Nico Castro-Arrien

Before enrolling at Per Scholas, Nico Castro-Arrien worked as a dishwasher and in food service and retail for many years. He had enjoyed tech since a young age, but did not know how to break into the field. "You get kind of stuck because you don't have the opportunity to leverage yourself and find options," Nico recalled. Nico found Per Scholas during an online search. When he first stumbled across it, he thought that the program seemed too good to be true, but applied and was accepted into Per Scholas Columbus' remote IT Support course.

Nico enrolled in an IT Support course with Per Scholas Columbus in 2021, earning his CompTIA A+ certification; he was hired immediately after graduation by Sage Sustainable Electronics. Per Scholas' alumni upskilling enabled him to continue growing his skills while working full-time. In less than a year, Nico obtained Network+ and Security+ certifications and landed a Business Operations Support Analyst role earning $14,560 more per year. Nico has continued taking self-paced Cybersecurity courses through Per Scholas' partnership with IBM SkillsBuild. "Now I have options. I have people calling me about jobs. I have ample opportunity for growth. I am eternally grateful for this experience."