Coding for Veterans offers second career after military
Current and retired armed forces members could go shopping for bread and for a new career at the Canex store in Petawawa Wednesday.
The Coding for Veterans caravan has set up on base at CFB Petawawa for two days, offering a second career path for veterans in the cyber security space after a life in the military.
"People need a purpose when they transition and leave the forces," says Pat Shaw, director of academic partnerships at Coding for Veterans. "They will find that sense of purpose in the continued protection of Canadians data and information."
The course, in partnership with the University of Ottawa, teaches secure software development, network security, and cyber architecture. Shaw says they are jobs that can be done remotely, with anywhere from 150,000 to 250,000 current openings for IT jobs across Canada.
"We're trying to assist those veterans to train up or up-skill to be able to do those software development and cyber security jobs," says Shaw.
After working for the armed forces for 35 years and recently retiring at the age of 53, current Coding for Veterans student Elena Vazquez tells CTV News Ottawa that her pursuit of a new career is a natural fit for her.
"I'm a fixer, so when at work or at home there are issues with my computer, I like to be the one trying to fix it," says the young retiree. "I find that super interesting, honestly, I love it."
Vazquez retired as a Human Resources manager, but said she still wants to serve that sense of security and protection that she developed after a career with the Canadian Armed Forces.
"If I can find a job in that field to help defend any cyber attacks that we get, that would be great," says Vazquez, who adds she only has six months left of learning on her course.
An information booth for Coding for Veterans will be set up at 14 Ypres Blvd. in Petawawa again on Thursday, Oct. 21.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.