How CNM Ingenuity’s Internet of Things Bootcamp is Helping Military Students Succeed
Kaleb Glodowski is currently serving the last 180 days of a successful five-year career with the United States Marine Corps. He’s based at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina and is trained to repair military satellite communication terminals.
His repair skills have been valuable while serving, but Kaleb wanted to get additional training that would help him land a solid job after he retires from the Marines. That’s why he decided to participate in the Department of Defense SkillBridge program that helps veterans gain civilian work experience. That program pointed him toward CNM’s Internet of Things (IoT) bootcamp, which he liked because it teaches in-demand, cutting-edge skills and could be done remotely from his home in North Carolina.
“I want to be employable when I leave the Marines and the IoT bootcamp has already done a great job of helping me skill up,” Kaleb says. “I’m coming out of the military with lots of soft skills such as leadership and dependability, but I wanted more hands-on job training.”
Kaleb says it’s been seamless to take the class online. IoT instructor Brian Rashap runs a live stream of the class every day so that Kaleb can listen to the instruction and see what other students are working on. Kaleb is also broadcast on a projector so that the other students feel like he’s in class. Kaleb says it hasn’t been a problem to keep up and has enjoyed the challenges presented by the IoT curriculum.
“It’s definitely been fast-paced, but I’ve learned a tremendous amount in just a couple weeks,” he says.
Kareem Crum, who’s a combat medic in the National Guard, is also currently enrolled in the spring bootcamp. He’s a University of New Mexico student but decided to take a semester off from full-time school because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A family member let him know about the IoT bootcamp and he felt like it would be the perfect way to keep himself occupied and learning.
“My brain moves quickly, so I love the fast pace of the IoT class,” Kareem says. “It’s kept me engaged and I’m learning an entirely new skillset.”
Both Kaleb and Kareem had their entire IoT tuition paid for by Verus Research, a company that uses cutting-edge scientific research and technological developments to provide clients with innovative engineering solutions for current and future challenges across a number of different fields. Verus is an official CNMI Employer Partner and also a business member at the FUSE Makerspace, which means their employees can use the equipment and participate in trainings.
“Verus Research is devoted to advancing the state of the art across many technical disciplines. One way we do this is by being responsible corporate citizens, nurturing enduring community partnerships for the mutual benefit of all involved,” says Hank Andrews, the Managing Director & CFO at Verus Research.
For their IoT projects, both Kaleb and Kareem have designed clever devices. Kareem built a glove with a built-in joystick that can be used to control any number of smart devices from fans to lights. Kaleb designed a sensor that detects when his cats use the litter box and automatically prompts an electronic air freshener to activate.
Neither Kaleb nor Kareem plan to develop those devices any further at the moment, but say the skills they’ve learned will absolutely serve them as they move through school and into the workforce.
“For a while I had my doubts about moving to the civilian world, but now I’m really excited and have no doubt I’ll land a good job,” Kaleb says.
The next IoT bootcamp runs June 7- August. Learn more here and start your application here.