When Genavous Bell Jr. told his family he planned to join the United States Army following high school, they were dubious. Where would it lead? But as he served in the Army he developed skills as an adaptable communicator, leader, thinker, and planner. Since he was National Guard, he was able to simultaneously explore the private sector including customer service and banking while finishing his degree in Audio Engineering.

All seemed to be unfolding as it should until the pandemic hit. As Covid brought so many lives and careers to a screeching halt, Genavous found himself among the displaced. Career on hold, he also joined the millions of parents suddenly figuring how to support their school-age kids’ remote learning. And to make matters more pressing, he and his wife had another baby on the way.

Genavous looked at the situation and thought, if his kids could completely adapt and switch gears, why couldn’t he? He found Apprenti, took the assessment, and then instead of waiting for an apprenticeship to open, he decided to go for TLG Learning’s IT Pre-Apprenticeship.

He interviewed and landed a spot on the Network Development Engineer Pre-Apprenticeship along with a dozen veterans across the country. The remote necessity of the pandemic made it possible for him to complete the technical training & certifications from home, while also enjoying the benefits of participating in a cohort.

In a matter of months, Genavous’ kids returned to in-person school, their family welcomed their new son, and Genavous was starting his new IT career. His experience as a veteran, the skills he developed in working with people, and his new fresh technical skills all led him to a successful start to a career in IT.