Veteran success stories

I really appreciate that the majority of my time is spent working from home, and that my daily tasks involve helping other veterans find the right path when they leave service.

- Adam Layland

Meet Adam

A few months before Adam turned 19, he joined the Australian Army. He served for 9 years in infantry, travelling from his home in Queensland to Afghanistan, Malaysia and Vanuatu.

In 2020, after learning he was going to be a father, Adam decided to leave the Army and started looking for a job opportunity that would allow him to be at home more.

Adam's journey

Around that same time, Adam saw a post on Facebook about WithYouWithMe and their program supporting veterans into tech careers. He entered his details and completed his psychometric and aptitude assessments.

Adam’s testing results matched him to careers in Project Support, Performance Testing, Systems Administration and Sales.

After connecting with the Career Success team, Adam applied for a role in a Pega squad, set to be deployed into an Australian Government agency. He had an interview and put his discharge in the following day.

Within a month, he was on his way home to start training on WithYouWithMe’s Low Code pathway.

WYWM’s aptitude testing identified Adam as a Doer, someone who thrives on being able to execute and deliver on tasks, and works well in a project-fuelled environment.

Entering the tech sector

Adam began training for his new role alongside other individuals who were set to join the same squad. The training program would take around 6 weeks.

“The training was great. There was probably 6 or 7 of us going through it at the same time. The instructor was really knowledgeable, and I appreciated working alongside others who were new to tech.”

Once deployed, Adam and the other squad members joined a DevOps team, working remotely to test systems, identify issues and escalate them to be addressed by the relevant departments.

“Having only returned from the Army recently, working from home offered me the valuable opportunity to support and spend time with my wife and kids around work hours.”

Shifting to Career Success

Adam’s squad placement finished up and there was an opening in WithYouWithMe’s internal Career Success team. Eager to support other veterans to make the transition into tech, Adam put himself forward and secured the role. Now he supports individuals through the process of signing up, completing their testing and entering training programs. He also helps them prep for interviews and provides guidance on careers they might want to pursue.

To increase awareness of WithYouWithMe’s veteran program, Adam attends transition seminars across the country, connecting with ex-service men and women – or those thinking about leaving – and sharing his own transition experience.

“Having been in the Army myself, I understand the experience of leaving, and the anxiety about what to do next. In this new role, I really appreciate that the majority of my time is spent working from home, and that my daily tasks involve helping other veterans find the right path when they leave service.”

Alongside his role in Career Success, Adam continues to serve in the Army Reserves, recently participating in a two-week training trip overseas, something WithYouWithMe enables him to do with reservist leave.

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