Ever since she was a little girl, Lillia Boone had a passion for tech. She loved tinkering with robots, taking her toys apart, and putting them back together—discovering how machines worked. In 2021, after years in customer service roles, Lillia decided to pursue her interests. She had just moved to Wyoming with her dad, hoping to land an apprenticeship at a local dealership.
But things didn’t go as planned.
“Just before I started, the supervisor who hired me went on vacation, and upper management decided to make some changes.” When Lillia arrived for her first day of work, she was told that her apprenticeship was off the table, leaving her stuck in a dead-end job. “I was shocked and stunned,” Lillia recalls. “Say goodbye to the intense learning atmosphere I was looking forward to. I got taken advantage of.”
Like millions of Americans, Lillia’s dreams of career growth were crushed due to limited options, time, and financial means to pursue alternatives, such as a four-year degree. She took a job as a mobile mechanic to make ends meet, earning just $16 an hour—barely enough to eke out a living. Miserable and bored, Lillia was scrolling through TikTok when she discovered Merit America on Under the Desk News and saw an opportunity for tech job training that would change her life.
Tech Training With No Prior Experience Needed
Lillia’s journey with Merit America began in the IT Support track, and it was nothing short of transformative.
“For 13 weeks, it was a whirlwind,” Lillia shares. Studying to gain her Google IT Support certification while working full-time was a hurdle for someone with ADHD, but thanks to the support and training from her Career Coach, Job Success Coach, and Technical Advisors, the commitment to Merit America’s program led to recruiters reaching out to her by the third week.”
Determined to get ahead early in the program, Lillia updated her LinkedIn profile long before it was required and meticulously studied job postings, customizing her resume and cover letter for each one. “The more often you tailor a cover letter to a specific job, the better you get at doing it,” she says. This process also made her think deeply about her career aspirations.
“I wanted a job where I could succeed with a company that aligned with my core values—environmental justice, employee-centric culture,” Lillia explains. “My problem was getting out of my own way and not boxing myself in.”
Landing An Entry-Level Tech Job
One of the roles that caught Lillia’s eye was a position at Microchip Technology. She didn’t expect to get the job and wasn’t even sure it was the right fit, but she worked closely with her Merit America job coach to tailor her resume and cover letter and applied anyway. When weeks went by with no response, she moved on.
Then, they called.
“It was the cover letter that got their attention,” Lillia says. “They mentioned the part where I wrote about dissecting a robot dog and a robot cat as a child and how I’ve always been interested in how things work.”
The first interview was over video, where Lillia impressed them enough to warrant an in-person interview in Oregon. “I walked out of the interview with a job offer and an idea of my salary, and I was crying,” Lillia recalls. “Now I could afford to actually live.”
Transferrable Skills From Customer Service
Lillia’s strong mechanical background was a significant asset, both in Merit America’s program and in her new role at Microchip. “Mechanical ability and the diagnostic process for cars are very similar to the diagnostic process in the IT industry,” she says. “Instead of working on cars, I now work on the robots used in manufacturing microchips and semiconductors.”
Lillia’s career transformed from a job paying $16 an hour with 22 days off per year to one that pays $33 an hour, with 160 days off annually, plus a comprehensive benefits package. “I nearly tripled my salary, going from $33K to $100K, and it’s all because I wasn’t afraid to ask for help.”
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Is Merit America Worth It?
“Merit America’s training isn’t easy, and there’s no instant gratification most of the time,” Lillia admits. “You can get a job in the first two weeks of the program—it’s crazy when that happens. Or, like me, right near the end. Or you might have to send out 200 applications before you get a job.”
When Lillia struggled with the coursework, she leaned on her peers for support. And the role of Merit America’s job coaches was indispensable!
“The best part about Merit America is you get all this professional development, plus the technical skills, and endless resources to support you,” Lilly says. “And you don’t have to pay for any of that until you have a job that meets their income threshold. For the IT program alone, it’s $40K a year or more.”
In late 2023, Lillia bought her first house, complete with a home office in the Oregon town she loves. “Words cannot express how much gratitude I have for the Merit America program because it made all this possible,” she says. “Never in my life did I think I would own my own home.”
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Not Just a Certificate, A Career Change
Lillia’s story is a shining example of what happens when talent and vision meet drive and determination—and when a partner like Merit America helps focus it all toward a concrete goal.
If you’ve decided to break into tech but still feel stuck on the outside looking in, now is the time to apply.
With Merit America, you won’t just walk away with a Google Certification—you’ll gain the step-by-step resources to take you from coursework to the workforce. Start receiving requests directly from recruiters and employer partners, and see the average $24,000 wage gain that Merit America alumni experience just three months post-program!