Student loans / financial aid are issues that plague people all over the world, especially those of us from black and brown communities.
On todays Breaking Into Startups Episode, Edgar Pabon started looking into joining the Military when he had a financial aid hiccup during his last semester so that he could finish paying for school.
Before that he had a run in with the police that led to him being run out of a neighborhood that was predominantly white and he wrote a Slam Poetry piece about it.
http://smarturl.it/BISep16
On this episode he also covers how he overcame his financial issues despite having access to the GI Bill, how he got even more skills in addition to his leadership skills at a coding bootcamp, comparisons with basic training in the military vs. coding bootcamps, and how his passion / contributions to music ultimately led him to a role as a Software Engineer at Amazon Music.
For those of you that don't know, Amazon.com announced that it is hiring 100,000 workers over the next 18 months, but here’s the kicker: most of those jobs are going to be highly skilled.
On the other hand, Macy's recently laid off 10,000 workers. Before that announcement, Walmart laid off 7,000 workers.
As we reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy today, let's stop working in silos and start focusing on bringing people together from all kinds of different backgrounds that are focused on education / workforce development in order to turn these trends into an opportunity instead of a crisis.
http://smarturl.it/BISep16
What ideas do you have? How can we help you? Let us know.
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