The path to tech was anything but traditional for Dana Morrow Branch, the vice president of systems engineering for Bank of America.

Branch became a self-taught coder by spending all her free time on a computer in the library of her high school, mastering the Microsoft DOS command prompt. In her explorations, Branch not only accidentally broke into Maryland’s Board of Education database, but discovered her knack for coding as well.

Branch’s path to success proved that not all skills need to be learned from a textbook or a professor. In From Day One’s webinar “Attracting Non-traditional and Diverse Talent,” moderator Jonathan Pride, executive director of NPower, spoke with Branch and other tech leaders on how aspiring tech workers can break from the traditional career path and how employers attract skilled talent in the current labor market.

Redefining Traditional Hiring Practices

With lower costs and time commitment than traditional degree-earning colleges, certificate-based programs are redefining how candidates are receiving their education. In a recent study by National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, researchers found certificate-based programs had a 5.5% increase in enrollment at the undergraduate level and a 4.6% increase in enrollment at the graduate level.

For NPower, the success is in the numbers. Since its founding in 2003, the national technology training organization has helped over 5,000 individuals launch their digital careers through accelerated tech training programs. The program assists military veterans and young adults from underserved communities by providing tech resources, training, and job opportunities.

As more people lean into certificate-based programs to develop their skills, hiring practices must change, Pride emphasized. “Not everyone is meant to go to Harvard, and that's okay,” Pride says. “Our job as a national organization is to create a pathway. [The job market] is a different time today than it was and the applicant base is different than it was just even two years ago before Covid.”

Rashmi Jain, chief information officer of Careington International Corporation, a healthcare company, also recognizes the break from the traditional route from her own experience. When discussing her son’s decision to take a certificate course instead of attending a four-year college, Jain acknowledged the challenges he might face but emphasized the value in his choice. “Coming from a Southeast Asian background, our families might say you're not a doctor or engineer because you don't have a college degree,” Jain said. “But [we have to] shift from that perspective and look for what adds value to the workforce.”

To accommodate changes in how individuals receive their education, employers must be able to reflect that in their current hiring practices. Like Jain, Branch believes college degrees aren’t always telling of an individual’s potential. She urges hiring managers to look for more.

“You just can't pick up a resume and immediately look for a college degree,” Branch said. “You have to have trained and experienced eyes that know how to convert skill sets. We have to translate that person’s resume into transferable skills, and know immediately where would be a best fit for them.”

Empowering Through Resources and Mentoring

For those who are curious enough, a computer is the only resource needed to kickstart a career in tech like Branch did. However, not everybody can discover their strengths with limited resources and time.

Brashanda Walker, infrastructure tech lead analyst, VP at Citi, and NPower alumna, discussed how NPower helped define her career path. Through the program’s resources and connections to job opportunities, Walker discovered her love for technology. “My first exposure to technology was through NPower’s internship program, in which I was able to participate with Deloitte,” Walker said. “[NPower] inspired me to continue to move forward. Through NPower, I received my first career at AIG.”

The path, however, was not without challenges. As a woman and a person of color, Walker faced challenges in a heavily male-dominated industry. In the U.S., women make up only 26.7% of tech-related jobs, a staggeringly low number. To handle these challenges, Walker said there’s an important need for mentorship for women in the field. “Representation is extremely important. Not only for career guidance, but for mentorship as well,” Walker said. “You’re going to feel intimidated in those rooms when you are the only woman and if you are not confident enough to express yourself or to ask questions, you’re going to feel that. And unfortunately, that pushes women out of technology.”

In a study by talent network Adeva, over 40% of participants expressed a lack of mentorship and female role models as primary reasons for the underrepresentation of women in the tech industry. With just 11% of women in tech leadership positions, the lack of representation affects women’s interests in pursuing tech.

While organizations like Women Who Code and digitalundivided have helped bridge the gap for women and minorities, leaders must do more, Branch says. “When we talk about diversity and inclusion, we talk about diversity driving innovation. Diverse perspectives are what we need, [and what this] boils down to is bringing opportunities for others to come to the table to thrive and be powerful leaders for our future.”

Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, NPower, for sponsoring this webinar. 

Wanly Chen is a writer based in New York City.