How 3 determined IT pros built tech careers with ServiceNow
You might not think a man from rural America, a guy who grew up in the Bronx, and a woman from India would have much in common. Yet they all overcame challenging circumstances to RiseUp with ServiceNow and build successful tech careers.
Their stories are the subject of Alt Shift Life, a 28-minute Tribeca Studios film production created in partnership with ServiceNow.
Overcoming odds
Raised by his grandparents in a town of about 1,000 outside of Nashville, Scott Tuck always knew he was going to do something with computers. He also knew his small town didn’t offer many tech opportunities.
After taking a few IT courses, Tuck landed his first job at Dell as a client technical support analyst. While there, he progressed to becoming the government services analyst team lead and then the service delivery manager—and was introduced to the ServiceNow platform.
“ServiceNow was really a life-changing product for me,” Tuck says. His experience with the platform at Dell equipped him to move to a role at Asurion, where he collaborated closely with the ServiceNow product owner.
He became a ServiceNow Certified System Administrator and moved up to leading a team of ServiceNow development engineers and serving as the product owner. In that role, he acquired a ServiceNow micro-certification in Enterprise Onboarding and Transitions.
Today, Tuck works at CereCore, a healthcare IT consulting firm. As CereCore’s director of enterprise service management, he oversees the ServiceNow platform within the organization. His proudest achievement: transitioning the CereCore ServiceNow team from a cost center to a revenue-generating entity.
Finding a way into tech
DeVonn Tyson grew up in the Bronx, in New York City. Although his mom regularly worked two jobs at a time, the family lost power and hot water occasionally. Tyson wanted to break the generational cycle of living paycheck to paycheck.
As a kid, he took things apart and put them back together, analyzing the workings in the process. “That’s my superpower: analysis and problem-solving,” he says. He recalls troubleshooting internet issues at age 11. His curiosity gave him a desire to become a software engineer, where he could solve problems using technology.
Coming out of the pandemic, Tyson lacked clear direction. Wanting to support his love of technology, his wife suggested he take the ServiceNow NextGen Professionals program to see where it would take him.
“I was able to find my gateway into the tech space,” Tyson says. Today, he works as a ServiceNow quality assurance administrator in New York City and has nine ServiceNow certifications under his belt.
“Working on the ServiceNow platform gives me a sense of fulfillment,” he adds. He’s able to develop low-code apps to meet business needs and has found balance in the workplace.
Pursuing a dream
Sai Varsha Bonam grew up in a small town in southern India. Although her parents wanted her to get married, she dreamed of becoming a software engineer and pursued her bachelor’s degree in technology.
“India is developing,” Bonam says. “People are getting into the mindset that there is no inequality between man and woman.”
At a career session on campus, she heard about RiseUp with ServiceNow and saw it as an opportunity to develop the skills she needed. After completing her ServiceNow Certified System Administrator and ServiceNow Certified Application Developer coursework and exams, she received help applying for jobs in ServiceNow partner organizations.
With her degree and certifications in hand, Bonam moved to Bangalore to take advantage of the IT career opportunities there. She landed a job as a ServiceNow developer and analyst at KPMG.
“I was fortunate to get an opportunity to be introduced to and learn the ServiceNow platform,” she says.
Experiencing a life-changing platform
Since Bonam launched her ServiceNow career, she’s learned to manage her own finances, live independently, network with people, and adapt to new places. “ServiceNow has changed my life,” she says.
“It’s truly a platform that can transform your life if you will put the work and effort into learning it,” Tuck adds. “It's opened some phenomenal doors.”
Tyson agrees. “Things will get better if you keep working hard,” he says. “The platform is designed for anybody to use. Anybody can learn how to do this.”
AI and other emerging technologies are predicted to create millions of tech job opportunities in the next five years, according to research by ServiceNow and Pearson. We’re on a mission to skill 1 million people on the ServiceNow platform.