Stephanie Cote was becoming bored in customer service, looking at a future of putting out fires, reprimanding workers, and shouldering the weight of supervising and all of its daily frustrations. Whether that frustration was from navigating the fact that they were still using Windows 7, the constant slog of being the one people came to with their problems, or any other staple of unfulfilling work.

Stephanie was at a fork in the road. She knew what going one direction would bring, but the other way? She couldn’t fathom where the second path might take her.

It was in the midst of these crossroads that Stephanie found NexGenT. It was that “Other path” she had been searching for. She was further convinced this was the path for her after a call with one of our representatives.

“The level of hands-on learning that you get through the NexGenT program is really unmatched,” Says Stephanie and was one of the primary features that lead her to signing up.

She began her program, attended the weekly live coaching calls led by instructors, and dedicated her spare time to learning the new material. Sometimes that meant carving out extra hours on nights and weekends for completing homework and practicing in virtual labs which made all the difference in helping the new subjects stick.

It wasn’t long before Stephanie was ready to start dipping into the job search and testing the waters. One of her initial applications was noticed, and she ended up getting a call quicker than expected. After speaking with the HR person, she got a follow-up call on the same day to set up an interview with the hiring manager.

It was her first technical interview, and it was different than any she’d had before. She answered with confidence and the best of her knowledge however there were some questions she got wrong, and Stephanie thought that was the end of it.

But a few days later, they contacted her for an in-person interview. Afterward, to her surprise and excitement, she was chosen for the position.

“I’m just constantly absorbed into it because it is something that I enjoy doing.” Says Cote about her new position. Where there once was frustration, lack of fulfillment, and dead ends, there is now a drive that fuels her every day, “I’ve never felt this way about any other job that I’ve had.”

Cote had a hard time believing that she got the job – She went out to lunch with her new boss to find out why he chose her – she had to know for sure.

He told her she had clear descriptions of systems in her resume, and he could tell she knew her stuff.

She banked heavily into the project she completed within our Network Plus program to showcase her competency and abilities. Cote could confidently use the language and the skills she honed with NexGenT to earn her new position as an IT Systems Engineer.

“If you don’t go out there and make it happen, you’re never going to have those opportunities.” Says Stephanie, “By joining the NexGenT program, I started to create those opportunities for myself.”

That’s the backbone of NexGenT: the community, the hands-on experience, and the accountability from our Career Success Coaches that helps earn jobs and careers.

“Thanks to NexGenT, I was able to have the motivation and drive to enter the field.” Through NexGenT, Stephanie found her path and gained the passion she had been missing.

Do you feel like you’re at a fork in the road? Unsure of where a new path would take you? Complete an application and get in touch with one of our career specialists! We’re here to help you explore your options and build a career that reignites your enthusiasm for everyday life.