Careers For Felons In 2024
Finding a good job with a felony conviction can be a real struggle. However, there are a number of different high paying jobs for felons out there. Particularly, the IT industry is open to hiring qualified ex-cons, and many high-tech companies are willing to overlook a good candidate’s criminal background.
While it is true that high salary, white collar jobs are very hard to land if you are a felon, it is relatively easier in IT.
Because of a new initiative, called “Fair Chance Business Pledge” that was launched by the White House in April 2016, a number of very large tech companies, have pledged NOT to discriminate against applicants who have a felony.
This guide is for felons who want to learn how they can get their foot in the door with an IT company, and start earning much better pay than most other felon-friendly jobs.
Best jobs for felons in information technology
Here are the top job opportunities you should consider applying for if you have a felony conviction:
1. Network support administrator: in the modern wired world, network support specialists are like secretaries. They run the computer systems networks for businesses large and small. They also set up new networks, install computer software, and troubleshoot various types of networks if they are down.
Pay range: $25-45 per hour
2. Database administrator (DBA): more and more companies rely of the cutting edge skills of DBAs to help with their daily operations. Using special software programs (these vary depending on the industry), database administrators organize and store critical data for the company and make it available to users and employees. Often DBA’s are tasked with creating an entirely new database for a company’s growing needs.
Pay range: $30-50 per hour
3. Computer programmer: programmers create and write code for new computer software. They also test and correct the code to make sure that the software is working properly and that there are no bugs. There are different coding languages, and most programmers specialize in one two. The most popular languages today are Python, Java, C++, JavaScript, HTML, and Ruby.
Pay range: $35-60 per hour
4. App developer: mobile app development is one of the fastest growing fields with a lot of high paying jobs. Many companies hire app developers to develop programs for their customers both on iPhone and Android. There are also developers that create gaming and other entertainment apps.
Pay range: $30-50 per hour
5. Web developer: this is one of the best jobs in the technology and information sector. The main responsibility of a web developer is to create and design websites. You work out the visual design along with the back-end: usability, functions, navigation, layout, etc.
Pay range: $30-60 per hour
Tip: keep in mind that many employers run a credit check to see if a candidate is reliable and trustworthy. Having bad credit can greatly diminish your chances of a job offer, even if you have the right skills for the job. Learn how to rebuild your credit and get the job you really want!
List of tech companies that hire felons
Here is a list of the largest corporations in the US that have a history of hiring felons for computer, IT, tech support and related jobs.
Apple
Google
AT&T
IBM
Sony
Tesla
Xerox
Compaq Computer
Dell Corporation
Boeing
Kohl’s
United Airlines
Many smaller companies that are not in the business of information technology per se, still have IT departments that provide computer and network support to the employees. These companies may hire a number of tech support personnel to help with daily system operations and management.
What this means in practical terms is that these companies will evaluate your application and will give you a fair shot at the job based on your qualifications, education and experience. You will not be automatically rejected because you have a felony!
So if you already have training in IT, or are planning to pursue a college degree in this fields of computer science, network administration, or technology development, you should know that you will have work opportunities available.
It important to keep in mind, that computer science and information technology are one of the most competitive fields to get into, so you have to have very strong skills to be selected.
Benefits of High-Tech Careers For Felons
Growing job sector: IT continues to experience more growth than other fields, which means that new jobs are constantly being created. This year, a large online job search engine, Monster, identified application/software developers as one of the 10 fastest-growing job titles for 2019.
Good pay: IT industry is so competitive because of the high salaries it offers. Starting pay is at least $20-25/hr, and the average rate is about $35-45/hr
Employers care MOST about your ability to get the job done: This means that if you work hard and have solid skills, you can be successful. You personal history will not be of primary importance to many employers.
No need for a prestigious college diploma or certificate. Again because employers place the emphasis on skills and results, many are not looking for you to have a B.A. in computer science of engineering from a top university.
This means you can take online courses, get an online associates or BA degree, etc. If you are willing to work hard and teach yourself, you can be as good as someone who has an expensive 4-year degree.
[neohad APW2x]
Felons learning to code:
3 Tips on passing the job interview with a felony conviction
In addition to demonstrating that you are qualified for the job you need to be prepared and proactive about discussing your felony. Here is what you can do to create the best impression and convince the HR manager why they should hire you.
1. Be honest: It is best to honestly state that you have a felony during the initial interview. Briefly explain what happened and make it a point to describe in detail how you have changed and became a better person after this experience.
This may be the factor that determines whether or not you will be hired. The worst thing you can do is not to disclose your felony and just let the HR find out about it through the Background Check. In this case, the chances of you getting that job will ZERO.
2. Get rid of visible tattoos: Having gang-related and anti-social tattoos is one of the top factors that prevents many felons from getting a white collar a job.
Remember, the HR manager is looking to see if you have made the transition from the prison-world back to society, and visible tattoos will not work in your favor. There are numerous tattoo removal programs in different states that will help you remove your tattoos free of charge.
3. Understand the background check: Yes, there will be a criminal background check. However, more and more IT companies are willing to consider the details of a particular case, such as:
1. how long ago was your felony
2. what type crime you committed and the details surrounding the offense
3. whether or not you are a repeat offender
4. whether your crime is in any way related to the job you are applying for
Hopefully, all of these factors can play in your favor, especially if you have been very honest and forthcoming about your past.
Watch this video for more ideas:
Other Job Opportunities For Felons In IT
In addition to trying to get a job with one of the big companies listed above, don’t lose sight of other viable opportunities in IT.
Small companies: there are hundreds of small to mid-size companies that either offer IT services and/or have IT departments. In particular, they are located in the Silicon Valley, and in the following tech hubs across the USA:
1. Seattle
2. Boston
3. Burlington, VT
4. Austin, TX
5. Fort Collins, CO
6. Provo, UT
7. Corvallis, OR,
8. San Francisco and the Bay Area
9. Boulder, CO
10. New York
11. Chicago
Start-ups: some of the best paying jobs for felons can be at a start-up company. While a start-up may not pay as well as an established company, you will still earn more money than in most other types of jobs.
Moreover, a start up may be more willing to overlook your personal history, if you have the skills they are looking for.
Also, people that work in these companies are often more approachable and understanding of different circumstances, as compared to HR managers in larger firms, where there are many rules, policies and protocols that need to be followed.
Cities that have very large numbers of start-ups are:
– San Francisco Bay Area, California
– Boston, Massachusetts
– San Jose, California
– Boulder, Colorado,
– Nashville, Tennessee
Internships: while this is not ideal, especially if you are pressed for money, starting your IT career with an internship may be a good way to get your foot in the door. This will give you something great to put on your resume and will be another reason to overlook your felony.
Consulting/Freelancing: one of the best ways to find success in IT and avoid getting turned down from jobs because of your felony is to start your own freelancing business.
There are many niches to choose from, such as: web development, app development, design, computer repair, database administrator, etc.
All you need is your skills and one or two satisfied clients who will serve as great references for future jobs. Successful consultants can make $120K or more.
Making Career Plans While Still In Prison
If you are still serving your sentence but are looking into career opportunities to pursue once you get out, you can start learning an IT skill while still in prison.
If you are incarcerated in California, ask about a program called Code.7370. This is a government sponsored program which trains prisoners in HTML, Ruby on Rails, CSS, Python and other technologies.
Code 7370 is an initiative that has been started by a none profit organization, called The Last Mile. The organization has partnered with California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide prisoners IT training that can help them get a good paying jobs once they are out.
If you are not in California, you should inquire about IT skills training opportunities that may be available to you. In case there are none, you can take online self-training Tech Job Courses on Udemy.com. Many beginners courses are FREE.
These classes are a great way to try out programming or design, to see if this is something you like and are good at.
About The Author
Joe Hunter
Joe is the founder of HireFelons.org. Having had friends and co-workers who have a felony conviction, Joe Hunter decided to use his expert knowledge in starting a successful business to launch HireFelons.org and teach as many former felons as possible how to earn a decent income, when finding a traditional job is simply not an option.
I was released from prison in 2020. I got a job in ND and became a manager. I have been in college since 2021. With a GPA of 3.8 I moved to southern mn and I haven’t been able to find a job since. I’ve applied but once my background comes back they won’t hire me. It’s a non violent drug charge. I thought mn was more liberal than this. I’m looking for a remote data analyst job or something of that nature. Any helpful advice? Thanks
I have a bunch of tattoos everywhere and a non violent felony. I was interested in network engineering. Or anyone of these subjects that were mentioned. What are the chances in getting hired?
I am being charged with a felony in Texas as a DWI 3rd. They are using a DWI from college from 16 years ago, a DUI from Napa on vacation 3 years ago, and a motorcycle accident recently where I had alcohol in my system and was in the hospital.
I have been doing treatment, AA, working a program of recovery to quit drinking, but now preparing to drop like 40K+ on a lawyer to fight this felony charge to get a reduction to a misdemeanor. If they offer minimum on felony conviction I can retain my job, end up on felony probation, but I won’t be able to move up in my organization or apply around (I believe). So is it better taking it all the way to trial so I have a better chance of getting a reduction if I lose to trial I may get 6 months jail and like 10 years felony probation instead of 10 days jail and 5 years felony probation – I may have job loss and need to find another job.
I will also lose a professional license something like a CPA on felony conviction. I was planning on switching from the industry I am in (energy) – into the computer science industry (target Rust/Python/Java programming jobs). I have math and finance dual degrees and some programming experience, but after reading this it seems like this is not a for sure shot as well.
Through my research California and Montana only look back on misdemeanors and felonys 7 years. They can’t look back farther then that for all income levels. So I was thinking retaining my job and then moving to California for work to transition to computer science. Or fight until trial and see what happens.
Through AA I see people getting jobs at local companies hiring people with Alcohol issues so they help some of these are sales jobs like in roofing where people are making 150K+. So IDK
I recently received a conviction of a 1st offense dui misdemeanor. Will this industry not hire me. I was in an abusive relationship also & wanted to harm myself. I guess that worked in a different kind of way and now I’m alive without a source of income.
Tiffany,-
If you’re asking if the I.T./ Design industry jobs you might want to apply for will now be much harder to land due to your DUI, I would say you have very little to worry about. Especially if you’re wanting to offer your services on the freelance market to individual business owners as opposed to working for a company in a more traditional 9-5 role. But even if you find yourself in a position of having to explain the charge, a DUI (even a felony) is unfortunately pretty common. And although it demonstrates poor decision-making in that one instance, you don’t have multiple DUI’s or a long list of other charges. I would simply be honest about what happened and keep it short and sweet. Keep the focus on your skills and what you have to offer as an I.T. professional. I hope you find that somewhat helpful – good luck to you and anyone else currently dealing with this issue while trying to live a happy and productive life!
Please keep in mind that just because an employer claims they are a second chance employer, it doesn’t mean they hire for every felony conviction. Some convictions are not easily overlooked. The next hurdle is being not found out by your fellow co-workers especially for those who are registered offenders.
So, the problem with the “Fair Chance Business Pledge” is the last word: Pledge. Pledges don’t hold any kind of binding authority. Unless there is some way to enforce it, like, for example, in legislation, the “Fair Chance Business Pledge” may as well not even exist for all the good it does.
Here is what I have found based on my own experience. I was arrested by the DEA and convicted for a federal drug crime in 2012. It wasn’t all that severe and I only spent 14 months in prison and 6 months in a halfway house after having the sentence reduced by attending a residential drug abuse program within the prison. Had it been the state of Florida that charged me I would have gone to drug court and probably just got probation. Once I returned to Florida I had to get a job or go to school full time as part of my probation for the next 2 years. I went to truck driving school, which a lot of the guys in prison were planning to do, but after completion found that the only jobs available were out of town and I could not leave my city without permission. I tried to find a job in my original field as an automotive technician/mechanic but came to find even that was not working out. One of the hiring managers for the parts department told me that his brother went to prison and he really wanted to help me but couldn’t. Not because the company wouldn’t hire felons but because their insurance company will not insure felons because of the liability. This is why the Federal Government provides a sorta insurance for felons and reduces taxes to give incentive to hire felons but, like another person commented on here, companies aren’t wasting their time with that when there are non-felons waiting to be interviewed. With my probation officer breathing down my neck to get a job or be in violation I started looking at felon friendly jobs and was still not getting calls. Luckily, I had a good friend that was the Store Manager at a local Pet Smart, which is on the list of felon friendly companies, and was able to get hired but even she said that it’s not uncommon to skip over felon applications.
During my years as a mechanic I started going to college for IT but never finished. So after a year at Pet Smart I decided to go back full time and finish my Associates of Science and let my probation come to an end so I didn’t have to disclose that I was a felon on an application that doesn’t ask. Probation requires you to disclose this up front because they will be calling your boss. So I racked up 18,000 dollars in debt, got my degree, and passed CompTia A+ hoping to get my foot in the door only to find out it’s not only the same situation as with any other job but worse. The issue with felons in IT is literally in the name, “Information”. Information is power and if accessed by the “wrong” people can be devastating. Just look at Edward Snowden, who by the way is a hero in my opinion. Even people with pristine records and top secret clearance are a possible security risk.
Now here comes some positive stuff ending with some more negative. After being turned down by every entry level job I felt qualified for, I persisted and found a small IT company that not only didn’t do background checks but didn’t do drug tests either. I was able to get my foot in the door and get a working interview, then begged to give me a chance and got the job. I found out later that several people there, including a part owner were pot heads so that explained the no drug testing policy.
I worked there for 3 years and learned so much. I passed Network+ and I made more money than I ever did as a mechanic. My downfall was that I eventually got fired because of my mental health which was a direct result of the fact that IT is stressful and I had a love/hate relationship with the job and became bitter. I felt stuck because I knew I couldn’t just leave to pursue something better due to my felony despite having out grown the company 2 times over. I never told anyone about my background no matter how close we got and in fact would never get close to anyone to avoid someone finding out. They offered me severance pay, unused vacation pay, and a good reference if I signed an agreement to not sue since I said I was having mental health problems. I think in their minds I just didn’t really want to work there anymore, was starting to get distressed, and figured I needed a break to go find something else. They knew I was getting too good with no possibility for growth but they didn’t know I was a felon and didn’t leave because there was no where to go.
So I took a couple of months vacation and then Covid-19 happened. Now that vacation has turned into 9 months. I looked into something called “Ban the Box” where they are removing the question about being a felon from applications but this has only happened in like 35 states and some cities. Georgia is one of the states and I am close enough to drive so I looked into applying for an IT job in GA but they managed to get around the law by stating that Security+ cert is ideal and because you work with private information, a security clearance was required which by the way requires a background check. Pretty clever. In my previous job I had access to several thousand medical records and a couple hundred business records but I only had to go through HIPPA training so the company I worked for could comply with the laws. Had I done something malicious, I would go to prison and the company I worked for would have paid the price.
If the roles were reveresed I wouldn’t hire myself either, just to minimize the chance of being sued due to criminal acts after trying to be the cool company that hires felons. The company would never recover despite the insurance payout because most of your clientele would jump ship. We had clients leave over the pettiest of things, so once the news got out that one of your employees was using the data for illegal activity your reputation would be destroyed and they would call the competition especially if the IT company unwittingly hired a felon and that felon committed the crime.
In my opinion, the people that write these articles about felon job opportunities are either naive or were tasked with writing an article by the company they work for and just did their best to stay positive. I will say if you are persistent you will most likely find work but it will never be what you hoped for. Hearing some once in a lifetime redemption story about a felon that overcomes the odds is so rare that it would be dishonest to bait felons into believing it will happen to them. That is nothing more than a carrot and stick methodology, where the “possibility” you could succeed is the carrot and the “likelihood” is the stick.
Just a thought,
Goodluck
i have been to prison, destroyed my life with a decade long heroin addiction, but still managed to overcome. THERE IS HOPE…Always remember, never give up. I, just today secured employment with a staffing agency that has sent me out to be an ‘electrician’ for 65,000 a year. I also have 4 degrees in IT (and $100k in student loan debt). when you get overwhelmed, or stressed to the hilt, just remember you are still moving forward. Most days still suck and i have 90% restored my destroyed life.
I hope you find something soon!
My husband is a developer with a background in Florida. Do you know of any small businesses willing to give him a chance? It’s been brutal finding work.
God Bless you in your sobriety!! It is possible!! I know of addicts and it gets rough for them and I clearly tell them with everything you have free will, life is always going to have challenges, people are going to turn on you, loved ones may pass away, you may lose your job, but whatever DONT PICK UP!! YOU USE BECAUSE YOU CHOOSE TO USE!! PERIOD!! Life is tough but GOD is real and capable of keeping if you really want to be kept!! TRUST GOD AND GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY and He will continue to open doors in His time and not yours. . .so be hopeful, thankful, prayerful and patient!! Have a blessed day on PURPOSE!!
Excellent comment bitter guy. How have you fared now? I’m also in Florida, also a felon, also a drug charge. I have considered starting a non profit to help at least some people out of this cycle. I’m luckier than most. Got my real estate license 18 years ago but I don’t believe it’s as easy to do now.
So if I have a felonious assault, convicted January 2015, would it be pointless for me to go to school to earn an IT education? I’m not a repeat offender. I was in an abusive relationship and finally snapped, and tried to kill my ex. I just turned 42 last week and have no “deep” IT experience, at least not anything in the last 20 years (I dabbled when I was a lot younger). I just don’t want to take the time to earn a degree and then be stuck with loans I can’t pay back because no one will hire me.
It can be tough out here… I have multiple offenses, mainly drug related, but a more recent B&E/Theft conviction has had a more severe impact. I have found using an “IT Marketplace” to get work (basically you are your own company sub-contracting) is a pretty sure bet. Look into Certifications instead of Degrees… cheaper and to employers more pertinent. Although career advancement typically requires at least a Bachelors degree…
Good luck, hope this helps!
Walker, I have 21 years in IT, unfortunately most of it was management because the Hosp I worked for didn’t have a technical advancement track. My felony is a white collar that has to do with misappropriation of funds from a deceased Uncle. The lawyer really screwed me and is the reason I had to take a plea. He got 240 months. Anyway, I’m really interested to better understand what you are doing. Please email me so we can discuss. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
Get “bonded” by the company it’s for felons and it is basically an insurance put on you by the state if you commit any crimes against the company . It give the company security and plus they save in there taxes for hiring felons …..over that as a reason hiring you is in their best interest.
Unfortunately, eva, most, if not all, companies would not even bother with the complexities of hiring a felon, even if they have a bond to protect the company, since, if something happens, the company would have to file a claim to collect compensation for the damages, and most would rather just not bother. The incentives to and protections for hiring felons simply don’t outweigh the potential costs.
What if my felonies are 8 and 16 years old is it worth it for me to pursue a career in this field. I also have some misdemeanors but they are about 5years and older. I’m 34 and have been held back from pursuing a career such as this because of mistakes made as a young man
I’m a convicted felon I have several Information Technology Certificates CISCO CCNA, CCNP, CCDA, Comptai Network+, Security+, Wireless CWNA, CWSP and over 10 years of networking experience. I have a recent conviction that has destroyed my career I get hired for the job but then they do a background check on me and say I’m Not eligible to work for company.. I don’t know how to move forward in my career
Same here. I was in I.T. for 16 years, got involved in an altercation in 2012 and haven’t been able to find an I.T. job since. Some recruiting agencies told me in confidence that although it isn’t written policy for the company, I’ll be blacklisted for life for so much as applying.
At the interview you must disclose your criminal background. If not when they run the background check you will be dismissed from your job for not doing so.
Jay,
did you ever try offering your services online, on marketplaces such as freelancer.com