Dajon is Growing into his Potential

Dajon Williams came to Covenant House Georgia (CHGA) in 2018. “I felt a bit intimidated, but I was greeted by friendly mentors who have been really instrumental in my life and journey,” he says now. “From the start, they listened to me. They understood I was not a ‘homeless youth’ but an individual with dreams and potential. They honestly believed in me.”

One opportunity that Dajon, who goes by DJ, was excited to take advantage of while at CHGA was Accenture’s Health, Technology, and Administration training, especially the web development aspect of the program. “It was the first time I’d ever had a training that could take me to an actual career rather than a minimum-wage job. It made me feel like I had worth, like I could actually lead a regular stable life,” he says.

And this is the whole point of Covenant House’s Career Pathways program, in which Accenture has been an invaluable partner. With the guidance of Accenture’s Inclusive Future of Work research, Covenant House is advancing career pathways for our youth, pathways that have four characteristics: They pay a living wage, don’t require a college degree, have low potential for automation, and are expected to grow post-pandemic.

Our initial focus has been on the IT career pathway, helping many of our young people to prepare for and explore careers related to the field of information technology. DJ so shined during his training with Accenture that the company turned around and offered him a position, a singular and outstanding outcome. Nearly four years later, DJ is still with Accenture.

During those years, he has gained experience working in different aspects of the company, including coding, testing, and asset management. Today, he is looking into obtaining AWS certification in cloud computing, while also exploring work in staff engagement, which relates to another part of DJ’s personality and career aspirations. “I enjoy bringing people together and creating connections. The energy is great, and I just love that,” he says.

DJ affirms that his career at Accenture is allowing him to “live the lifestyle that I wanted to live,” with independence and stability. “And I know that if I continue working here and continue to move up through the ranks, I can live an even better lifestyle.”

His advice to young residents at Covenant House today is, “If you want to do something specific, go for it. Know yourself. Know you can do it. Have confidence in yourself and put the work in so you can get to where you want to go. All it takes is for you to just try.”