"It all goes back to community:" IT Fellow Tahja Belin Reflects on Her IT Journey

“I’m just one person, but [Tech901’s] community is always there to remind me I’m not alone. I’m proof that anyone can achieve what I have.” — Tahja Belin, 2025 Tech901 IT Fellow

The societal effects of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic continue to ripple throughout our lives. Tahja Belin has ridden lockdown’s disruptive waves into an IT career she never expected, but one she isn’t looking back on with regret.

When the pandemic halted her pursuit of piano performance, she, like many others, found herself reevaluating her professional future. A late-night Google search led her to Tech901, where affordable, collegiate-level IT training offered a new direction.

“I honestly couldn’t believe the price,” Belin said. “At $100, I felt it was worth the risk anyway, and here we are.”

She expected quality training. She did not expect a unique community filled with individuals in pursuit of similar goals and instructors who saw her potential.

“It all goes back to community,” Belin said.

Now a Level Two Analyst at Tru Group Inc., Tahja draws daily from the building blocks she learned here at Tech901. Networking concepts, project management tools, and even the security habits she once thought she wouldn’t need now guide how she troubleshoots, collaborates, and leads her teammates.

Ahead of receiving her IT Fellow award at our upcoming December graduation, which marks her completion and subsequent certification of all Tech901 courses, we sat down with Tahja to discuss her thoughts on her journey through our program.

We could not be prouder of Tahja’s accomplishments and know that even greater wins lie ahead in her future.

Read our full conversation below.

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Q: When did you hear about Tech901, and when did you decide to join?

A: Where a lot of stories start now, as COVID was a pivotal moment for a lot of people. It got people thinking and making different decisions. Hey, I’m just human. So that was the same for me. I was studying for my undergraduate degree in piano performance. I couldn’t go around touching keys anymore, so I had to figure out what else I wanted to do. I looked at some alternatives, and I’d always been interested in technology, particularly on the entertainment side, trying to learn a little bit of HTML, using Excel, and similar tools. I searched online to see where I could use this subset of skills and interests.Tech901 popped up on Google as a place I could get training and certifications at an affordable price. Having just been through college, I did not want to pay tuition again. I honestly couldn’t believe the price, given what was being offered. I thought it could be a scam, but at $100 I felt it was worth the risk anyway, and here we are.

Q: To become an IT Fellow, you have to complete and certify each Tech901 course. After completing IT Foundations, why did you initially decide to pursue additional courses?

A: It was because of the community more than anything. I was going to the IT Foundations (which prepares students for the CompTIA A+ certification) night course. That’s where a lot of the tired parents are. The course materials were great, but the people and teachers made it a really welcoming environment. After that, I went through the full track of Networking, Security, and the Project, which I just finished.

Q: Did your “why” for pursuing IT change further as you progressed through the courses?

A: Mentorship. I landed my first tech-related job in 2022, but I felt stuck and unsure of how I could continue progressing in my role. I often wrote things out on the giant white board, and Blair, who was my instructor at the time, noticed and started a conversation. Eventually, the conversation evolved into discussing my new role, and I was honest and told him, “I got this job, but now I don’t know what to do.” Blair took the time to sit down with me and give me a sincere answer about what he did when he started his career. He shared key professional terms I needed to know and different moments he said I would run into. He put himself in my shoes so that he could provide helpful feedback, rather than just sharing generic tips. His mentorship was imperative in my growth, and it’s something I take with me into my career now. I’m not some big boss and don’t have all the answers, but whenever I mentor my teammates, I put myself in their shoes when assisting with a problem or sharing advice because I know how much that meant to me. 

In all honesty, I had never really thought about how that [moment with Blair] changed my leadership style, but now that you got me talking about it, it clicked.

Q: Thank you for sharing that, Tahja. You’re now working for True Group Inc. What is your role?

A: I just got promoted from Level One Analyst to Level Two. So, I’m now handling more of the advanced issues. I’m not in leadership in terms of my actual position, but my new role gives me many opportunities to be vocal and share expertise for the betterment of my teammates.

Q: I love that. So now that you’ve completed the Project course and received your CompTIA Project+ certification, resulting in this award of becoming an IT Fellow, do you feel you consistently pull from elements of each of your courses in your current role as an Analyst, or do you lean on one more than the others?

A: I like to think of these courses as building blocks, like a LEGO set. I’ve always been a network nerd, so I’m always pulling things from my Network Course. But I also found this Project course really helpful in my role, even though I don’t want to become a project manager. And even though I don’t work in IT Security, the habits they teach in that course, like password management and how to identify phishing scams, also come into play all the time. 

Q: At the upcoming graduation, you’ll be receiving your IT Fellow award. What does this award mean to you when you think back to when you started?

A: I didn’t think I’d make it here, honestly. It’s a lot of hard work, and it has paid off, and I’m proud of that. I’m also feeling thankful for all the people who’ve upheld me on this journey. It all goes back to community, which is very important to me. I’m just one person, but [Tech901’s] community is always there to remind me I’m not alone. I’m proof that anyone can achieve what I have. [Becoming an IT Fellow] is completely doable, and it’s worth everything you put into it. 

Q: For anyone reading who may be interested in Tech901, what would you say to them?

A: I’d start by asking questions about what drives them and how they learn. From there, I’d share about how there’s always anxiety about taking a course, but that it will be worth it.