Updating Experience in the Evening & Weekend Program
TLDR: Army Veteran Everett Yeckley spent decades in the military and IT—but returning to tech after service wasn’t easy. At age 56, he joined Code Platoon’s Evening & Weekend Full-Stack Software Engineering Bootcamp to update his skills and relaunch his tech career. With support from VET TEC and Code Platoon’s military-focused curriculum, Everett is now back on track and ready for what’s next.
It’s Never Too Late to Learn Something New
Tech is often seen as a young person’s industry. But Veterans like Everett Yeckley, who bring decades of experience and discipline, are proving otherwise.
Everett, a U.S. Army Veteran, graduated from Charlie Platoon, Code Platoon’s 28-week Full-Stack Software Engineering: Evening & Weekend Bootcamp, at age 56.
“I was always the youngest during my Service and the start of my tech career,” Everett said. “But then, I found myself the oldest student in my Code Platoon program.”
Everett enlisted in 1982 at just 16 years old and spent almost fifteen years on Active Duty in the Army Band. After transitioning out, he turned his interest in technology into a second career.
A Tech Career Interrupted by Military Service
“When I left the military, I chose to pursue technology because it’s always fascinated me,” Everett said. “I started from the bottom at an IT help desk and worked my way up to Manager of IT Operations. I also earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees while working full-time.”
Then came another turn. Everett rejoined the military. He enlisted in the Georgia Army National Guard to meet the Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA)—a program that offered early retirement benefits to Servicemembers with 15–19 years of service. What was supposed to be a short-term career break to meet the TERA threshold became eight more years in uniform.
When he retired again, Everett expected to resume his tech career. But after a decade away from hands-on IT work, he found it difficult to compete in a fast-evolving industry.
“Getting back into IT after my second round of Service was difficult, even with my degrees,” he said. “I knew I needed to update my skill set to remain competitive.”
Updating Tech Skills Through Code Platoon
Everett discovered Code Platoon while researching Veteran-friendly coding bootcamps. He was drawn to the program’s rigorous curriculum, exclusive military community, and strong career outcomes.
“To prepare, I took Code Platoon’s free Intro to Coding course and learned JavaScript,” he said.
Though Everett had already used his Montgomery GI Bill® to earn two degrees, he had enough Post-9/11 GI Bill® eligibility left to qualify for VET TEC, a VA program covering training costs for Veterans pursuing high-demand tech careers.
He enrolled in Code Platoon’s Evening & Weekend program, which is designed for working adults and others with daytime commitments.
“It was difficult balancing the Evening & Weekend program with work. I would have an 8-10 hour workday, take an hour break, then go to class,” he said.
The Power of Military Community and Career Support
Even with the challenges, Everett found the learning experience deeply rewarding, both technically and personally.
“The program was a challenging experience, but once I set my mind to it, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,” he said. “The instructors explained concepts well and supported our learning. The other students jumped in to help when someone got stuck.”
He also saw the value of Code Platoon’s Beyond Tech workshops, which help students navigate civilian workplaces and tech industry norms.
“I thought the Beyond Tech soft-skills workshops were invaluable, even after all my civilian work experience,” he said.
Looking Ahead
Now that he's completed coding bootcamp, Everett is focused on launching the next chapter of his tech career.
“Code Platoon is opening up a lot of new opportunities,” he says. “I’m looking forward to seeing where this experience takes me.”
And it didn’t take long. Today, Everett is a Senior Software Engineer at Charles Schwab. His path proves that it's never too late to learn, grow, and pivot into a fulfilling tech career, especially with the right training and support system behind you.
