COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nicholas Kisor was born in Columbus, but with a father in the Navy, he moved a lot as a kid, living on the west coast before graduating from high school in Hawaii.

• Columbus is considered by many across the country to be one of the greatest cities for tech workers 
• Some of the brightest developers and tech experts are sharpening their craft at the Accenture Innovation Hub
• The program provides an alternative to a four-year degree and a great opportunity for those seeking a second chance

“Got to do a lot of cool things, moved back out here for college originally in 2004. Did some IT stuff at Ohio University and just really decided it wasn't for me,” said Kisor. 

Now in his 30s and married with three children, he's getting that second chance at a career in cyber security with Columbus State Community College and its apprenticeship program with Accenture Innovation Hub. 

“As an apprentice, I get real working knowledge of the software engineering field. It's a field I never really had exposure to. And programing will help out in almost any technology field right now,” said Kisor. 

Kisor is one of many Columbus State Community College students taking part in the one-year apprenticeship program.

The Columbus program was launched in 2018 and provides students a stepping stone to a brighter future.

Accenture has nearly 1,000 employees, and many students who take part in the program have opportunities for growth within the company.

“They have the opportunity to pair with the more experienced programmer, and they will work in, whether it's cloud native technologies, two people, one keyboard, one computer. And they'll have the opportunity to learn from and work with to create quality code. They’ll work on a client project. They'll do a capstone project, and the option to go out to client sites, all within a year, and then we'll offer them the opportunity for full time employment,” said Accenture Office Managing Director, Joe Chenelle. 

Accenture recently hosted Senator Rob Portman to show off its artificial intelligence car.

The car captured first place in the U.S., third in the world for its ability to learn as it goes around the track —the goal being to get a clean lap as fast as possible.

“This has implications for our national defense, the military, as well as our economy and commercial uses. But as we do it we have to make sure we're thinking about what the consequences are and we do it right. The folks here in Columbus are very tuned to that, and interested in that,” said Portman. 

For Kisor, he's excited at the promise Columbus shows as the tech hub of the future and would love to remain in the capital city.

As for his future, he's looking to make the world a safer place online.

“I want to find the vulnerabilities in the network, in your system, so I can help you fix it, so, you as a company can be more secure,” says Kisor. 

And his parting advice for those seeking a career in technology —

“You'll never get anywhere if you don't try. You have to take that first step. Accenture was having this great event, I wasn't invited, but I heard about it, and I showed up. And here I am, I'm working for Accenture. So, you really can't land at a better company in Columbus right now,” said Kisor. 

For more information you can visit Accenture’s website.