By Maria Isabel Gonzalez
When I got laid off, it was a shock. I was supposed to be promoted, but instead I found myself sitting at a table shocked after a three-minute Zoom call where they laid off myself, my boss, and my coworker.
My background is in theater performance and education, and the unfortunate reality is that neither of those industries pay well enough to reach the goals that I want to achieve. I felt lost and had to decide on a career path.
Recently, I had been interested in technology and I knew people in that industry were paid well. I had never thought of myself as a software practitioner, but I took a leap to find out. I decided to attend Prime Digital Academy to get a certification as a Software Engineer. This certificate cost money, so I needed financial support not only for the tuition but also for personal expenses while I completed the program. I called the Minnesota Dislocated Program and was assigned a career counselor at Minnesota Job Partners. Working with my counselor was life changing! He took me step by step through the application process and explained how everything worked. I felt so well taken care of due to the dedication, transparency, and empathy of my counselor. Due to all the guidance from my counselor, more than half of my tuition was covered, including class materials. I also got immense financial aid for personal expenses. All this support helped me focus on my studies without financial worries. I graduated from Prime Digital Academy as a Software Engineer in September 2022! After I graduated, Minnesota Job Partners helped me polish my résumé and job hunt with confidence. I truly appreciated this support because job hunting can be depleting. The support I received from Minnesota Job Partners was unmatched. I started my job in November 2022 at Carnegie Learning as a Software Engineer. I could not be more grateful to Minnesota Job Partners for supporting me through this journey.