I would never have been able to dream of being where I am today without Tech901.” – Jordon Hester
It was time for something new.
Jordon Hester had worn many hats in his life, from bartending at various restaurants to attending school for physical therapy, and even hauling boxes on and off FedEx planes. But none of it was clicking.
He reached out to his brother, Josh, expressing he was sick of offloading aircraft in the 100 degree heat. Luckily, there was a solution.
“When venting about my frustrations with my job at Fedex and wanting something new and engaging, [my brother] recommended I check out Tech901,” Hester said. “I enrolled shortly after, and immediately felt as though I found something that I could see myself doing for a long time, as well as actually enjoying the challenges that were presented.”
A new path for Jordon had been forged, and his Foundations professor Lawrence Dennis convinced him to stay on it.
“[Dennis] really sunk the hook into my desire for learning,” Hester said. “His fantastic teaching style made it fun to be in class, which in turn made it easier to maintain my drive and complete my courses.”
And down that path, he went; completing his IT education with Tech901 and achieving career milestones along the way. After passing the Foundations course, he went on to take the Networking class with Aaron Lamey, who helped him get his first IT job with MemFi.
Fast forward to now, and Jordon has obtained his A+, Network+, Security+, and Project+ certifications. He now works for Day & Zimmerman as a Desktop Technician.
“I don't know if I would have gotten the job at Day & Zimmerman if I never had the IT experience at MemFi, and I never would have gotten the job at MemFi If I never came back to Tech901.” Hester said. “In a year, it has literally skyrocketed me faster than I could ever have imagined.”
Because of Tech901, Jordon not only found his passion, but also began reaping the benefits of this newfound upward career mobility.
“I went from paying my light bill every other month, trying to balance the cutoff notice, to all of my bills paid three months in advance,” Hester said. “I went from making initially $18 an hour at FedEx… and now I'm at Day & Zimmerman making $75,000 [a year], which [equates] to $36.02 an hour.”
With Jordon now earning double what he started on at his job before Tech901, he and his fiancée can afford to get married in October.
“We have the whole wedding already paid off. Everything is taken care of. And a year ago, we were like, ‘Oh, how are we going to do this?’”
What's next for Jordon? Working in cybersecurity.
He feels confident he can achieve his next dream job because Tech901 provided him with the foundational knowledge and industry connections that he can continue to build on. His options are limitless.
“[Tech901] opens pathways and doors that you never even thought existed,” Hester said. “I would spend so much research after class trying to figure out, ‘What ideal job role do I want?’ And then it'd be like, ‘Oh, I never knew this was a job.’”
With this spark of interest, Jordon hopes to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity with West Governors University come January 2025.
We are so excited to see where Jordon goes next. If you’re ready to go down a new path, too, consider entering the field of IT— we’re here to help you along the way.
