Jeremy worked at a factory for five years before i.c.stars, making just a dollar over minimum wage at the time of his departure. “I looked at my boss– the manager and a nice guy—he had worked there for 26 years doing the same thing all that time. I thought, wow, there’s no career ladder here, no better future. I knew I had to do something, but school would have been tough to do while working.”
Always interested in technology, Jeremy saw an article in the newspaper ‘RedEye’ about a technology networking event called: ‘OpenGov Hack Night’. He attended, met people in the field and was introduced to i.c.stars. “There was no cost for training, and we got a stipend. While the stipend wasn’t much, through an upcoming income tax return and some savings, it was possible for me to make this change. I was accepted into i.c.stars and joined Cycle 32.”
“Boot camp was tough, long hours and intense days. At times, I wanted to quit, but the alumni were there to help, as well as the instructors. The process was laid out well, made sense, and it began to feel like home. The others in Cycle 32 were not competitors but more of a team or family. We helped each other out and I think that’s part of the plan. Because technology is always changing, and you have to learn how to ask questions and get help from your tech network. Another place to find help was the session they call High Tea. It’s a time almost every afternoon us interns were able to hear the career journey and ask questions of people, usually very successful people in technology. We met many C Level Executives via High Tea, for example, the former CIO of US Foods. Talking to him, informally and frankly, was very helpful. I got to know the company and he got to know me.”
Today, Jeremy is now a Cloud Developer for US Foods. “It’s a big company, 26,000 employees, and lots of opportunity. They use AWS which has about 200+ different services. A Cloud Developer’s role is to understand the services his company needs and implement choices that balance cost and quality. Knowing the services and being able to communicate calmly and confidently to a variety of people is part of any Cloud Developer’s workday. i.c.stars helped in that aspect as well, because along with tech training, the program is also about communication and leadership.”
“When US Foods talked about having Employee Resource Groups a few years ago, my cohort partner Marcus jumped at the chance to start one, when he asked me to help, I was ready and willing. The ERG we started along with 2 other co-workers, Matt and Hakim, was originally called Black Resource Utilization Hub. It won an award this past year as one of the top 25 ERGs in the country. While we’ve stepped down from the leadership team of the ERG since then, we’re excited about the program and all that it can do to support straight talk, diversity, equity, and opportunity within US Foods. Looking back over the past 6 years since leaving the factory, I see how i.c.stars has opened up a lot of opportunities for me as an IT professional and a leader in my community.”