Nikita Thomas knew how to work hard. He had served as a U.S. Marine. He studied programming at Hudson Valley Community College. He wanted a career in technology.
But he couldn’t get hired.
Jobs and internships didn’t materialize. Thomas had the drive and some of the skills, but he couldn’t find a way into the industry.
Then, in 2017, he kept walking past CanCode Communities.
Thomas remembers seeing CanCode at the Tech Valley Center of Gravity in Troy and thinking, I should go in.
He didn’t. Until finally, he asked himself: What’s the worst that can happen?
He walked through the door.
He Got to Work
CanCode wasn’t easy.
Thomas remembers classmates who seemed to know HTML and CSS “like the back of their hands.” The Marine in him turned it into a challenge.
He pushed through his doubts, finished a project and nervously waited for his grade.
He got an A.
More importantly, Thomas found a community where he felt like he belonged.
“I could do this,” he recalled. “I could fit in.”
Then came the opportunity he’d been working toward.
Thomas landed a business intelligence apprenticeship. From there, he continued building his career in business intelligence and software engineering.
His income changed, too.
Thomas remembers living on roughly $750 to $800 a month before his career began gaining traction. He eventually saw that grow to thousands per month—and continued building from there.
Today, Thomas has built a six-figure career in technology.
But the Bigger Change Was Nikita
CanCode helped Thomas build technical skills. It also helped him build confidence.
Today, he describes himself as “self-sufficient, self-reliant.” He’s more willing to speak up, take on challenges and expand what he believes is possible for himself.
Looking back, Thomas remembers riding the bus from South Troy to Schenectady and back again just to keep improving himself. At the time, he was simply doing what he had to do.
Now he can see how far those trips took him.
His advice to the next person considering CanCode is fittingly simple:
The worst thing that can happen is you fail.
“That means you try.”
Thomas tried.
And when asked to finish the sentence, “CanCode Communities helped me…” he didn’t talk about coding, his career or even the money.
He said: “CanCode Communities helped me to live.”