🌍 IT Career Pathways for Displaced Youth in the U.S. (2025)

How can young displaced individuals in the U.S. — especially those without prior tech experience — access sustainable careers in IT?

A collaborative research project by Team SKAJEN (CDSP, MIT Emerging Talent).
Focus: Comparing traditional (degrees) and non‑traditional (bootcamps, online learning, nonprofit programs) education pathways into IT.

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🚀 Quick Access

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🎯 Project Overview

This repository captures our end‑to‑end research process — from identifying the problem to delivering final outputs — emphasizing collaborative problem‑solving, careful analysis, and clear communication to enable actionable insights.

🔍 Domain Focus: How can young displaced individuals in the U.S. — especially those without prior tech experience — access sustainable IT careers? We compare formal pathways (universities) with non‑traditional options (bootcamps, online certifications, nonprofit programs).

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🧩 Research Structure

Sub-question	Description	Lead
	Social & systemic barriers for displaced youth	Khadija al Ramlawi
	Types & requirements of available jobs	Shaima Mohamed
	Comparing traditional vs. alternative education	Yuri Spizhovyi
	Outcomes by learning pathway	Yevheniia Rudenko
	Employer expectations, skills, & bias	Olubusayo Solola & Nelson Fodjo

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📋 Project Milestones

➕ M0 — Cross-Cultural Collaboration

• Retrospective
• Meeting Minutes & Agendas
• Group Norms
• Learning Goals
• Constraints
• Communication

➕ M1 — Problem Identification

• Domain Study Introduction
• Domain Study Guide
• Domain Study README
• Retrospective

➕ M2 — Data Collection

• Data Description
• Datasets README
• Guide
• Cleaned Data
• Raw Data
• Retrospective

➕ M3 — Data Analysis

• Analysis Guide
• Analysis README
• SQ1 — Barriers & Demographics
• SQ2 — Entry-Level IT Opportunities
• SQ3 — Education Models & Accessibility
• SQ4 — Employment Outcomes by Pathway
• SQ5 — Employer Perceptions & Success Factors
• Retrospective

➕ M4 — Communicating Results

• Communication Strategy README
• Essay
• Group 23 Review
• Web Page Prototype
• Website Landing Page
• Guide
• Retrospective

➕ M5 — Final Presentation

• Final Presentation
• Retrospective

🌟 Key Finding

Non-traditional education pathways (bootcamps, online courses, nonprofit programs) offer displaced youth a scalable and accessible entry into IT careers—particularly roles like IT support, QA, and junior web development.

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📊 Executive Summary

• Most accessible roles: IT Support, QA Testing, Junior Web Development
• Best pathways: Bootcamps, online platforms, nonprofit training
• Key success factors: Mentorship, micro‑credentials, job placement support
• Challenge: Degrees still correlate with higher pay, but often exclude displaced youth
• Opportunities: Focus on high‑immigrant states (CA, TX, FL, NY); build cross‑sector programs

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📦 Deliverables

➕ Core Artifacts

Core artifacts

• 📄 Essay → IT Career Pathways Essay (PDF)
• 🎥 Final Presentation → Slides & Materials
• 🌐 Interactive Website → GitHub Pages / Netlify Site

Communication formats (from Communication Strategy — excluding Essay, Slides, Website)

• ▶️ YouTube Explainer Video — 3-minute animated, voiceover; story-driven summary
  • Video 1
  • Video 2
• 🖼 Instagram Carousel Campaign — 6–8 slides of tips with CTAs
  • Instagram Post
  • Design in Canva
• 📲 WhatsApp Channel — ongoing engagement & updates
  • Join Channel

Additional assets

• 🧩 Infographics & Prototypes → Infographics Folder
• ✅ Group 23 Peer Review (PDF) → Peer Review PDF

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✅ Conclusion

While college degrees offer higher salaries, they are often out of reach.
Our research shows that displaced youth can successfully launch tech careers through:

• 🖥️ Entry-level roles with low barriers
• 🎓 Alternative education formats
• 🤝 Mentorship and job placement support
• 📍 Programs targeting key states (CA, TX, FL, NY)
• 💼 Cross-sector inclusion initiatives

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💫 About SKAJEN

Skajen is a collaborative group formed by a combo of amazing individuals with super powers that redefine the true meaning of teamwork. Our name symbolizes unity and teamwork as we strive together towards excellence in data science.

• Collaboration is key, and we never settle for less than the best. #WeMove

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👥 Team Members

• Nelson Fodjo
• Yevheniia Rudenko
• Olubusayo Solola
• Khadija al Ramlawi
• Shaima Mohamed
• Yuri Spizhovyi

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➕ 📁 Repository Structure

├── 0_domain_study/         # Initial domain research
├── 1_datasets/             # Raw & cleaned datasets
├── 2_data_preparation/     # Data cleaning & scripts
├── 3_data_exploration/     # Exploratory notebooks
├── 4_data_analysis/        # Main analysis notebooks
├── 5_communication_strategy/
│   ├── IT_Career_Pathways_Essay.pdf
│   ├── web_page/           # Infographics & prototypes
│   ├── website/            # Interactive site (HTML/CSS/assets)
│   ├── Group_23_review.pdf
├── 6_final_presentation/   # Final slides
├── collaboration/          # Team docs & retrospectives
└── REPO_STRUCTURE.md       # Full map of the repo