It’s not often that a personal interest in technology gets you an invitation to the White House. Then again, Michael Dauffenbach isn’t just another technology hobbyist. Last year, Dauffenbach, a graduate of CompTIA’s Creating IT Futures Foundation’s IT-Ready apprentice program, joined me at a White House gathering with First Lady Michelle Obama.
Dauffenbach, 24, a National Guardsman from Lexington, Minnesota, was working on his associate degree in technology when his unit was called up to serve in Iraq in 2011.
After spending a year as an infantryman helping escort convoys into Kuwait, Dauffenbach returned stateside in early 2012 wondering about his next move. He enrolled in school again, but worried about having on-the-job experience that would land him a permanent IT position. That’s when he heard about IT-Ready, a training program that would prepare him for a six-month apprenticeship at an area company — just what his resume needed.
“Technology is my passion. It’s something I know I’m good at,” Dauffenbach said. “No matter what, technology is always going to be a passion of mine.”
IT professional, veteran and IT-Ready graduate Michael Dauffenbach meets First Lady Michelle Obama and CompTIA CEO Todd Thibodeaux at the White House."
Dauffenbach is fortunate; since graduating from the IT-Ready program in fall 2012, he has been working at Medtronic as a full-time associate tech on the company’s support desk, resolving IT problems for the company’s 30,000 employees.
But other military veterans have struggled. Until recently, the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans tracked much higher than the overall jobless rate. This is why CompTIA has partnered with U.S Tech Vets, an online community and resource designed to connect veterans to employment opportunities in the U.S. technology sector. U.S. Tech Vets solicits job ad postings from its members and maintains the nation’s largest veteran resume database – more than 970,000 resumes. It also trains its members in best practices for recruiting veterans.
CompTIA also assists veterans in their IT careers via the association’s certifications. In the last three years alone, CompTIA has certified nearly 22,000 veterans and veterans have earned nearly 32,000 certifications. Furthermore, CITF partners with dozens of companies that employ veterans nationally. In Dauffenbach’s Minnesota area alone, it works with Atomic Data, GED Testing Service, HealthPartners, Medica, Medtronic, Our Family Wizard, Pearson VUE, Regis, TEKsystems, Thomson Reuters and Virteva.
CompTIA itself has enlisted veterans as well. Justin Valentine, a representative in our member relations department, has served in the Army National Guard since 2008. Donn Calloway, also a representative in our member relations department, served in the U.S. Army from 2001 to 2005, advancing to the rank of sergeant.
So, if you’re a veteran seeking to get started in or advance your IT career, learn more about how to get started on any of our various certifications; learn more about how the Creating IT Futures Foundation is helping veterans and others start careers in IT through our IT-Ready program; and see what CompTIA partner U.S. Tech Vets has to offer.
Todd Thibodeaux is president and CEO of CompTIA.
