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Beyond the Uniform

Beyond the Uniform is a show to help military veterans navigate their civilian career. Each week, I meet with different veterans to learn more about their civilian career, how they got there, and what advice they'd give to other military personnel. www.beyondtheuniform.org
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Now displaying: November, 2016
Nov 30, 2016

“I'm in the beauty industry. I'm this ex-combat arms officer who knows way too much about cosmetics now. I think it's really funny. For me, timing really worked out. When we started Soko Glam, I was an Executive Aide to a General Officer. Although my time was really sporadic, for the most part I was in garrison. So I had a lot of time to research and take night classes, research certain things and go out and network. That would be my piece of advice - when you're still in really take the time to meet people and  figure out what you want to do. Do as much reading as possible but you gotta go out there and meet people."
 – David Cho

David Cho is the Co-Founder and CEO of Soko Glam - an eCommerce beauty shop and lifestyle brand with the best selection of Korean Beauty products and content. Dave started out at West Point, and served as a Combat Arms Officer for over 8 years. After his transition from the Army, David attended Columbia Business School, during which he worked at Facebook as a Global Accounts Intern. In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • How Dave started an e-commerce beauty company while on active duty in the Army
  • What it's like to have your wife as your co-founder
  • Resources Dave would recommend to any aspiring veteran entrepreneur
  • WhatWhat Dave wished he had known when he first started his company, Soko Glam
  • And much, much more…

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Links

Show Notes

  • 2:19 - Dave's background
  • 2:53 - An overview of Dave's company, Soko Glam
  • 4:48 - Finding a co-founder, and what it's like to be married to them
  • 11:11 - What Dave's like as a Co-Founder & CEO looks like on a day-to-day basis
  • 13:16 - What Dave's lifestyle looks like as an entrepreneur
  • 16:33 - What it was like to start Soko Glam while on active duty in the Army
  • 19:19 - Resources Dave would recommend when you're preparing to start your company
  • 23:30 - Whether or not to consider business school when starting your own company
  • 29:07 - How Dave's wife, Charlotte, continued to work on Soko Glam while Dave was at business school
  • 29:37 - What Dave wished he had known when he first started his company, Soko Glam
  • 32:32 - Some of the best advice Dave received when making the transition from the Army
  • 38:15 - Some consistent misconceptions that Dave sees veterans make when he is mentoring veterans going through the transition to civilian life
  • 41:30 - How to better know if you'd like a large company or start your own company
  • 43:20 - The bad habits that Dave needed to break when he left the military
  • 46:30 - The biggest surprises Dave experienced in his transition to civilian life
  • 49:20 - Dave's final words of wisdom
Nov 29, 2016

“Aim high - aim way higher than you think that you should. Because you have so much to offer and we need your expertise and talent in the private sector; we'd be lucky to have you. But you've gotta go for it. Don't let this be the moment in your career or life where you settle. You've got to go for it. And so let this be the time when you really shoot for the stars because you've earned it - you've earned this opportunity."
– Bethany Coates

Normally, I interview a veteran about their civilian career. In this episode, instead, I interview an amazing company that is helping veterans in their career transition.

BreakLine is an education and employment company that builds an affordable path to compelling careers. Their programs combine skills-based training with professional networking and connect participants directly with hiring managers.

Bethany Coates is the Founder & CEO of BreakLine. She has served as the Assistant Dean at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and has been a consultant at McKinsey & Co. She holds an MBA from Stanford Business School, and a BA from Princeton University.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • What listeners should know about Breakline Education
  • An overview of the upcoming event, Breakline Technology
  • An overview of the application process for Breakline Tech
  • The strengths and weaknesses that veterans bring to the private sector
  • Advice on improving a veteran's resume, LinkedIn Profile, and interview techniques
  • And much, much more…

Selected Links

  • Another interview the discusses the impact of an immersive program similar to Breakline - Tradecraft - is my interview with RaeAnne Pae (BTU #26)
  • Some of the companies that Bethany mentioned that work with Breakline Education are: Medallia, Nielsoft, Box, Andreessen Horowitz, Paypal, BMZ, and LifeLock
  • Breakline Tech - an alternative to traditional education and one-stop shopping experience for veterans. This program is an immersive experience with technology companies in the United States.
    • Application Deadline: 12/6/16
    • Cost: $475
    • Duration: 1 month
    • Dates: 2/21/17 - 3/17/17
    • Company immersive experience include: Andreessen Horowitz, Paypal, BMZ, and LifeLock
  • Breakline Finance - an immersive program for veterans curious or interested in careers at First Republic Bank and in Financial Services in general
    • Application Deadline: 1/30/17
    • Cost: $75
    • Duration: 1 week
    • Dates: 5/1/17 - 5/5/17
    • Company immersive experience include: First Republic Bank

Show Notes

  • 1:51 - An overview of Breakline Education & their founder, Bethany Coates
  • 2:55 - What listeners should know about Breakline Education
  • 3:35 - How Bethany started Breakline Education
  • 7:15 - In Breakline's 8 months of operation, nearly 100 veterans have worked with them. Here's a look at what some of their alumnus have done afterwards
  • 10:25 - Common veteran backgrounds for veterans working with Breakline
  • 12:38 - An overview of the upcoming event, Breakline Technology
  • 19:41 - How many people will join the Breakline Technology group in February
  • 23:58 - At the end of Breakline Technology's one month program, what they can expect
  • 26:00 - The ideal timing for a veteran to attend the Breakline Tech group
  • 28:38 - Indications that a veteran may be well suited to Breakline Tech, and indications that it might not be a good fit
  • 31:03 - An overview of the application process for Breakline Tech
  • 34:45 - The deadline for applications is December 6, 2016
  • 35:10 - An overview of the Breakline Finance experience
  • 37:21 - The dates for the Breakline Finance program and the deadline for the application
  • 37:40 - An overview of the application process for Breakline Finance
  • 38:05 - If you're unable to attend this year's Breakline Technology or Breakline Finance a look at the future schedule
  • 38:54 - The strengths and weaknesses that veterans bring to the private sector
  • 43:40 - Bethany's advice in regards to improving a veteran's resume
  • 46:00 - Bethany's advice in regards to improving a veteran's LinkedIn Profile
  • 48:20 - Bethany's advice for how veterans could improve in their interview process
  • 49:44 - Bethany's final words of wisdom.
Nov 28, 2016

“Instead of complaining about what I can't do because I'm in the Navy, I decided what can I do to help the Navy? How can I be the change that I want to see? Because if everyone leaves and decides to get out... I hate to break it to you, it's not that easy. You have all types of irritants. Just like you have irritants in the Navy there are irritants in every industry.  That  doesn't mean you shouldn't get out, but don't expect to not have irritants. And I've learned to deal with those irritants a lot better.
 – Nicole Schwegman

Nicole Schwegmen is an industry Fellow (Tours with Industry)  with USAA and is currently on active duty in the US Navy. She started out at the Naval Academy, after which she served as a Surface Warfare Officer for four years, and then a Public Affairs Officer. She first left the Navy in 2008, where she worked at a small PR firm, as a Contractor for Deloitte, and then as a Communications Partner for Gallup. She returned to Active Duty in 2010 after a deployment to Afghanistan, moved to San Diego, deployed on two different surface ships (USS Essex and USS Peleliu) then got a Master's in Journalism and Media Studies at San Diego State.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • An overview of the Tours with Industry program, and Nicole's work with USAA
  • What it's like working at USAA, and what they do to earn their exceptional customer support reputation
  • What Nicole learned from her first transition from the military, and how that affects her view of being on Active Duty now
  • How Nicole's perspective on Active Duty is different than the first time she was on Active Duty
  • And much, much more…

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Show Notes

  • 2:30 - Nicole's background
  • 4:05 - An overview of the Tours with Industry program, and Nicole's work with USAA
  • 10:55 - What it's like working at USAA, and what they do to earn their exceptional customer support reputation
  • 14:33 - What Nicole learned from her first transition from the military, and how that affects her view of being on Active Duty now
  • 24:20 - How Nicole's perspective on Active Duty is different than the first time she was on Active Duty
  • 31:00 - How Nicole will approach her next transition from the military
Nov 21, 2016

“I think that’s one of the things that I love most about my job is that my whole life I’ve always been interested in the news and what’s going on in the world. Now I feel like I get paid to pay attention to it. Any obscure reference, you could make a case that it can have an effect on the market. And for that reason, you truly have to stay engaged in what’s going on."
 – Casey Carroll

Casey Carroll lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and works with Wells Fargo in their Credit Sales department. He started out at Duke University, where he studied History and Visual Arts, and was on the Men’s Lacrosse Team. He served for four and a half years in the Army with the Rangers as a Fire team Leader. After transitioning from the Army he returned to Duke, this time at their Fuqua School of Business.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • Casey’s decision to go to business school instead of going straight into industry
  • An overview of a career in High Yield Sales & Trading in the Finance Industry
  • The day-to-day life of someone in High Yield Sales & Trading
  • How Casey knew he wanted to enter the world of Finance, and how he found his way to Wells Fargo
  • Indications that you may really like a career in Sales & Trading… and signs you may hate it
  • And much, much more…

 

Show Notes

  • 1:09 - Casey’s road from Duke University to Wells Fargo
  • 1:35 - When Casey knew he was going to leave the Army
  • 3:30 - The most unexpected and surprising aspects of Casey’s transition to the civilian world
  • 7:43 - Casey’s decision to go to business school instead of going straight into industry
  • 11:11 - Advice for veterans applying to business school or Duke in particular
  • 15:03 - What Casey liked most and least about his time at Duke
  • 22:40 - An overview of a career in High Yield Sales & Trading in the Finance Industry
  • 25:55 - The day-to-day life of someone in High Yield Sales & Trading
  • 31:38 - How Casey knew he wanted to enter the world of Finance, and how he found his way to Wells Fargo
  • 34:28 - Indications that you may really like a career in Sales & Trading… and signs you may hate it
  • 37:30 - Negative habits Casey had to break when coming out of the military
  • 41:10 - Final words of wisdom
Nov 18, 2016

“In a brand new, early stage startup, no one can be above doing something. As the months rolled on, I started to get an appreciation for just how much a startup was like my military experience. I really leaned in and relied on that experience in saying, “I’ve never done marketing, I’ve never worked in a CPG company, I’ve never worked in an e-commerce company, but what I have done is worked in a really chaotic environment without a lot of guidance and had to roll up my sleeves and get it done. So I might not know startups, I might not marketing, I might not know e-commerce or food, but I know how to operate in this environment. So trust yourself, trust your gut - you can do this."
 – Molly Laufer

Molly Laufer is the Director of Client Strategy in the Marketing & Advertising space with the Company, Oxford Road - which is the fastest growing full-service ad agency serving the Consumer Tech industry.
She started out at the University of Virginia, where she did ROTC and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Affairs and Russian. Molly then served for four years in the Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer, serving onboard the Frigate USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS as well as with DESTROYER SQUADRON 23. When she transitioned from the Navy, she was the first employee of the startup, NatureBox - a company that now has over 100 employees and has raised over $58M in funding. At NatureBox she started with Social Media and Content Marketing, and eventually became their Director of Customer Acquisition

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • How Molly used a career counselor to figure out what sorts of jobs she would be interested in and what sorts of problems she’d like to solve
  • How Molly approached her first job search and how she ended up as employee #1 at Nature Box
  • What it was like to be the first employee at an early stage startup
  • An overview of the different roles Molly held at Nature Box, and what her career progression looked like
  • Molly’s advice to any veteran thinking of working at a startup
  • And much, much more…


QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Show Notes

  • 2:25 - Molly’s background
  • 3:46 - How Molly approached the decision to leave the military
  • 4:59 - How Molly considered the reserves
  • 6:59 - The biggest surprises in Molly’s transition to civilian life
  • 8:59 - How Molly used a career counselor to figure out what sorts of jobs she would be interested in and what sorts of problems she’d like to solve
  • 9:57 - Advice on how to find the right career coach to help with a job search or career change
  • 11:49 - An overview of the career coaching process
  • 12:39 - How Molly approached her first job search and how she ended up as employee #1 at Nature Box
  • 15:49 - How Molly thought about going to business school (while her husband was going to business school as well)
  • 20:16 - What it was like to be the first employee at an early stage startup
  • 23:59 - An overview of the different roles Molly held at Nature Box, and what her career progression looked like
  • 29:35 - What Molly liked most and least about her experience in an early stage startup
  • 34:59 - In what ways Molly felt ahead and behind her civilian peers based on her military experience
  • 38:37 - Molly’s advice to any veteran thinking of working at a startup
  • 41:04 - How Molly made the transition from an early stage startup to an Ad Agency, with Oxford Road
  • 44:24 - The day-to-day life of an Account Director at an Ad Agency
  • 47:05 - Molly’s final word of advice to other veterans
Nov 16, 2016

“Just being totally honest - you really are far behind. It's a better assumption that you're behind that you're ahead. It's not like  everyone else who didn't spend time in the military is out there playing Lincoln Logs. They've got a job and they're developing skills and they're learning. I went into my transition with the assumption that I was nine years behind every pedigreed person out there. And I feel that attitude helped drive my hunger to play a very intense game of catch up."
 – Brit Yonge

Brit Yonge is the Chief of Staff to the CTO at Palantir Technologies, a Palo Alto based technology company that has raised over $2B in funding, and was co-founded by silicon valley legend, Peter Thiel.
Brit started out at the Naval Academy and served as an officer in the Navy for 5 years, where he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) supporting Special Operations Forces (SOF) in kinetic and non-kinetic operations. Brit transitioned from the military directly to Palantir Technologies, first as a Deployment Strategist and then as their Head of Asia ex Japan, where he lead Palantir's Asia HQ, and now as the Chief of Staff to the CTO.

 

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • How Brit, while living on a friend’s couch in San Diego, used the motivation of “one conversation a day” to search for his first job out of the military
  • How Brit would explain Silicon Valley and the ethos of startups to someone on active duty
  • How persistence and serendipity helped him land his first job (because he didn’t go through the front door)
  • How you can use interviews to better understand a company’s values and how well it aligns with your own
  • How leadership outside of the military differs from leadership in the military
  • And much, much more…

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

  • Viktor Frankl's Man's Search For Meaning essay: https://www.sonoma.edu/users/s/shawth/mans%20Search

Show Notes

  • 2:09 - Brit’s background
  • 2:57 - How Brit decided to leave the Navy
  • 4:32 - How Brit approached the Reserves and why he ultimately decided to not pursue the Reserves
  • 5:01 - The most surpassing aspects of Brit’s transition to a civilian career
  • 8:31 - How Brit, while living on a friend’s couch in the Bay Area, used the motivation of “one conversation a day” to search for his first job out of the military
  • 10:49 - How Brit would explain Silicon Valley and the ethos of startups to someone on active duty
  • 13:49 - How Brit found Palantir through his understanding of their product (and how to use the products you like to help in your job search)
  • 18:28 - How persistence and serendipity helped him land his first job (because he didn’t go through the front door)
  • 20:22 - How you can use interviews to better understand a company’s values and how well it aligns with your own
  • 22:12 - In the first couple of years out of the Navy, how Brit felt ahead and behind his civilian counterparts
  • 26:04 - The day-to-day life in a high-tech company in Silicon Valley
  • 30:47 - How leadership outside of the military differs from leadership in the military
  • 35:29 - How to prepare for a transition to the civilian world
  • 43:54- Final words of advice
Nov 14, 2016

“What a lot of people do in networking is they go in with the mindset of “what can I get from it.” The important switch i made was, “what can I give to this relationship that I’m looking to start.” Stop trying to figure out what’s in it for you. Give and it’s the law of nature - if you plant seeds of good and positive vibrations all the time, it’s going to come back to you."
 – Andreas Jones

Travis Collier is is the CEO and Principal Business Strategist and Leadership Consultant at Combat Business Coaching. Andreas served in the US Army for over 8 years, where he was as a Logistics & Supply Chain Manager. In his civilian career he has worked as: a contributing writer to Forbes and The Huffington Post; a Project Manager work at The Home Depot; and a Vice President of Procurement and Strategy at the Financial Services Company, the Sun Trust.
.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • From the Army to starting his own business - what Andreas learned along the way
  • Advice on how to find a co-founder or initial team
  • Advice on how to learn and grow through networking
  • What day-to-day life looked like while starting a company
  • Advice Andreas would give to other veterans considering starting their own business
  • And much, much more…

iTurnes Beyond the UniformStitcher Beyond the Uniform


QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

Show Notes

  • 1:11 - Andreas’ background
  • 3:40 - How Andreas decided to leave the Army
  • 4:25 - How Andreas approached is initial job search and what he learned along the way
  • 7:01 - What Andreas does for a living, and what his life looks like on a day-to-day business
  • 12:40 - From the Army to starting his own business - what Andreas learned along the way
  • 15:10 - Advice on how to find a co-founder or initial team
  • 16:10 - Advice on how to learn and grow through networking
  • 24:24 - Other advice to help you start your own company
  • 25:10 - What day-to-day life looked like while starting a company
  • 28:24 - When Andreas started his own company, how he felt ahead of his civilian counterparts and where he felt behind
  • 30:23 - Advice Andreas would give to other veterans considering starting their own business
  • 31:05 - What Andreas has liked most and least about starting his own company
  • 32:15 - Other resources Andreas would recommend to listeners
  • 34:05 - The most surprising aspect of Andreas’ transition from the Army to civilian life
  • 36:40 - Final words of wisdom for veteans
Nov 11, 2016

“Really its a full time job to get a full-time job. Sometimes with veterans, we're bringing these unfathomable managerial skills to these organizations that we transition to. But we forget that stuff shouldn't just be handed to us... I'm the queen of the cold email now, and I wish that I would have had that confidence as I transitioned to try to find veterans at companies that I was interested in, and to hear what their transition was like."
 – Brooke Jones-Chinetti

Brooke Jones-Chinetti lives in New York, where she most recently served as the CEO of VetTechTrek - a startup that facilitates high-impact trips to leading tech companies for veterans and their spouses. She started out at West Point, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Portuguese and Environmental Engineering. She served in the US Army for over 6 years, during which she deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and to Kuwait as part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Spartan Shield.
She also served as Senior Director of Human Resources and served as the executive officer for the Army's Chief of Signal, a 2-star general position. After her transition from the Army, she spent a year in the Financial Services industry with JPMorgan Chase & Co. as part of their rotational Executive Development Program. She is currently studying at Columbia Business School.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • Step-by-step advice on how to write cold emails to figure out what you want to do and get your foot in the door for a job
  • An over of the JP Morgan Chase rotational Executive Development Program
  • Brooke’s experience as CEO of an early stage startup at VetTechTrek
  • How leadership as CEO of a startup differed from leadership in the military
  • And much, much more…

iTurnes Beyond the UniformStitcher Beyond the Uniform


QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Show Notes

  • 1:56 - Brooke’s background
  • 3:04 - How Brooke and her husband both decided to leave the Army
  • 6:15 - Evaluating the Reserves
  • 10:40 - The most surprising aspect of Brooke’s transition from the Army to civilian life
  • 13:15 - How to use cold emails to find other veterans, learn from their experience, and make connections
  • 16:25- Brooke’s first job search and what she learned along the way
  • 21:36 - Advice on how to manage the timing of your transition from active duty
  • 27:20 - Advice for how to better understand yourself and what you’ll enjoy in a career
  • 32:15 - An over of the JP Morgan Chase rotational Executive Development Program
  • 34:50 - Brooke’s day-to-day life while at JP Morgan Chase
  • 38:15 - Brooke’s decision to transition from JP Morgan Chase to Columbia Business School, and wy she chose an Executive Education program
  • 43:02 - Brooke’s experience as CEO of an early stage startup at VetTechTrek
  • 47:10 - How leadership as CEO of a startup differed from leadership in the military
  • 49:01 - How Brooke felt ahead of her civilian counterparts, and where she had to work to catch up
  • 51:33 - Final words of wisdom1:24 - Travis' background
Nov 9, 2016

“It's so unfortunate that veterans don't practice their new life, until they're in their new life. And really by then, you're behind the eight ball. So really any chance you get to take now while you're in uniform - look at it this way: the military is funding you as the R&D project to find the best life and the best way you can serve others. Finding those condensed opportunities to gain that experience, to gain that data. It's really traingulating - you're taking a fix on geography, income, occupation and fit. If it works it works, if it doesn't then you just keep trying something else."
 – Travis Collier

Travis Collier is a Journeyman Marine Inspector with the US Coast Guard, where he has served for the last 15 years. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Government and International Affairs from the US Coast Guard Academy, and a Master’s in Instructional & Performance Technology from Boise State University.
He is the author of the books "Command Your Transition" & “SCALE”, and works as a coach for military members with 8-10 years of service to implement an intent and strategy to transition out the military and achieve even greater success on the outside .

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • Travis' advice of embracing a transition strategy really early in the transition process
  • How to set aside a budget for your own personal Research & Development and use sprints and "takeover weekends" to find your passion
  • An overview on coaching and how it can help veterans reach their full potential
  • How important sales is to any veteran
  • And much, much more…

iTurnes Beyond the UniformStitcher Beyond the Uniform


QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

Show Notes

  • 1:24 - Travis' background
  • 2:38 - A few curve balls Travis has experienced while in the US Coast Guard
  • 8:15 - Travis' advice of embracing a transition strategy really early in the transition process
  • 12:10 - How to set aside a budget for your own personal Research & Development and use sprints and "takeover weekends" to find your passion
  • 18:42 - Finding the lifestyle to live, serve, and be honored by
  • 26:04 - An overview on coaching and how it can help veterans reach their full potential
  • 32:42 - How important sales is to any veteran
  • 36:16 - Common roadblocks Travis sees for veterans
  • 38:18 - Final words of wisdom
Nov 7, 2016

“I was under the impression that theres this war for talent out there and everyone is trying to recognize talented individuals. My experience is that companies are looking for a round peg to fit into a round hole, and it doesn't really matter how awesome the peg is; if it doesn't fit exactly they're not interested. It doesn't matter how valuable a jack of all trades is - because they are - a swiss army knife is an incredibly valuable tool. But that doesn't help you get your foot in the door."
 – Eric Hulbert

Eric Hulbert is a Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in their Atlanta Office. He started out at the Naval Academy, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in History. After that he served for over 11 years as a pilot, Wing Asst Training Officer, Maritime Watch Officer, and ROTC instructor. After his transition from the military, Eric worked in the Finance Industry at Bank of America - as a Vice Principal of Strategy Analyst. Eric holds an MBA and a Masters of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering from the University of Florida

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • What life was like balancing active duty as a ROTC instructor, a family, and earning two master's degrees
  • An overview of the Strategy Analyst role at Bank of America
  • How Eric's first salary out of the Navy compared to his Navy salary
  • An overview of the career progression of a Strategy Analyst
  • How Eric approached his second career search compared to his first, and how he decided on Management Consulting
  • What day-to-day life is like at the Boston Consulting Group
  • What sort of experience Eric has had in his first year of consulting, and how to navigate your options within consulting
  • And much, much more…

iTurnes Beyond the UniformStitcher Beyond the Uniform

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

Show Notes

  • 1:38 - Eric's background
  • 2:42 - How Eric decided to leave the Navy and how he approached that decision
  • 4:48 - Eric's decision to pursue an advanced degree while still on active duty and the advantages of this approach
  • 6:42 - What life was like balancing active duty as a ROTC instructor, a family, and earning two master's degrees
  • 10:17 - What was most helpful for Eric at grad school in preparing for his civilian career, and what he wishes he had done differently
  • 14:50 - What drew Eric to the Bank of America and the world of finance
  • 16:50 - An overview of the Strategy Analyst role at Bank of America
  • 17:58 - The day-to-day life of a Strategy Analyst
  • 20:34 - Where Eric felt most ahead and behind his civilian counterparts in the first few years of his career
  • 23:15 - How Eric's first salary out of the Navy compared to his Navy salary
  • 25:20 - An overview of the career progression of a Strategy Analyst
  • 27:40 - How Eric approached his second career search compared to his first, and how he decided on Management Consulting
  • 31:06 - Advice on how to better understand oneself and find your ideal career
  • 34:07 - What it was like interviewing for consulting, and advice for those wanting to do the same
  • 38:40 - What day-to-day life is like at the Boston Consulting Group
  • 42:50 - What sort of experience Eric has had in his first year of consulting, and how to navigate your options within consulting
  • 47:58 - Indications that you may love life as a Management Consulting... and signs that you may hate it
  • 49:50 - The most surprising aspect of Eric's transition to a civilian career
  • 52:17 - Final words of wisdom
Nov 4, 2016

“I think that failure is such a scary word to anyone in a large organization, because generally in a large organization - like the military or government - they train you to not discuss failure openly. But in grappling with what you want to do next in life and coming to gips with who you are you need to develop a lot more candor. And you need to develop resiliency. It helped me to really reflect on how much sacrifice will I be willing to make in order to achieve what I want to achieve; and how will i talk about my failures to other people so I can help them."
 – Graham Plaster

Graham Plaster a Senior Adviser at the Defense Language and National Security Education Office. He started out at the Naval Academy, where he received his Bachelors degree in English. After that, he served in the Navy for 11 years as: a Surface Warfare Officer, the Assistant Dean of Students at the Naval War College, a United Nations Liaison Officer, a Foreign Area Officer, and a Navy Staff Officer for the OPNAV Staff. Since his transition to his civilian career he has worked as a consultant, author, editor, founder and advisor in a variety of capacities in the Washington D.C. area

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • How to embrace failure as a way to learn about yourself
  • How to find a community where you can add value and potentially start a business
  • The advantages of juggling multiple projects and how you can more effectively do this
  • How to use LinkedIn as a powerful tool for networking and advancing your career
  • And much, much more…

iTurnes Beyond the UniformStitcher Beyond the Uniform

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

Show Notes

  • 1:38 - Graham's Background
  • 3:21 - How Graham approached the decision to leave the Navy
  • 5:02 - How Graham considered the Reserves and remained involved
  • 6:44 - An overview of American Corporate Partners - a FREE resource every veteran should consider
  • 9:50 - The most surprising aspect of Graham's transition to civilian life
  • 11:21 - Graham's advice on how to approach a job search
  • 13:22  - Some practical tips and tools to help with increasing your self-knowledge
  • 18:10 - Advice for using LinkedIn effectively for networking
  • 25:27 - How Graham started TheIntelligenceCommunity.com
  • 31:30 - What Graham's startup looks like on a day-to-day basis and what it's like juggling this with a fulltime job
  • 38:30 - Advice for veterans considering starting their own company
  • 40:10 - Advice for those seeking to juggle multiple jobs and side projects at the same time
  • 46:80 - What it's like working at the Defense Language and National Security Education Office
  • 49:40 - Final words of advice
Nov 2, 2016

“I think that startups - both sides, employers and vets - are a perfect match. If you think about what they ask you to do when you're a Junior Officer... I was a Truck Platoon Commander. They literally dropped me in Iraq and were like 'Go run convoys.' and I was like 'Well... I gotta figure this out.' Anyone that can do that, who has had those junior positions - either on the officer or enlisted side - can absolutely do what it takes to get something done, and quickly analyze the solution, make the best decision you can with 80% of the information or maybe less than that. So that's why I think it's an incredible fit."
 – Katie Horgan

Katie Horgan is a the Senior Director of Operations at Crave Crush - a very interesting New York based Health & Wellness startup. She started out at the University of Southern California, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. After that she served for over six years in the Marine Corps, serving as a Platoon Commander, Company Commander, and Operations Officer, spending time as a convoy commander in Iraq and serving as part of a crisis response force in the pacific theater.  When she transitioned from the military she went to Columbia Business School where she earned her MBA.  From Business school she went to the NY-based startup, Plated, first as their Director of Operations & Logistics, and then as their Senior Director of Operations & Logistics.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • Barriers that veterans encounter when they apply to their first, second, and third job...and how to overcome them
  • What it's like to join a startup going through a period of EXPLOSIVE growth
  • The day-to-day life of a Director of Operations
  • Indications that you may love life at a startup... and signs that you may hate it
  • How Katie's salary at a startup compared to her salary in the military
  • How Katie thinks about a career in Operations and her career progression
  • And much, much more…

iTurnes Beyond the UniformStitcher Beyond the Uniform

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

Show Notes

  • 1:48 - Katie's background
  • 2:58 - How Katie approached her decision to leave the Marine Corps
  • 3:38 - How Katie thought about the Reserves and decided not to participate
  • 5:30 - The most surprising aspect of Katie's transition from the military
  • 8:24 - Making the decision to go to school rather than work with recruiters
  • 10:30 - Advice for those considering applying to Columbia Business School (and Business School in general)
  • 12:03 - What Katie liked most and least about her time at Columbia Business School
  • 14:55 - How Katie went about finding her first job after Business School
  • 16:40 - Barriers that veterans encounter when they apply to their first, second, and third job...and how to overcome them
  • 23:20 - Katie does a great job explaining how her background is relevant to a Project Management job
  • 25:00 - What it's like to join a startup going through a period of EXPLOSIVE growth
  • 28:28 - The day-to-day life of a Director of Operations
  • 32:00 - In Katie's first years out of the military how she felt ahead and behind her civilian counterparts
  • 34:15 - Indications that you may love life at a startup... and signs that you may hate it
  • 38:40 - How Katie's salary at a startup compared to her salary in the military
  • 42:30 - An overview on Katie's current company, Crave Crush
  • 46:09 - How Katie thinks about a career in Operations and her career progression
  • 49:50 - Final words of wisdom
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