Info

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
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
Beyond the Uniform
2023
February


2022
December
November
October
September
August
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August


All Episodes
Archives
Now displaying: 2016
Sep 5, 2016

"A lot of us come out of the military and we've been reassured that our experience in the military is  highly valuable... and I believe that that's true, but I also believe that the transition is not as easy as people want you to believe. It's a lot of work and a full-time job to set yourself up to a successful transition."

– Jay Border

This is a great interview for anyone on Active Duty who is considering going to grad school - Jay does a great job of walking through his decision process amongst grad school programs, and whether to do full-time or part-time, during active duty or after active duty.

Jay Border grew up in South Florida. He had always wanted to be involved in government service, and saw that institutions like the FBI always viewed military service as a plus. That, combined with his love of the water and desire for an academic challenge drew him to the US Naval Academy, where he studied International Relations and National Security. He was selected for Aviation, however was medically disqualified during his pilot training. This lead to a lateral transfer to the Intelligence Community, where he supported Special Operations. While on Active Duty, he completed his Executive MBA (EMBA) at UCLA's Anderson School of Business, and is currently pursuing opportunities in the Private Equity space.

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

  • His decision to leave the Navy
  • How an Executive MBA program allowed him to maintain an income and evaluate a career inside and outside of the military
  • Evaluating the financial difference between a private and public university with respect to the GI Bill
  • Advantages that veterans have that they don't often realize as advantages
  • Considering the cost of grad school
  • How to use the GI Bill to make grad school more affordable
  • How to use advisors, mentors, and your network to help narrow your job search and get an edge
  • The value of "closing doors" on career possibilities early
  • How to manage the early stages of a career search as if it were a full time job
  • 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

  • [1:28] - Personal background and decision to go to the Naval Academy
  • [2:30] - The Naval Academy, Aviation and the Naval Intelligence Community
  • [4:07] - Deciding to leave the Navy
  • [7:27] - Reasons for choosing to join the Reserves
  • [9:51] - Choosing business school over other graduate school programs
  • [15:25] - Choosing an Executive MBA program over a traditional full-time program
  • [22:45] - How the military got him ahead, and where he needed to catch up to his non-military peers
  • [28:02] - Deciding on UCLA over other MBA programs
  • [33:06] - Advice for how to manage a job search
  • [39:58] - Building an "Advisory Board" to help with your transition
  • [45:30] - Resources active duty military personnel should check out
Aug 29, 2016

 Blake Lindsay grew up all over the United States, and knew from an early age that he wanted to go to a service academy. At the Naval Academy, he was the Captain of the Men's Rugby Team while majoring in Ocean Engineering. After graduating from USNA in 2005, Blake joined the Surface Warfare Community and then went through the Nuclear Power pipeline. After Nuclear Power School and Prototype, Blake was stationed in Seattle with the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). While on Active Duty, Blake went through Old Dominion University's graduate school, receiving his Master's in Engineering Management shortly after separating from the Navy. Blake's first job out of the military was with McKinsey & Co. in the industry of Management Consulting.

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

  • His decision to leave the Navy, and how he thought about the Reserves
  • Advice on pursuing a graduate degree while still on Active Duty
  • Advice on weighing pursuing a degree during Active Duty, or afterwards
  • What is Management Consulting, who are the key players, and what is McKinsey & Co.
  • What does day-to-day and week-to-week life look like as a Consultant
  • How management in consulting differs from management in the military
  • The biggest advantage and disadvantage of coming from the military
  • How to prepare for a Consulting interview
  • Career potentials within a consulting firm, as well as transitioning out of consulting
  • 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…

Selected Links from the Episode

Show Notes

  • [2:21] - Personal, Naval Academy, and Navy Background
  • [4:48] - Decision to leave the Navy
  • [6:08] - Aspects of the military Blake misses most and least post-separation
  • [8:01] - Choosing whether or not to join the Navy Reserves
  • [9:20] - How McKinsey works with the Reserves
  • [10:20] - Old Dominion University, and pursuing a masters degree while on Active Duty
  • [12:18] - Advice for doing graduate work while on Active Duty
  • [15:16] - Overview on Management Consulting Industry and McKinsey & Co.
  • [18:21] - Day-to-day life at McKinsey & Co. and as a Management Consultant
  • [20:16] - Team structure at McKinsey & Co.
  • [22:11] - What has been most helpful from Blake's military experience, and where has he most needed to catch up
  • [25:06] - Hours and weekend work
  • [27:11] - Interview process & preparation
  • [29:43] - Career paths inside and outside of consulting
  • [32:26] - Final advice to someone on Active Duty considering consulting
« Previous 1 2 3