Before their apprenticeships, Anthony served in the United States Army
Anthony C.: So I was a 13 Bravo Artillery Cannon crew member. I was a Howitzer Section Chief at the time that I was leaving the military. I was a Staff Sergeant. Generally if it was raining, we were out there If it was snowing, we were out there just handling munitions, shooting fire munitions. It's a huge change to what I do now. I love what I do now a lot more. It's generally just been a great experience overall.
And, Yasmin was a military spouse.
Yasmin L.: I was just, you know, a military spouse in Germany trying to stay busy, have my own schedule and you know, it just, it gave me a lot of gratification knowing that after this I could go on and have an actual career.
Their IBM Z Apprenticeships smoothed the transition to civilian life.
Anthony C.: So after finishing the Pre-Apprenticeship training, I still had a year left. So during that time I was in constant communication with Tim, and a few other Pre-Apprentices. that needed help. And, basically through that constant communication and that refining of my resume. And just whenever I could gather a new skill, I would gather that skill essentially. When when the time came you guys reached out and said, hey, we have an employer and it turns out it was a Black Knight. And you know, we had a great interview and I've been here now for a little over three months and it's been great.
Yasmin L.: I left Germany before my husband did before Anthony did so I was here for a few months before he was actually before he ended his contract. But I think that made the transition even easier.
Now, they are loving their jobs at Black Knight Inc.
Anthony C.: It's life changing. You know, getting out of the military is not easy at all, especially now with, you know, the economic situation going on. So for us, using Franklin was critical and it made a difficult, scary transition into one that I was excited for.
They have some advice for others considering IBM Z Apprenticeships.
Anthony C.: So I would say if if you are a veteran or you're gonna become a veteran and you're considering it and you want to get into tech, it's no better time, and if you're thinking about it, you should just do it. You're gonna have roadblocks and, and kind of hurdles to get through while you're going through the training, cause a lot of this stuff is going to be new, but it's nothing that you haven't, you've been through worse and you can, you can definitely get through this.
Yasmin L.: It might sound too good to be true but the things that you go through that it really is it makes you grow as a person and as a professional as well. So as it's too good to be true as it sounds, I think you guys should just really give it a try. Because when I started this apprenticeship I thought the same thing. I thought how is this... doing this like month long Pre-Apprenticeship gonna help me get a career? And you know and as soon as I finished the Pre-Apprenticeship, I let Tim know, sent him my resume less than a month later I was hired by this great company, Black Knight. And I have never truly I have never been in a better position in my career and I feel super comfortable in it. So I really do encourage everybody to at least try it.
