Jerome Hardaway
Vets Who Code
Nashville, TN USA
"Skills pay the bills. People who put in the time are going to be the ones who get the skills to get ahead. It is an art of discipline when you show up and do something, even when you don’t want to."
Career Roadmap
Jerome's work combines: Technology, Non-Profit Organizations, and Problem Solving
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Coming out of the military is challenging. I had tons of skills, but they didn't always translate into civilian jobs and there is a bit of a stigma when you are a veteran coming into the workforce. The plight of veterans is that people will thank you for your service, but then tell you that you are only qualified to do certain things. However, I didn't want to do any of those things. I eventually discovered coding and used that to forge my own path.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration
Florida State University
Associate's Degree
Marketing/Marketing Management, General
Strayer University-Tennessee
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Grew up in Memphis, Tennessee.
2.
When I was younger, I was really interested in the sciences, like paleontology, astronomy, and kinesiology.
3.
After high school, I decided that I didn’t want to go to college right away and instead wanted to do something bigger with my life.
4.
I joined the U.S. Air Force and served as a member of the Air Force Security Forces for six years, deploying for both the Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom missions.
5.
While still in the military, I attended Florida State University and earned my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
6.
After my military service ended, I worked as a database analyst for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program at the Department of Homeland Security.
7.
Participated in a coding bootcamp through General Assembly and later secured a job as a web developer for HigherVisibility, a digital marketing agency.
8.
After seeing a need to help fellow veterans, I started Vets Who Code, a nonprofit that focuses on teaching veterans programming free of charge so they can find gainful employment after service.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Since you are a veteran of security forces, you should just be a cop or security guard.
How I responded:
Coming out of the military is challenging. I had tons of skills, but they didn't always translate into civilian jobs and there is a bit of a stigma when you are a veteran coming into the workforce. The plight of veterans is that people will thank you for your service, but then tell you that you are only qualified to do certain things. However, I didn't want to do any of those things. I eventually discovered coding and used that to forge my own path.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I grew up in Tennessee in a predominately African-American city, but the businesses and money were controlled mainly by white people. I had to work twice as hard to get ahead and dealt with a lot of systemic racism.