Bryan was living the "college-or-bust" narrative until a series of events led him to a career in tech outside of the traditional four-year degree path.
Computing for All (CFA) is a non-profit organization with a mission to make career pathways in tech available to all. It works with employers, Community- facing organizations, Tech training programs, schools, and colleges to help prepare people for equitable jobs in the tech industry. It's been running a Software Development Pre-Apprenticeship (PAP) program in Seattle, Washington since 2019, providing software development training and industry-mentored hands-on project work for underserved students between the ages of 16 and 24.
Bryan joined the Computing for All program after a serious car accident forced him to drop out of college. He was ambitious and completed an individualized "Fast Track" version of the program, graduating in half the usual time. After graduation we places Bryan in a software dev internship at Bank of America over the summer, then invited him back as a teaching assistant in the fall. He later signed up for an advanced programming class at Per Scholas, and we subsequently hired him as a Python instructor at CFA where his skill and outgoing personality made him popular with students. Bryan met the CEO of a non-profit company at an event who later offered him a software developer job in 2024; which he loves to this day!
The CFA Pre-Apprenticeship program has been partially funded by grants from Career Connect Washington, an initiative by former Governor Jay Inslee. Bryan's story was shared by Governor Inslee in his last "State of Washington State" address. Bryan drove to the State Capitol in Olympia to attend the address and received acknowledgement and a standing ovation from the Governor for his achievements. Bryan’s achievements reflect CFA’s mission and make CFA very proud!