her bachelor’s degree in family and consumer sciences. However, Raven felt an inkling of restlessness. Her…

LaCrystal Brown owned her own cleaning business for 25 years, and although she appreciated the opportunities and challenges owning a business had brought, she felt that it was time for a career change. “I hadn’t been in an office in…

John Childs earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology with an emphasis in Network Management. He was able to land work by freelancing for small businesses to fix computers and other electronics, but John also worked a second job at…

Joe Simanis, an electrical engineer by trade, began work in a sales position within a technology organization. He continued this career path for many years, and he ultimately perfected his skills in sales. Unfortunately, due to a layoff, Joe was…