Hello World: Launching Operation Forward
Twenty years in the U.S. Air Force taught me that the best way to prepare for a mission is to practice in a high-fidelity environment. When I retired as an Emergency Manager, I realized that many veterans and career-changers in Colorado Springs were being sent into the "mission" of a tech career without the right training environment.
Today, I am proud to announce the launch of Operation Forward, a non-profit "Career Forge" dedicated to removing the financial and practical barriers to entry in the technology sector.
The "Why" Behind Project Forward
In the Pikes Peak region, we are surrounded by a thriving defense and aerospace industry, yet the path to join it is often blocked by $15,000 bootcamps or degrees that lack hands-on depth. We founded Project Forward to bridge that gap by providing:
Free Certification Bootcamps: Industry-leading training for roles in Cybersecurity, Cloud, and IT without the prohibitive tuition walls.
The Elevate Project Hub: A collaborative space where students build real-world resumes by solving technical problems for local non-profits.
Veteran-Centric Support: A mission-first approach that helps transitioning service members translate their military leadership into DoD-compliant technical credentials.
Our Proprietary Tech Stack
We aren't just a classroom; we are a technology lab. To ensure our students become true practitioners, we’ve developed a suite of proprietary tools that allow for 24/7, on-demand learning :
Ascent Cloud Labs: Tailored virtual environments where students can fail, fix, and master complex systems safely .
Summit CTF: A competitive platform for security validation through "Jeopardy-style" technical challenges .
Waypoint: An AI-driven career navigator that analyzes job descriptions to provide a specific "gap analysis" for our students' resumes .
Join the Mission
Whether you are a veteran looking for your next mission, a local professional ready for a pivot, or a partner who believes that talent, not a bank account, should determine success, there is a place for you here.
We are just getting started. It’s time to stop studying the theory and start building the future.
Hello, World.
Daniel Farrell
Founder & Executive Director, Operation Forward
