Philly native Tamekah Thompson’s military career could not have been further from IT. She started out in Human Resources and was eventually assigned to transportation where she served as a driving instructor and operations manager. Knowing she wasn’t going to be
career-military, she began preparing for her eventual separation by earning a
Bachelor’s in Management Information Systems.

After 11 years of service, she and her active-duty spouse landed in Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Tamekah initiated her separation from service and set to work on getting her foot in the IT door. She landed an entry-level opportunity as an end-user support provider for a behavioral health organization close to the military base.

Just as Tamekah was hitting her stride, her spouse received orders to transfer to Washington State. As experienced by far too many veterans and their spouses, relocation meant a devastating set-back in Tamekah’s fledgling career. She accepted it with grace, resigned from her position, and accompanied her spouse to Washington. With limited experience and no professional IT connections, her search results were disappointing, and she felt herself getting far afield of her career goals.

In mid-2018 Tamekah heard about Apprenti. She took the required assessment and scored high enough to apply for the Pre-Apprenticeship with TLG Learning. She was selected as a TLG IT Pre-Apprentice and she joined the March 2019 Data Center Technician cohort at Camp Murray.

A few weeks ahead of program completion, TLG’s Placement Manager began introducing her to partner employers. Among these partners was eXcell, a division of CompuCom Systems. With their shared value in Veteran talent and hiring, eXcell wasted no time interviewing Tamekah and lined her up for an offer within one of their managed IT services.

At the beginning of July, Tamekah began her role as an IT Technical Support Engineer. In addition to getting her career back on track in a role that allows her to flex her technical muscles, Tamekah is also enjoying the perks of a tidy pay increase and the comfort of working from home. What a difference a bit of intensive training and a few intentional connections can make!