Mr. Rogers has a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Web Development and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus in Information Technology Management. He has been an IT professional for over a decade, and currently works as a Senior Kentico Developer. Mr Rogers is loving husband, proud and devoted father of two, and avid Browns fan.
Throughout the conversation we talked about the importance of being proactive and a go-getter. This includes being uncomfortable and putting in additional work to prepare yourself for opportunities as they arise.
It’s about how hard you want it, how hard you willing to push to have it? …you only get 2 or 3 good opportunities in your lifetime. Are you going to squander them?
I asked how Mr. Rogers got his foot in the door, and he explained how there are boot camps you can attend to gain whatever IT skills you desire. However, he initially utilized free resources like Google and YouTube to learn how to build websites and propel him towards the field. Once he acquired the skills and credentials (degree), he had to learn how to market himself within the field of IT…
There are too many jobs, but not enough skilled people to do them. There always is a demand… You are the resource, so you can dictate what you want to do and how much you can make.
We discussed the different ways one can learn coding online. Below is a list of a few (of many) resources available online. Also, check out this article on 17 In-Demand Technology Skills to Learn in 2020.
- Tech jobs for people of color (POCITjobs)
- Free ed & tech job opportunities (LaunchCode)
- Training & career tools (GoogleDigitalGarage)
- Learn coding, earn certs (FreeCodeCamp)
- Learn to code (CodeAcademy)
- Software engineering career tools (Outco)
Our conversation pivoted to a personal topic, and we discussed navigating life while dealing with health concerns <timestamp 26:16>. Mr. Rogers shared the story of his misdiagnosis and the trials associated with Guillain Barré syndrome.
Nobody knows how it feels when you a 100% perfectly strong man, knocking people out, then next thing you know you can’t even walk and you so weak you can’t even open up a bag of potato chips!
We concluded the interview with a challenge for other black developers to give back to our youth via his Black Kids Can Code program. If you’re interested in this project, please reach out to me at DrJ@drjinterviews.com and I’ll put you in touch with Mr. Rogers.
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