The Right Fit: How CNM Ingenuity’s Quantum Technician Bootcamp Helped This Grad Launch a New Career
After working for years as an accountant, Ruth Cuaron discovered a new career path in the quantum industry
Accounting was a stable career path for Ruth Cuaron, but she wasn’t excited about going to work. That’s why she went through CNM Ingenuity’s Quantum Technician bootcamp and now has a job as a paid quantum technician intern at Space Dynamics Laboratory where she uses fiber optics, lasers, and other quantum skills to solve complex problems.
“I applied for the bootcamp on a whim because I realized I didn’t want to be an accountant for the rest of my life,” she says. “I didn’t know anything about quantum when I applied, and I never thought I would so quickly find a new career that I love.”
In the Quantum Technician bootcamp Ruth spent 10 weeks learning about optics and photonics, ultra-high vacuum systems, and quantum phenomenon and quantum information systems. The bootcamp does not require learners to have a background in math or science.
“I had a strong math background as an accountant, but I didn’t have a lot of science knowledge going into the bootcamp,” Ruth explains. “What the instructors made clear was that as long as I kept asking questions, I would succeed.”
In addition to hands-on coursework, Ruth and her cohort regularly met with local employers to learn about career opportunities. Through those meetings she found the internship program at Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), an aerospace and defense company.
Ruth completed the bootcamp in May 2026 and was hired as a quantum technician intern at SDL just three months later.
“I love working at SDL because it doesn’t feel like I'm going to work,” she says. “I work on something new every day, which is really exciting, and I use all the skills I learned in the bootcamp on a daily basis”
Looking ahead, Ruth wants to continue building her career at SDL and plans to take additional coding and fabrication classes to expand her skills.
“For most of my life, I took on jobs that paid well, but I hated going to work,” she says. “I finally found something that fits me, and I want to keep doing this work until I retire.”
CNM Ingenuity’s Quantum Technician Bootcamp is the nation’s first quantum technician job training program, preparing learners to meet the workforce needs of New Mexico’s growing quantum industry. Learn more about the bootcamp and CNM’s other quantum educational opportunities.