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The Most Enlisted Journey Ever

(Editor’s note: This was a submission from a reader who wanted to talk about his enlisted transition experience. It details his journey from being an enlisted Marine to being a successful member of the corporate world. The point of this story is to provide a perspective on how an unconventional path can lead you to success and fulfillment)

I joined the Marines while a senior in high school 2004.  I was an average athlete, terrible student, but kind of bright scoring 1280 on the SAT (with an above average hangover).  Despite everyone’s encouragement, I wanted nothing to do with college, so I found myself at Parris Island in early 2005 and after school of infantry I checked in to my unit late summer 2005.  At this point I feel I should mention that I was a reservist (I know…I’m as disappointed as you are), but it guaranteed me my desired MOS and I got to live at home. My unit already had a warning order when I checked in and we officially activated for OIF in December 2005.  After our work-up, we ended up in Fallujah proper in early 06. Best of times, worst of times. We lost 11 Marines and had over 100+ WIA (including myself) before rotating home late in the fall. When I got home, I went to work as a laborer for a small construction company. There are some good stories there, but long story short I’m a below average carpenter…Well below.

Like most boots (officers not excluded), I blew most of my tax-free deployment money on a truck, ridiculous galivants, toys, and absurd projects.  Per SOP, in the summer of ‘07 I slipped one past the goalie and found myself with about 7 months to find a more suitable career. Because I was a reservist, about half the NCO’s in my company were cops. They constantly encouraged me to go into law enforcement, and I always laughed off the idea, just didn’t seem like it was for me.  But…it paid well, had solid benefits, and I was qualified to do the work. I got hired by a local PD in early 2008 just a month after my 22nd birthday, and just a few months before my first daughter was born.

The PD was a good experience.  Academy was a breeze, my colleagues were funny, pay and benefits were awesome (for a 22-year-old).  It was also a really good outlet for the skills and symptoms I had picked up in the Marines and in combat.  There was a healthy outlet for hyper vigilance, my experiences were more relevant than a normal workplace (wrestling, radio etiquette, dark humor, etc.) and the lifestyle was familiar.  I got married and we grew our family by one more.  

I stayed in the reserves during this time.  Got promoted quickly, went to some cool schools, stayed in decent shape, and after passing the indoc was selected to join the battalion’s Scout Sniper Platoon.  6 years of service flew by and I ended up reenlisting to join my unit on an OEF deployment in 2011. Went to Scout Sniper Basic Course before the work up and got a much more mature look at combat operations.  Our platoon was entirely E-5’s, and ¾ were prior active duty. Working directly for that battalion and company commanders, I was much more in the know and I learned a lot of good lessons about leading amongst peers and how to work with senior officers.  Thankfully, we brought everybody back alive.

Post OEF, I rolled right back into the PD life.  Started doing all the cool guy stuff like SWAT and was chosen as a K-9 handler in late 2012.  Being a dog handler was a wicked cool experience that actually taught me a ton about myself and how to effectively communicate with people (and obviously animals).  I was excelling as a cop and in the Marines but, being a chief scout, dad, husband, dog handler, swat member, and patrol officer was a lot to juggle. MPCOA for an over extended E-6 is to have a 3rd child which is exactly what I did in 2013.  In 2014 I hit my service obligation and dropped to the IRR that summer.  

I immediately enrolled in school, at a private university that has a huge online veteran population.  The schedule was 8-week modules as opposed to 16-week semesters. Two courses every 8 weeks was full-time, so since I lived nearby the campus, I took one course in person and one online.  With credit for the Academy and military (plus some community college stuff before OEF) I was able to knock out my undergrad in less than two year. My degree is in criminal justice. It’s useless.  It got me a $500 stipend and like ½ point on PD promotional exams. I ended up enrolling in graduate school at a larger private university a little further away. I was flirting with getting out of law enforcement but was 100% committed so I studied something parallel that had potential opportunities outside the public sector, Emergency Management.  I concentrated on information security (HOT FIELD) and earned my M.S. in late 2018. 

 I learned a lot more in grad school than I did as an undergrad, and being more mature, I definitely applied myself more.  I started to see pretty clearly where things I developed in the military (critical thinking skills, risk management experience, ability to communicate, mission planning, briefing, debriefing, etc.) made veterans valuable in the EM field.  Hospitals, Universities, Utility companies, and even Financial corporations have started formalizing their Emergency/Crisis Management/ business continuity programs. Veterans (and former first responders) are well suited for emergency management.  

As I was wrapping up grad school, I knew I wanted to get out of law enforcement, and I started my job hunt pretty extensively.  I made every single mistake possible. Many that make me simultaneously laugh and cringe when I think back on them. I also started seeking out professional certificates.  I earned one focused on business continuity and another in emergency management. PMP was next on the list but I ended up getting lucky and landed an amazing job with the huge Ivy League University health system in my home state.  

In my new job I work as an emergency management specialist at the system level (system = 7 hospitals), so I’m usually coordinating with directors, VP’s, and occasionally the C-suite folks.  I’m still drinking from the fire hose, but I’m digging the work and they haven’t fired me yet. I don’t make 6 figures, but I’m close and I don’t work shift hours or weekends, no timecards, can work from home regularly, and haven’t had to fight with a naked person yet (that used to be a regular occurrence).  

As I coordinate with executives it’s given me more confidence in my value.  There are some really good growth opportunities in my office. The key words being In my office. If I want to take a leadership role outside of my office or move towards an executive director or VP position, I need a more adaptable business background.  The Executives in my health system are split about 50/50 MHA/MBA. Most of the MHA came from clinical backgrounds where the MBA came from other operational backgrounds.  If I don’t want to leave the office, I’m still in a better spot with an MBA. Getting support for a course of action is infinitely easier when you make the business case for a course of action as opposed to the emotional or human case.  

So that’s been my latest journey, earning my MBA.  I’m enrolled in the part-time (lol reservist) MBA program at my state's flagship university (is “state flagship univ. a thing?)  I’m not in a top 25 MBA and honestly, I’m not interested. My program is top 30 in the country for public universities, my class cohort has some brilliant people in it, the professors have solid backgrounds, and the work is challenging.  More importantly, the knowledge is immediately applicable, because I’m already in the workforce (“Don’t sir me, I work for a living”). Immediate impact is motivating to me and it builds personal equity with my employer. I spend 4 hours in class every Wednesday, and a few hours at home on assignments each week.  

I’m on an upward trajectory of which I have positive control.  I’m present, available, and enjoying my family…I wouldn’t trade that for anything.  Top 25 MBA is an elite achievement that will give momentum that is almost unstoppable.  But it’s not the ONLY way. I’m not elite, I’m exceptionally average. Still Killing it.

Lessons learned:

  • Service Experience:

    • I think that a quality enlisted experience is as valuable as any officer experience.  You will have to work harder to prove that because most enlisted are not as well versed at networking and lack the alumni connections of officer networks.  

  • Reserves:

    • Hate them if you want but reservists are able to leverage both the civilian and military systems.  Keep your health care going, stay in the fight, build your network, have a contingency plan. If you’re not 100% sure what you want to do, reserves is a no brainer while you figure it out.  

  • “I’ll Just Be a Cop”

    • It worked for me.  It’s a great stop-gap where you can usually write your own paycheck (overtime) and have some unique experiences.  That being said, I think the career of law enforcement is dead. The public funded business model is fatally flawed.  Pensions are constantly cut if not totally dead, wages are falling way behind, and no one wants to pay higher taxes. Additionally, the work isn’t healthy for you.  Constantly dealing with the dregs of society takes its toll on everyone’s mental health. You quickly recognize that you are a societal janitor, spreading sawdust on puke spots, so that the rest of society doesn’t have to smell it.  And you’re missing your daughter’s birthday to do it (for the 4th time).  Shift work is a recognized carcinogen, and the stress of being a cop is equally as dangerous.  Of the cops that retired during my 11 years, more than 50% died in the first 5 years of retirement.

  • Education:  

    • Education is critical, but it’s also more accessible than ever before.  You have to set yourself apart, if you want to lean heavily on your education as a qualifier.  I’m glad I did my Emergency Management degree, but I wish I had done my MBA instead, and done professional certifications to be more specialized and increase field credibility.  MBA is broadly applicable, anything else and you are narrowing opportunities, which is fine, but know what you want.

  • Certifications:

    • They have working value.  No one is going to recruit you for your dream job because you’re a PMP or Six Sigma black belt, but you’re going to learn something through earning the cert.  

    • The courses often have more useful tactical information than what is learned in a formal degree program, and they are decent networking opportunities.  However, many are pay to play and cost in the neighborhood of $1,000 to earn (without doing a prep course). Certs are just like school certs in the military.

    • My two certifications:

(This one has veteran’s scholarship which provides $3,000 worth of training and free cert fees.)

  • Networking:

    • Can’t be understated.  It’s a game, play it. You have to be more than a PDF when your resume is reviewed.  You become more than a PDF by networking and playing the game. Cold applying to jobs has a 4% call back rate, so even if you are the best resume writer, you are wasting your time by cruising job boards.  

    • This youtube video was hugely valuable to me on optimizing my linked in and ultimately lead to my new job.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F_1SW8NLno

  • Veteran’s services:

    • Make sure you apply for your benefits.  If you’re making yourself a better person, you’re not milking the system, you’re using it for exactly what it was designed for.  I used Post 9/11 GI Bill for undergrad and voc rehab for grad school. Now I’m using my states veteran’s tuition waiver. School costs me about $400 a semester.

    • I also got a mentor through American Corporate Partners (ACP).  His guidance helped set my dumbass straight. https://www.acp-usa.org/

    • I had a resume writer help me through Hire Heroes USA.  Again extremely helpful, tailored help. https://www.hireheroesusa.org/

 
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