Originally published by ABC Cincinnati – March 12, 2021
When Elizabeth Bausch left her job in the beauty industry in 2019 for an IT job with Fifth Third Bank, she had no idea how meaningful that career change would become.
“I basically lit my life on fire, quit my job in August and started at Fifth Third as a cyber-security engineer the next January,” she said.
Two months later, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and governors across the country began closing down industries — including hair and beauty salons.
“Right before COVID hit and salons closed,” she said.
Bausch’s timing was lucky: She left an industry that would be one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic for one that has seen a boost during the same time. According to projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, tech-oriented jobs will grow 11 percent over the next decade, adding more than a half-million positions by 2029, despite the pandemic yielding historic unemployment levels.
Monika Royal-Fischer is campus director at Tech Elevator, a Norwood, Ohio-based school sending software students into the job market after a 14-week coding boot camp.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates the median salary for tech jobs is more than $88,000 a year.
“They can have that stability, being able to provide for a family, to grow in some cases, have a full-time job that allows them benefits and a vacation,” Royal-Fischer told WCPO. “That’s a big thing.”
Bausch — a former Tech Elevator student — said she could attest to the pay jump.
“When I was in school, I don’t think anyone got an offer lower than 60 (thousand),” she said.
Bausch said she put off buying a house so she could pay for her training at Tech Elevator. Since graduating and scoring her job with Fifth Third, she’s since bought a house and works from home.
Royal-Fischer said Tech Elevator has a 95% graduation rate and a 92% job-placement rate.
To learn more about Tech Elevator visit, https://www.techelevator.com/
