Kara Gooch always wanted to break into the technology industry, but without a college degree or formal training, her options were limited. After moving to Nashville in 2010, the Los Angeles native found work as a digital marketing specialist. But when her marriage ended, leaving her to be a single parent to three young daughters, Kara needed a more stable and lucrative job. In 2019, a friend showed Kara a story in the local newspaper about another single mom who had taken a course on IT support from Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee and wound up in a successful career at Google. Committed to completing her IT support studies, Kara turned her circumstance into fuel. Before graduating from the program in 2020, began her tech career as a technology apprenticeship with Accenture. She has since graduated from the program and recently transferred to the Brandon Hall Award-winning Journey & Change Management Center of Excellence and humbly serves on the National Leadership Team for the Interfaith Employee Resource Group. Kara has successfully referred candidates to the apprenticeship program, including her husband William, who graduated this year.
