Scott Rowlette spent 18 years in the Army doing what he calls “door kicking.” He loved the adrenaline rush, but there’s not much call for that particular skill set in the civilian job market. After transitioning to a well-paying operations supervisor role, he found himself stuck in a position that paid the bills but left his brain unchallenged.
So at 51, he did something that would make most people hesitate. He hit pause on his career, enrolled in MyComputerCareer’s Cyber Warrior Program, and spent 12 weeks drinking from what he describes as “a fire hose” of IT knowledge.
He recently started training for his new role as a field technician with HCL Tech, working on a massive data center project. Here’s how he made it happen.
The YouTube ad that changed everything
Scott’s path to IT training started with a random social media scroll. “I was on YouTube or TikTok, and an ad for MyCC came up,” he explained during a recent episode of our Get Into IT Live show. “I clicked on it, started reading through the stuff, and realized I love computers. I’m a nerd, so why not?”
He’d already burned through his GI Bill on previous education, but his VA representative connected him with vocational rehabilitation funding. Within weeks, he was enrolled in the program designed specifically for veterans transitioning into tech careers.
Week one hits different
The Cyber Warrior Program doesn’t ease you in gently. “We did two hours of get-to-know-you stuff, and then it was straight into the first lesson,” Scott recalled. “From then until graduation, it was sink or swim the whole time.”
“Anybody that tells you this course was easy is full of it,” Scott said bluntly. “It’s not easy, but it’s definitely doable if you focus and commit yourself to finishing and doing the studying you have to do.”
The veteran advantage
One unique aspect of the Cyber Warrior Program: Scott learned alongside other veterans. For him, that made all the difference.
“Veterans have a certain way of talking and dealing with each other that a lot of people who’ve never served will never understand,” he explained. “We’re kind of harsh on each other. We like to give each other a hard time about little things that really don’t matter, kind of like a bunch of brothers and sisters sitting around giving each other crap all day.”
In a predominantly civilian class, he would have had to constantly watch what he said. With fellow veterans, everyone had a thick skin and could take the jokes. “It made it more comfortable,” he said. “I’m really appreciative that everybody in my class was a veteran.”
Four certs, one favorite
Scott earned all four CompTIA certifications during the program: A+, Network+, Security+, and CISA+. His performance earned him the World Class IT Professional designation, recognizing him as one of the top-performing students in his cohort based on test scores and overall performance.
His secret? “Put in the effort, put in the work, put your head down and just do it.”
He also had a surprising study hack: using AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to generate fresh practice questions. “Have it give you five multiple choice questions in a CompTIA style based on whatever topic,” he suggested. “Don’t tell me what the correct answer is until after I’ve made my choice. That helps a lot because you can go through the practice exams over and over, but it’s the same 200 questions. With AI, you get new ones each time.”
His favorite certification? Network+. “I like the precision of it. It’s basically math, and I’m a math guy. With Network+, you’re right or you’re wrong. There’s no gray area.” He even admitted something most students won’t: “I loved subnetting.”
Career services sealed the deal
When it came time to job hunt, Scott leaned heavily on MyComputerCareer’s career services team, particularly Samantha Leon. “I’m not a great writer,” he admitted. “I spent way too many years reading Army manuals. When I type stuff out, it sounds like ‘ugg, type words.'”
He sent Samantha his resume. Six hours later, it came back polished and professional. “It was beautiful,” he said.
She also sent him a document with 250 links to company career pages. He spent four days after class going through each one, looking for opportunities near his home in Texas. That legwork paid off when a recruiter from KECH Technological Solutions connected with him on LinkedIn about the HCL Tech project.
After a phone screening and a video interview with the hiring manager, he landed the role.
Advice for veterans on the fence
Scott’s message to other veterans considering the jump into IT: “Do it. Just do it.”
He acknowledged the VA paperwork can be a headache initially, but it’s worth it. “At the very least, you’ll get your certifications. And who can’t use more little titles after their name? It looks cool.”
More importantly, the skills aren’t going anywhere. “It is never going away. Ever. Even if AI takes over, somebody has to program the AI and shut them down when they turn into Skynet.”
His biggest takeaway from military service that helped him succeed? “The ability to embrace the suck and just suck it up until you’re done. Just knowing there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and the amount of work you have to put in is doable.”
The bottom line
Scott’s story shows what’s possible when you commit fully to a computer career training program. It’s not easy. It requires sacrifice. But 12 weeks of intense focus can completely change your trajectory.
Ready to make your move into IT? Whether you’re a veteran or civilian, MyComputerCareer’s IT training programs provide the certifications and support you need to break into tech. Get started with a free career evaluation and see how we can help you build your new career.
