BALTIMORE — When Randy Johnson thinks back on the last few years of his life, even he is amazed at how far he's come.
"If you would have met me about two years ago, I did not talk like this," he said with a laugh.
Johnson is a Marine Corps veteran and says he has had his fair share of struggles in life, from health problems to legal troubles.
"At one point I was actually unhireable due to some of my choices."
Then Johnson found NPower, a national non-profit with an office in Baltimore, dedicated to training veterans, their spouses and young adults for IT and tech jobs, at low to no cost.
"A lot of people come to NPower for different reasons. Maybe its to get a job, maybe its to expand their skills maybe its to get a new beginning. For me, it was a life-changer," said Johnson.
Johnson took advantage of every class offered by NPower, from the basics of IT to advanced courses in cybersecurity and the Cloud.
"We want to be able to provide the service at no cost. It eliminates that barrier to entry for folks who most need it," said Demetrius Goodwin, the executive director of NPower Baltimore.
Students graduate with the necessary IT credentials and certifications, as well as the soft skills to land a job.
"They meet with our professional development staff or we have folks come from the outside to give classes on interviewing skills, setting up their LinkedIn profile, working on your resume, business communication, all those things," said Goodwin. "We think [this is] part of that secret sauce that makes them a more well-rounded graduate when they leave the program."
The goal is to place graduates in good-paying jobs and the financial impact of the program is substantial.
"We see about a 290% increase from pre-program verses post-program in actual salary," said Goodwin. "They're in a better position to support themselves, potentially support a family, they can see a path forward."
Johnson is on that path forward. In March, he started a cybersecurity job with a France-based tech and consulting company and gives a lot of credit to NPower for making it possible. "They are one of the key ingredients to make me the success I am today."
For more information on how to apply for NPower, click here.
NPower Baltimore also offers a community help desk. It is manned by graduates five days a week, to provide free IT and tech support.