TOM SOLOMON
Computer technician,
Boca Grande
Turning Out 'Fantastic'
 [Photo: Brian Tietz] |
Tom Solomon built houses for 10 years in Boca Grande until he was laid off in 2009. With his wife, a teacher, still drawing her salary to support them and three of their children, Solomon went back to school, studying until December 2010 at Charlotte Technical Center to become a computer technician. "Hard times," he says of living on one check. In February, he found a job handling the technology needs of two Charlotte County public schools. Solomon, 40, says his pay is comparable to what he was making when he was laid off but unlike in construction, where he felt he had topped out, he foresees bigger paydays as his experience grows. "It's turned out fantastic for me."
— Mike Vogel