TechHired: Learning to Code in Coal Country
This is the second post in our TechHired Series, which features individuals from TechHire communities who have been trained and hired into great tech jobs. Interview conducted by Laura Faulkner.
Coal has been the lifeblood of the economy in Kentucky dating back to the opening of the first commercial coal mine in 1820. But over the past few years, coal production in Kentucky plummeted to a level not seen since the Great Depression. In fact, the decline in coal in Eastern Kentucky has led to the loss of approximately 10,000 coal industry jobs since 2010.
This decline has created challenges for communities in Appalachia that have relied on the coal economy for years. TechHire Eastern Kentucky (TEKY) saw an opportunity to bring opportunity to teach underemployed and unemployed Kentuckians how to code — and then connect them to hiring tech employers.
TechHire Eastern Kentucky (TEKY) saw an opportunity to bring opportunity to teach underemployed and unemployed Kentuckians how to code — and then connect them to hiring tech employers.
“TechHire Eastern Kentucky — or TEKY — really began as a way to provide out-of-work people with a fast track to earning tech industry-recognized certifications. These certifications will demonstrate skills learned and stand in for traditional two- or four-year college degrees, with the idea that these people will fill available positions in the technology industry,” said Michael Cornett, director of Agency Expansion for Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP), and local project director for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) POWER grant that is helping fund the initiative. “TEKY is harnessing the power of collaboration between the public and private sectors to ultimately build a viable tech sector in Eastern Kentucky from the ground up. No one has really attempted this kind of large-scale effort in our region before, and we’re already learning lessons from our first cohort that we’ll be able to apply to the second cohort of TEKY interns. By the time TEKY is three years old, we hope to have prepared up to 200 people for careers in technology jobs, with many of them going on to work right here in Eastern Kentucky.”
TEKY is harnessing the power of collaboration between the public and private sectors to ultimately build a viable tech sector in Eastern Kentucky from the ground up.
The first cohort of interns in TEKY recently celebrated the transition from the initial, immersive, industry-led learning and curriculum into a work-based internship with private-sector TEKY partner and employer Interapt — and former surface miner Rigel Patrick Preston is one of them. Before enrolling in a coding bootcamp coordinated by TEKY, Rigel’s unemployment benefits had run out and he was working at a gas station. When Rigel heard about the opportunity to get trained for a high-potential job in tech, he jumped at the chance.
“Unfortunately, Rigel’s story of job loss in the coal industry is one we’ve heard many times in the past few years. But at the same time, what Rigel is accomplishing with TEKY is not only taking the first steps to a new career, but he is helping turn the narrative of Eastern Kentucky’s workforce,” Cornett said. “Where our region and many of our workers were once tied largely to a single industry, we’re now working to diversify the regional economy and develop a more agile and able workforce prepared to meet the needs of a 21st century economy. Rigel and his fellow interns are doing that with TEKY, and we’re very excited to help lay a new cornerstone for the regional economy in Eastern Kentucky.”
We connected with Rigel to hear his story — in his own words.
TechHired Quick Stats:
Name: Rigel Patrick Preston
Location: Eastern Kentucky
Age: 38
Previous Job: Surface miner
Current Job: Quality Assurance Intern
Current Employer: Interapt
Proficient in: iOS 10, Swift 3, Xcode, Agile, JIRA, some HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
What is your current tech job?
I am currently a Quality Assurance Intern at Interapt here in Kentucky. The internship program is allowing us to experience what working in a tech environment feels like. We are not working on made up “in-house” projects — the work we are doing is real. We are working side-by-side with Interapt employees in every facet of their work.
What were you doing prior to pursuing a career in tech?
I was laid off from my surface mining job and my unemployment benefits had just run out and I was working at a gas station when I came across the opportunity to learn how to code with TechHire Eastern Kentucky.
I had been applying for jobs every week, sometimes ten to twelve applications at a time with no response. I was listening to the radio on my way home when I heard about this tech training program for out-of-work coal miners and underemployed people in Kentucky.
I had no prior experience in this line of work, but I had nothing to lose. The experience of going through TechHire Kentucky reminded me of going through Marines boot camp. You are given challenges that test you beyond what you can do. It pays off if you have enough resolution to see it through to the end. I knew I had that from the onset. What I didn’t know was that this was going to be, mentally, one of the most difficult things I’ve ever exposed myself to.
Although I had attended my local community college off and on since 2001, I never received a diploma. Training through this program has opened my eyes to a new world of opportunity.
Training through this program has opened my eyes to a new world of opportunity.
What helped you realize that a tech career was for you?
In the beginning, I would have to say necessity. Coal is no longer a viable source of income in this area. Even if all the restrictions are lifted, coal will still be finite. You can’t fix an indefinite problem with a finite solution. The tech industry that has been introduced to us is going to benefit many generations to come. If we can introduce tech to young people in this area now, the possibilities of what this could become are astronomical.
What do you love most about your tech job?
I love that this job is so creative. You literally make something from nothing. It’s like art. You have an idea, you begin painting on your canvas, and then you not only have something to look at but something that can make your life just a little easier.
What were some barriers for you in pursuing a tech career and what helped you overcome them?
A big barrier for me was the fast pace of the training program. The course moves quickly but persistence is the key. I have often reminded myself of this quote from President Coolidge: “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” I am determined to provide a better future for my family and for my community.
The stigma that surrounds coal country can only be broken through consistency from our people. That is the problem with getting hired from this region. All a person can do is promote their accomplishments and hope that employers can look past the stigma.
This program has given me faith that my great-grandchildren will have work here in eastern Kentucky if they are also able to learn skills like the ones I’ve learned.
If we can expose our school systems to this tech environment, future generations will see that there are different options out there. You don’t have to be a doctor or a lawyer to make a good living. You don’t have to commit your body to labor that makes you old beyond your years.
In the past, when the coal field market slumped, families had to break up and move north where factory work was more prominent. That isn’t the case now. This program has given me faith that my great-grandchildren will have work here in eastern Kentucky if they are also able to learn skills like the ones I’ve learned.
How has this internship positioned you for success?
With the internship at Interapt, the pay is less than what I made in the coal field. However, this is temporary. There is now the potential to make more than I ever have with a good tech job. Even outside my current employer, this program has given me a skill set and confidence that I can find work in this field.
What advice do you have for others considering a career in tech?
For most of us, it’s not going to happen overnight. You have to work for it. Don’t give up on yourself and be persistent!
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