Much as one plans, life seems to chart its own course. One year ago I met Gabe Moncayo at a Kapor Center event on diversity in the workplace in Oakland. When he asked me about Code Berkeley, my elevator pitch was ready and polished. When I finished, Gabe smiled and said “nice pitch”. As I listened to him speak that evening I knew Gabe had “it”, so I recruited him to come speak to a packed UX/UI class at Berkeley City College on the realities of interviewing in the tech field. For 90 minutes, I watched how Gabe held the full attention of that class. Afterwards, while I interviewed Gabe, I thought to myself, “Damn, this guy is good!” Little did I know he was asking my boss “Where did you find her?” Thus, a mutual admiration society was formed. As channel partners, we made a habit of keeping in touch with one another, but when we met for brunch in early February, Gabe caught me by surprise when he said “I want you on my team”. I can honestly say I did not see that coming. Plus, this was not in my plan. I took coding classes at Code Berkeley to upgrade my existing skill set. What started out as an educational experience, turned into a career changing experience. Justin Hoffman, the head of Code Berkeley, asked me to help create a community for Code Berkeley. Having gone through Code Berkeley myself, I could provide a unique perspective on the program and I loved opening up new educational opportunities for students. After recruiting my first group of kids and seeing the look of their faces when they realized they were going to college, I knew this is what I wanted to do. My plan was to recruit kids into the Code Berkeley curriculum at Berkeley City College and develop partnerships with the Kapor Center, Hack the Hood, the Stride Center and local high school counselors. Getting kids into college was the first part of the equation, however, helping students get a job after college was the trickier second part of the equation. I liked how the Always Hired bootcamps helped students to better articulate their value and what they can bring to the corporate world. Further, his market readiness solution was really resonating with corporations. As a CEO, Gabe also committed Always Hired to the #FoundersForChange initiative. I studied Sociology in college, specializing in group behavior. In sociological terms, Gabe is an “alpha”. This is a man or woman who has the ability to influence others. Gabe’s passion for this subject is genuine, palpable and infectious. It was his passion that directly influenced my decision to alter my plan and join Always Hired. It is an exciting time for Always Hired and I’m honored to join the team at this particular juncture. I look forward to further developing our educational, community and business partnerships not only locally, but nationally, as we expand our locations and alumni into the Miami and Los Angeles markets and beyond! Janet
As channel partners, we made a habit of keeping in touch with one another, but when we met for brunch in early February, Gabe caught me by surprise when he said “I want you on my team”. I can honestly say I did not see that coming. Plus, this was not in my plan.
I took coding classes at Code Berkeley to upgrade my existing skill set. What started out as an educational experience, turned into a career changing experience. Justin Hoffman, the head of Code Berkeley, asked me to help create a community for Code Berkeley. Having gone through Code Berkeley myself, I could provide a unique perspective on the program and I loved opening up new educational opportunities for students. After recruiting my first group of kids and seeing the look of their faces when they realized they were going to college, I knew this is what I wanted to do. My plan was to recruit kids into the Code Berkeley curriculum at Berkeley City College and develop partnerships with the Kapor Center, Hack the Hood, the Stride Center and local high school counselors.
Getting kids into college was the first part of the equation, however, helping students get a job after college was the trickier second part of the equation. I liked how the Always Hired bootcamps helped students to better articulate their value and what they can bring to the corporate world. Further, his market readiness solution was really resonating with corporations. As a CEO, Gabe also committed Always Hired to the #FoundersForChange initiative.
I studied Sociology in college, specializing in group behavior. In sociological terms, Gabe is an “alpha”. This is a man or woman who has the ability to influence others. Gabe’s passion for this subject is genuine, palpable and infectious. It was his passion that directly influenced my decision to alter my plan and join Always Hired.
It is an exciting time for Always Hired and I’m honored to join the team at this particular juncture. I look forward to further developing our educational, community and business partnerships not only locally, but nationally, as we expand our locations and alumni into the Miami and Los Angeles markets and beyond!
Janet
