Byte Back has two rewarding volunteer opportunities for those wishing to serve as mentors.

Employment Mentor:

The majority of Byte Back students are unemployed and actively seeking work. Those students who do have a job are often underemployed — working part-time and/or temporary jobs. Many of our students have a fairly sporadic work history. Employment mentors work one-on-one with a student, under the guidance of our Job Coordinator, to assist the student in thinking through a career plan, and coaching her/him through the steps of their plan, assisting with the job search, networking, exploring internship opportunities, customizing cover letters and practicing for job interviews.

Employment mentors must make a commitment to meet with their student partner at least once a week, in person or by phone, for six months or until such time as the student obtains satisfactory employment. Employment mentors make a relatively small weekly time commitment and gain the experience of guiding a student to full and rewarding employment.

Independent Project Mentors:

Byte Back offers a total of seven certification programs. Our five advanced certification programs include independent projects as a vital part of the training. Each student is required to complete an IT project, under the supervision and guidance of a mentor, for a nonprofit organization for free.

These short-term projects generally take 32-60 hours to complete. An independent project might consist of troubleshooting all computers in an office, or creating a computer lab in a church basement.

A student and his/her mentor will meet with the client organization to discuss technology needs. They will then perform an assessment of what work is needed to solve the problem and will meet again with the client to communicate their diagnosis and make recommendations. Depending upon the outcome of this meeting, a student, under the supervision of the mentor,and will repair and/or upgrade the client technology and will perform tests to determine whether the repairs and upgrades have been successful. Lastly, the student and mentor will have a final meeting with the client to demonstrate the improvements made and to have the client sign off on the successful completion of the project.

Through their independent projects, our students gain real world experience, as well as confidence and a feeling of satisfaction from giving back to the community. Upon successful completion of the independent project, students then sit for the certification examination. Furthermore, these projects provide needed technology services which would otherwise be a financial hardship for local nonprofit organizations. Mentors have the opportunity to help provide needed IT help to a nonprofit and assist a student in a life-changing journey to a meaningful career paying a living wage with real advancement opportunities.