Year Up Puget Sound is a one-year, intensive training program that provides low-income young adults, ages 18-24, with a combination of hands-on skills development, coursework eligible for college credit, corporate internships, and upon graduation, careers in technology. Over 15,000 young adults in the Puget Sound region have what it takes to be successful in a tech career; all they lack is access. Year Up interns and alumni have shown that Year Up works, and that they are capable of adding immediate value for local companies like Microsoft, Expedia, Booking.com, Expeditors, Starbucks, Nordstrom, and many more. To follow is a Q & A with a recent graduate of the program, Pedram Salamati, who is now working as a data analyst here in Seattle.

Q: Tell me a bit about yourself – what were your dreams when you first came to the United States?

A: My name is Pedram and I’m originally from Iran. I had to flee to Turkey three years ago and I came to the US as a refugee. When I first came to the US, I was working 33 hours per week – I recently looked at one of my paychecks from then and was earning $286.00, less than $9.00 per hour. One of my dreams was to become financially stable so I could go back to school. I had to start over here which was really hard, because with the money I was earning it was impossible to afford the cost of going back to school. My other dream that I still have is to serve this country because it has given me so many opportunities.

Q: How did you first hear about Year Up?

A: I was taking ESL (English as a Second Language) classes at a local community college, and a few students from Year Up came to my class tell us about the program. At first, I though it sounded like a scam – I wondered how it could be possible. Then I did some research on Year Up and how to apply, so I decided to give it a shot so I could develop my skills.

Q: When you learned you were accepted into the program, what were you hoping to get out of it?

A: I liked the opportunity to earn college credits. This was great for me because with the small amount of money I was making, I couldn’t afford to pay for college. So this seemed like a great way to earn college credit through Year Up and then continue afterward. Once I started I realized there were a lot of other opportunities and doors that were going to be opened for me.

Q: What did you learn during the first six months of the program (the Learning & Development phase)?

A: I obtained a solid foundation in tech; desktop support, QA testing, Excel, SQL and project management, for example. I also learned about current trends in the tech market. I learned you have to stay up-to-date to get ahead in the tech industry because things are moving so quickly. I also learned important soft skills such as confidence-building and working as part of a team.

Q: What skills did you acquire in the program that helped set you apart from someone coming from a more traditional educational background?

A: I realized that Year Up provides the path for you, then it’s up to you to take it and run with it. For example, I learned the basics of SQL, but it was really up to me to take it to the next level. The foundation I obtained allowed me to identify my interests within the field and develop them further. When I went to tech interviews, I did well because I had the hands-on experience and could easily talk about it. In my current job, we recently interviewed a graduate from a local university. He struggled to answer our technical questions because even though he had theoretical knowledge, he didn’t have hands-on database experience.

Q: Where did you complete your internship, and how was your experience there?

A: My internship was at Microsoft within the Worldwide Incident Delivery Management (WWIDM) team. I worked within the IT department utilizing the internal ticketing system. It was really good because I had access to a database that I could work with and learn about. Again, it was up to me to further develop those skills. I knew I wanted to become a Data Analyst so I took advantage of the learning opportunities there to develop those skills. I learned a lot about SQL, used Excel a lot, and learned how to manipulate data. I had all the information I needed to learn at my fingertips.

Q: Can you tell me a bit about where you’re currently working and about your day-to-day?

A: I work for Therapeutic Health Services. It’s an agency that contracts with the government to provide health services. I started as a data analyst, but after a month and a half on the job, I was promoted to Data Administrator in a management role. The organization had a small data team when I started and now they’re growing a lot, so it was a great opportunity for me. I work closely with the King County database to facilitate data transfers and make sure everything is matched and connected properly. I also now manage a small team.

Q: What would you want to tell a hiring manager about Year Up if they hadn’t heard of it before?

A: I would want them to know that they can be confident in a Year Up graduate. Graduates will have completed one solid year of working very hard – they have shown that level of commitment every single day for an entire year. They have been in a professional, hard-working setting with high standards and they know how to contribute to a team.

Q: When you first came to the United States, did you think you would be where you are now?

A: No, but I am really proud of all that I’ve accomplished in just two and a half years. When I first arrived here, I knew no English, had no money, nothing! Now when I look in the mirror, I feel proud. I have learned that education is important, of course. But companies should understand that it’s not necessary to have a degree to get a foot in the door and start contributing in tech. I had such a hard time when I arrived because my education didn’t transfer here. I think it’s really important to give opportunities to young people like me and to close the opportunity divide.

Interested in hiring a graduate like Pedram? Year Up is hosting a hiring event on January 11th and January 18th from 12 to 4 pm where you can interview our upcoming graduates for positions in IT/Tech Support, Quality Assurance Testing, Customer Service, Database Analysis, and Project Management. You can register via the following links: Jan 11 Hiring Fair RSVP and Jan 18 Hiring Fair RSVP. Email Rachel Maheshwari, Employment Placement Manager, at RMaheshwari@yearup.org for more details.