When it comes to finding purpose in your career, discovering your calling is one thing but to answer it and actually take that path is a different story. It was even more daunting for Jubee Vilceus, one of our co-founders, as it happens to be establishing an Education Technology (EdTech) company that is now known as Yellow Tail Tech. After all, starting an EdTech organization means he’s no longer just accountable for himself and the work he does, but to a population of students aspiring to break into the tech industry.
Today, Yellow Tail Tech has already reached multiple milestones: awarded as 2022 Best Coding Bootcamp by College Consensus; almost 5/5 reviews from leading and credible sources such as Course Report, Career Karma, and SwitchUp; and most recently, a proud and official Red Hat Training Partner and AWS Training Partner.
As Jubee continues to spearhead Yellow Tail Tech’s student outcomes, and how our graduates claim a rewarding career in tech, he also looks back and shares with us what his calling was like–how he owned it and how he makes sure that the EdTech company stays relevant in the rapidly changing IT industry.
Read along and find out Jubee’s Yellow Tail Tech story!
A Man Who’s No Stranger in EdTech
Compared to 90% of the students we accommodate and train who come from non-tech fields, Jubee has a solid background in IT. In fact, he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems at the University of Maryland, and Red Hat certifications thereafter.
“I was always in the IT industry, in the IT space. In college, I was supposed to go for business management then my friend suggested that I combine it with Information Technology. That’s why I went for Management Information Systems, because it combines the business aspect of technology.”
However, Jubee also mentions that after he graduated, he struggled because his degree was too vague and generic. This is why he took certifications that are more technical such as those of Red Hat to stay relevant in the field. “Having a generic degree doesn’t solve the market needs, you see? A degree stays a degree, which is fine, but you’ll need more specialized training.”
Bridging a Growing Gap
What ignited Jubee to start Yellow Tail Tech was witnessing and first-handedly experiencing the unignorable gap between what kind of IT professionals the current market demands and what educational institutions produce.
“Given the growing amount of roles that need to be filled, if we only focus on people with IT backgrounds, we’ll never be able to make a significant impact.”
This is when Jubee heard his calling to help bridge the employment gap. “That’s where I saw the need: the growth of the industry is outpacing how many new people are coming into the tech sector. If we don’t start transitioning non-tech people into IT more aggressively, we’ll never be able to close that gap.” He shares that this is why he got into the business and why he focuses on this niche.
Pay More Attention
Jubee adds that because of this growing gap, companies today tend to pay more attention to what you can immediately bring to the table more than your degree. “This is why specialized training with specific coaching and mentoring, which is what Yellow Tail Tech has been offering, is exceedingly efficient. I was struggling in the early stages of my career because having a degree doesn’t just cut it; I needed to supplement with specialized training so I can add value to the companies interviewing me.
Businesses care more about what you can come up with that can help solve current problems from day one–and sometimes, a degree lacks that.”
To stay thriving in serving the niche that handles people with no IT background, Jubee’s best practices are being true, focused, and committed to the process, the goals, and most importantly, the students. “It’s a very different path that demands a very different mindset. If there’s something that keeps me going in this business, it’s because I’m very true and committed to the group of people I decide to help.”
Linux and AWS as Solid IT Foundations
Jubee explains that IT has become more disturbed and accessible. The physical layer and the logical layer have grown detached from each other. As an example, he gave cloud computing, in which the person who handles the physical machinery is not just separate but removed from the person in charge of managing the logical part of information technology. “Before, the CIS admin used to be managing the servers or had a lot to do with networking. Now, these things are completely separate.”
As IT continues to evolve into separate and very specific specializations, Yellow Tail Tech focuses on training students to be experts in fields that will serve as a solid foundation for other in-demand IT fields. “Linux and AWS are extremely significant as AWS is the biggest player in cloud computing, and Linux powers AWS. They’re connected and are a very interesting combination. If you know Linux, you know cloud and AWS, and cloud computing is the next frontier of information technology. Mastering them will future-proof your career and you’ll be more relevant than you are now in 10 years. Your value in the IT market is only going to increase.”
Take it from An IT Expert and an EdTech Founder
For Jubee, IT showed him that he can make a difference in his community. “Through IT, I was able to start Yellow Tail Tech which is an instrument of how I can turn my knowledge into something I can transfer to others. It serves not only as a bridge to the employment gap in IT but a symbol of second chances as well.”
As for the people trying to break into IT, Jubee says that a lot of them don’t even realize how valuable they are to the industry. “My message to them is to understand why you’re doing it, and to be assured that there is a place for them. By the sheer number of available jobs, they are urgently needed, so be willing to embrace both the fear and the unknown–it’s a new field after all.
It’s definitely going to be challenging, but stay dedicated and consistent to serving the niche you chose to serve, and it will all be worth it. You’ll be adding a great deal of value to your career and to your life, in a bigger picture.”
IT Have Grown Many Colors, and You Can Start with Yellow
Jubee concludes that IT being more fragmented than ever is actually good news. “Now that there’s so much you can do with IT with so many sub-specialties and sub-interest in areas you could go into, there’s more opportunities for everyone. It just means that there are more colors to this industry, ” and if you’re someone who’s seriously into having a lucrative career in IT, you can start with Yellow Tail Tech.
As you might have already read above, our programs are structured and paced to train people from having little-to-no IT background to being job-ready. We make sure that you’re equipped with skills that are provenly in-demand and assist you to ace your certifications up until landing an actual job offer. Book a 10-minute intro call with our Enrollment Advisor and let’s discuss if the shoe fits!
