Want a career in tech? E-INFOSOL leaders say young people can do it

By Joseph Jackson Jr. and Shreya Jyotishi

August 6, 2026

Youthcast Media Group®

After a senior leader died by suicide following a struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 2025, a Rockville, Maryland-based information technology (IT) company deepened its commitment to the mental health of its employees.

The company, E-INFOSOL, did so while maintaining a broader mission: helping veterans, people of color and others in under-resourced communities find careers in tech.

E-INFOSOL, a service-disabled veteran-owned business, was was co-founded by Iraq War Army veteran Fredy Pesante. Approximately 35% to 40% of E-INFOSOL employees are veterans.

During a recent interview with Youthcast Media Group, E-INFOSOL’s CEO and co-founder Pesante and Vice President of Service Delivery Charles Barnett discussed how tech careers can be a pathway to economic mobility for youth. They cite internships, certifications and free online resources as ways to break into the field without traditional advantages. Along with mental health, the executives also talked about the value of government security clearances, stressing that the choices youth make today — from their digital footprints to personal conduct — can shape career opportunities.

The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Can you describe what E-INFOSOL does and what your role is there?

Barnett: We focus mainly [on] providing IT services to the federal government. And those IT services consist of cloud engineering, cloud development, cloud security, app development and cybersecurity, and a lot of infrastructure virtualization-type work. My role is [vice president] of service delivery, responsible for ensuring that we are providing great customer service to our customers [and] that we are meeting our deliverables and our requirements to our customers. But also, one of the key focuses is ensuring that our employees have the tools [and] resources to be successful, and that includes coaching, training and developing our employees, and obviously treating them like they want to be treated.

Is IT a career that can help reverse the cycle of poverty in low-income parts of the D.C. area? What more would need to be done to potentially get more youth access to the right technology and training?

Barnett: One thing we've got to ensure is that we, as professionals that have been through it, that have had a lot of experience in the IT space, provide that mechanism to bring folks along with us. That is, exposing our youth to information technology at a young age. If we can show that it's very interesting, and it's beneficial, and if they are committed to it and they show a sense of pride and commitment, I think it works out for a lot of people that are coming up from disadvantaged communities that don't have technology within the house and who don't have mentors that come from the technology field.

Pesante: I still think internships work well for high school, even college. IT certifications are still something in demand in specific areas…Charles and myself, we're part of the Technology Advisory Board at [Montgomery College] and they offer free resources as well to give an advantage to students that don't have a career path. So find a way to leverage those local resources that are available and try to capitalize on those. IT is such a great field because even though it's great to have an undergraduate (degree), that is not always a full basis into having an IT career. So you could start in high school… There's a lot of free stuff online. There's a lot of YouTube videos. There's so many resources. To be honest, there's even now AI that can really teach you [and] it's free to a certain level that you could use. Qualified technology professionals continue to be in demand in the IT market.

As a veteran-led company with a significant veteran workforce, how does E-INFOSOL support employee well-being and mental-health awareness?

Pesante: Approximately 35% to 40% of our employees are veterans. Veterans often gravitate toward working with one another because we share a mission-focused mentality and a commitment to getting the job done.

Mental health has always mattered to us, but it became even more personal after we lost one of our leaders, a fellow veteran who had battled mental illness. I worked closely with his family to help honor his story and legacy.

That experience reinforced the importance of supporting mental health across our entire workforce. We encourage managers to maintain meaningful contact with employees, provide appropriate training and connect people with available resources. We want our actions to match what we say about being a people-first company. Our employee retention has remained strong, and I believe the way we care for our people has contributed to that.

How does getting or having a U.S. government security clearance help? How would a young person pursue getting a security clearance, and what should they keep in mind if they plan to do so?

Pesante: We live in a world of social media. Make sure you're…not going to be concerned with somebody finding you on the Internet behaving a certain way. Even though, in some locations, drugs like medical marijuana and whatnot are considered legal, [that is] not [the case] in the federal government. The use of any substances that could be mind-altering, that's not a thing [that’s allowed] in the federal government. Also, from a legal perspective, from a criminal background perspective, that's something that any checkup is going to come up [with], so [make] sure that you're behaving in a manner exemplifying honesty, reliability, sound judgment, responsible conduct and trustworthiness. The best thing for getting clearances at that early jump is internships. We've been able to get people clearances through the internship process. After a person fits a specific requirement, you train them and they get a government clearance, and that helps them have a head start… I had a clearance and it helped me out a lot. When I moved out here after living in Puerto Rico and I was in the Army, I had a clearance. I was able to find a job quickly.

Any other advice for young people considering this path?

Pesante: I would say go for it. As minorities, there are a lot of external factors we can't control, but nobody can ever stop you if you're great at what you do, if you have a strong work ethic and if you put a lot of effort into making the best out of yourself. It's never too early to work on yourself and look for ways to work on your professional career, work on your soft skills… Make sure you are working with peers and surrounding yourself with the right people throughout your whole life. I had a mentor myself when I started in the business — Carlos Rivera. He's from Puerto Rico. He was a veteran. And that always helped me out, having somebody that you want to aspire to [be].

Barnett: Do not be afraid to fail. You know you're going to make mistakes. People around you are going to make mistakes. Learn from it, and learn from that, and don't allow people to impact your goals and objectives. You set your path and if you set your path, you're going to go a very long way, and if you're really committed and continue to establish relationships along your entire path, you're going to reap the benefits of ensuring that you are in a position to take advantage of opportunities that are in front of you.

Joseph Jackson is in the class of 2027 at Bard High School Early College DC, one of Youthcast Media Group’s partner schools. Shreya Jyotishi, YMG Assistant Manager of Content and Programs, also worked on this story.