If you were to ask Omar Gil Matos where his interest in tech stemmed from, he’d say it started back in high school.

There, he took a class where he developed basic web development skills. 

That class piqued his interest, and within a short period of time, he found himself pushing to learn more and use his resources to go beyond what he was learning in the classroom.

“I started doing some side projects on my own, and thought, ‘I might choose this as a career,’” Gil reflected during an interview with AL DÍA. 

In 2016, Gil came to the United States from his native Dominican Republic, seeking to continue honing his skills and eventually finding his path within the tech field. 

His journey started when he was introduced to YearUp!, a nonprofit job training program, where he was able to take some software engineering classes. 

This led him to then obtaining an internship with a financial institution as an automation scripter.

However, it was in 2020 that Gil found the opportunity he has today.

That was the year that he began his journey in the Accenture Apprenticeship program. 

As an apprentice, Gil worked in the pharmaceutical industry as a Salesforce solution provider.

These are all new concepts for Gil. Therefore, he used that year-long experience as an opportunity to learn.

“My supervisor, my peers, my colleagues, my manager… they took their time, sat down with me to explain every detail that I needed,” said Gil. 

Once he learned the basics, he ran with it, always with the mission to deliver and bring solutions to the client. 

By the end of his apprenticeship, Gil managed to obtain his certification. 

Since completing his apprenticeship, Gil remained with Accenture where he is now an Application Developer Analyst, specifically as a Python developer working in the telecommunications industry. 

Gil highlighted that he is very grateful for the opportunity that Accenture has presented him with, allowing him to feed his interests and improve his knowledge within the tech space.

The Accenture Apprenticeship Program has an even greater and forward-thinking impact, however.

“The apprentice program here, I would say, is where people from different backgrounds can test themselves and prove or improve themselves to show they are trainable, that they are profitable, and that they can make an impact in the tech industry,” said Gil. 

As Gil spends more time with Accenture, his goal is to continue obtaining more certifications and ultimately become a technical solution provider within the industry.

With the apprenticeship program continuing to grow, and with Gil as one of its alums, his best piece of advice for those coming after him is to always keep learning and don’t give up.

“Learn as much as you can, organize yourself, and understand that it is a process,” he said. “The tech industry needs talented developers who are willing to bring solutions.”