While my husband was looking to transition out of the military after 8 years, I was in the midst of a career transition of my own. Having previously been a high school educator, I had taken time off due to the demands of military life and was now looking to re-enter the workforce and pivot industries. Never could I have imagined how quickly this goal would turn into a reality once I found WYWM, and the incredible resources I would have at my disposal to help me choose my path. But let me jump a few years back and explain how I got to this moment.
My husband and I met in college. After graduating, I took a job as a high school math teacher and administrator while he commissioned into the United States Marine Corps. Through the next few years of frequent moves, deployments, and raising young children, my career took the backseat to our military life. Then, we got orders to Okinawa, Japan - an incredible adventure that we absolutely loved - and I decided it was time to step away from work for the time being.
Fast forward a few years. We were back in the States, and I was ready to explore new opportunities. I looked at the year ahead as a time of growth and learning for myself, with the goal to ultimately find what was next for my own career. The tech industry intrigued me, so I began piecing together courses from different platforms. I was hoping to find a tech field I could enter without a computer science background and who’s skills were easily accessible through an online platform.
Fortunately, I soon found all of this and more at WYWM. I jumped into the Robotics Process Automation (RPA) courses based on the results of my Aptitude Assessment, having really no idea what RPA was. I figured I’d give it a try and if I liked it, great! And if not, I would look into one of the other pathways that WYWM offered. Soon I learned RPA is the automation of manual business processes using automation software. Its aim is to design and build automations that carry out the manual process in a far more efficient and reliable way than a human worker could, while also freeing up that person to focus on less mundane and more meaningful tasks.
RPA turned out to be exactly the type of field I was looking for; the perfect blend of problem-solving and analytics with software that I could easily understand. And, as a booming industry in both the private and federal sectors of the United States, it is truly the perfect entry point into the tech industry and the world of automation.
What I loved about WYWM was that they have entire pipelines dedicated to not only teaching the technical skills but also ensuring I had all of the knowledge and industry exposure to be considered “job ready.” From easy-to-follow lessons, to practical hands-on examples, to in-depth assignments with instructor feedback, WYWM gave me the tools I needed to learn and master this new skill. More than that, there were real people behind the courses that cared about my progress, my goals and my future, and were enthusiastic about lending their support and assistance to help me succeed. Just a few months after starting the course, I was prepared to take the Blue Prism RPA Developer Certification Exam and be a competitive candidate for RPA positions.
Finding WYWM was truly a life-changing experience for me. They presented me with the resources to intentionally choose the tech path that was right for me, giving me exposure to fields I didn’t even know existed. They provided the knowledge base, tools and support I needed to become proficient in a new skill and ultimately successful in this new career. As I continue on this journey, I can’t wait to see what opportunities await for me as an RPA developer, all made possible because of the amazing platform and people that make up WYWM.