Priscilla | Business Analyst

Meet Priscilla. She's an Army spouse who faced her financial challenges head-on by proving that the unicorn job she desired — remote, flexible, and well-paying — exists and is now hers.   

That's right. Priscilla, who was studying to be a lawyer and then a teacher, is now a business analyst at HigherEchelon. That’s all because she stepped out of her comfort zone and enrolled in Salesforce Military, which helped her land a dream career in just eight months. Now, this military spouse is  crushing it in the tech industry. 

Priscilla has been living the military life for 21 years and has always wanted to pursue a career to help with her family's financial security. But like most spouses, she endured her fair share of setbacks, sharing: "My husband wasn't home for the first 10 years of our marriage between the extended deployments and the training exercises. Supporting his career was detrimental to my career."

At that time, Priscilla's kids were young and on an E-4 salary, she felt there was no wiggle room for child care, and the only affordable option for them was the CDC where slots were hard to come by. So she stayed home with the kids for many years and studied to be a lawyer in her limited spare time.

As time went by and student loans mounted, she realized law wasn't a viable option and switched to education. She eventually earned her bachelor's degree through multiple moves and deployments and was ready to get her state teaching license, but the military had other plans for them. 

"That deployment cycle, partnered with the PCS cycle, left me little room to advance in any educational or career path. Since I was parenting solo full time, I had limited free time and needed to be around longer to stay in any program that required an internship." 

As a result, Priscilla supported her family as a substitute teacher for most of her husband's career. But they were in debt from all the student loans, and she felt discouraged by losing so much ground on her career aspirations. 

Priscilla needed a change. She attended a local career event and discovered Salesforce Military. The hiring percentage they reported for military-affiliated graduates sparked her interest. She went home, researched, and enrolled in the program that night.

Looking back on how far she's come Priscilla shared: "In addition to Salesforce providing a career change opportunity, the training also built on my educational skills. [...] there's a long list of transferable skills, such as researching/investigation, public speaking, problem-solving, and analyzing data." 

Priscilla quickly learned you don't have to be a tech person to join Salesforce Military. She discovered that there are many paths within the Salesforce ecosystem. "[Salesforce Military] is a program where you can learn from scratch without being frowned upon for a career change or not having an impressive resume," Priscilla explained. "With Salesforce roles, our credentials speak volumes about our capabilities, and that's a good start to getting in the door [with employers]."  

Despite the setbacks, today Priscilla is thriving in a job that supports her military-life dynamic, and she's proudly helping her husband with the financial security of their home and future. And best of all, she states: "I am relieved that I am in a role where I can still be an active, participating mother while still satisfying my desire to have a career."

Salesforce Military put Priscilla on a path to success, and she's not alone. More than 60,000 trailblazers from the military-connected community have joined Salesforce to learn new tech skills since 2014. Will you be next? Check out Salesforce Military and register today.