Beyond the Uniform

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BTU #131 - 15 Exceptional (and free) Resources for Veterans

Justin Nassiri
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Why to Listen | Sponsors | Selected Resources | Transcript & Time Stamps | Comments

Why to Listen: 

In over 13 interviews, I've heard a lot about great resources available for veterans, as well as how difficult it is to be aware of all of the free resources available to Veterans. That's why, in this interview I go through 15 of the resources I've interviewed people about on the show, or have heard about from other veterans. While this list is by no means exhaustive, my intention with the new Directory section of the Beyond the Uniform website is to make it easier for veterans to identify and utilize quality programs aimed at veterans.

If you know of other great resources - or would like to weigh in on the ones that I mention here - please feel free to add them in the Comments section of the show notes, or in the Directory section of the website.

Our Sponsor: 

  • StoryBox - People trust each other more than advertising. StoryBox provides the tools and supports businesses need to take the best things customers say about them, and use them to drive more sales and referrals. StoryBox offers a 10% discount to companies employing veterans of the US Armed Forces.
  • Audible is offering one FREE audio book to Beyond the Uniform listeners. You can claim this offer here, and see a list of books recommended by my guests at BeyondTheUniform.io/books

Selected Resources: 

Transcript & Time Stamps: 

Each week, I normally interview a veteran about their civilian career – what they do and how they got there. Today I’m going to be doing something different. I’m going to be covering 15 resources that are free for veterans.

(0:30)

Before, we dive into the 15 resources, I have three announcements –

1) On the Beyond the Uniform website, I’ve added an Events Section. There are two events launching in January 2018 - a Reprogramming Seminar and a Management Consulting Seminar. If this is something you’re interested in, you can log on to the website and sign up to receive updates and registration information via email.

2) If you have a moment, please review Beyond the Uniform on iTunes. This helps get the word out to as many veterans as possible.

3) I’ve upgraded my sound equipment. If the sound quality in this  podcast doesn’t sound significantly better to you, let me know so I can return it to Amazon before my trial period ends. (2:55) And here are the 15 free resources I recommend to veterans. The ranking of the resources is not in any specific order. Rather, I wanted to offer a list of resources that have come up multiple times in my interviews with veterans. I’ve also overhauled the directory section of the Beyond the Uniform website. There you will find ratings and reviews of these and other resources. Additionally, feel free to add your own resources that you have found helpful during your own transition.

(3:41) 1) GuideOn

BTU #64 - Anthony Garcia, founder of GuideOn

A great resource for resume building. You can enter information about what you have done in the military and GuideOn will produce a resume in civilian language. A frequent pain point for transitioning military members is translating their military experience into something that resonates with civilian employers. GuideOn founder Anthony Garcia is a very inspirational guy and it was great to talk to him about how and why he started GuideOn. (5:05) 2) Service to School BTU #8 Tim Hsia, founder of Service to School BTU #92 Justine Evirs discusses her background in education and her work with Service to School BTU #10 David Lee talks about how he went straight from the Marine Corps to Stanford Business School and how Service to School helped him make the leap.

(6:15) When I was getting reading to leave the Navy and go to business school, I reached out to the Veterans Club at every school I wanted to apply to and was connected with veterans that were current students at each school. That person coached me on my resume, application, and interview. The advice I got was different for every school since each school has a different flavor of what they are looking for. Having a current student as a resource was a game changer for me. I’m confident that I would not have been accepted at Stanford without the assistance of the veteran students I was connected to at the school.

What Service to School does is that exact same thing for people transitioning out of the military into undergraduate and graduate school programs. They have a ton of resources having to do with applying, the GI Bill, Yellow Ribbon, etc. Additionally, they connect you with a current student at the school that you want to apply to. Schools are constantly changing what they are looking for so having a connection to a current student can be an invaluable resource. (8:10) 3) NUPOCC - Navy Nuclear Power Officer Career ConferenceBTU #72 Michael Bradley, founder of NUPOCC BTU #55 Ashley Snyder discusses how she used NUPOCC during her transition from the Air Force to Google.

NUPOCC is essentially a high-powered networking organization. Although the name is around Navy Nuclear Officers, Michael Bradley doesn’t turn away any veteran that is interested in networking with these organizations. He does a tremendous job of gathering an amazing array of high quality organizations such as Google and Apple. (9:30) 4) Military Wallet & Cash Money LifeBTU #61 Ryan Guina, founder of Military Wallet and Cash Money Life When I was in the military, my finances wasn’t something I thought a lot about because everything was taken care of for me. Finances can be a blind spot for many veterans. There are so many great pieces of information on these sites. (11:07) 5) American Corporate PartnersBTU #62 Army veteran Hank Hughes produced and directed a short film that was nominated for an Academy Award. Through ACP, he was connected with George Lucas and was mentored by him for a year.

ACP pairs veterans with a mentor in the civilian sector according to what industry they are interested in moving into. These mentors can provide frank and honest questions that will help propel you toward success as you transition. They can help you make small adjustments that can make a huge difference. (14:28) 6) Hire Heroes USABTU #105 Nathan Smith, COO of Hire Heroes USA

Hire Heroes provides a tremendous amount of free and high quality services and resources to transitioning military members and veterans. (15:24) 7) Veterans Mentor Network (LinkedIn) You need to request membership through LinkedIn. This is an extremely active group. Take the advice with a grain of a salt since only you know what is right for you but the advice and guidance offered can be extremely valuable during your transition. (16:38) 8) Rotational Programs (Tradecraft, JP Morgan, General Electric) For many veterans, I would advise rotational programs over traditional graduate school. For a short amount of time, you can shift through an organization and start understanding the different functional areas that exist within an industry. Tradecraft, JP Morgan, and General Electric each have programs that I wanted to highlight.

BTU #26 Rae Ann Pae discusses how she enrolled Tradecraft directly after the military and eventually ended up at Facebook.

Tradecraft is a start-up prep course. If you are interested in tech, this option could be better for you than an MBA. Tradecraft is a 12-week tech immersion program. They have tracks that include sales, business, development, and user experience. The reason why I think this can be a better option than an MBA is that since it is only 12 weeks, there is much less of an opportunity cost. The price tag is also much lower than an MBA. Also, if you know you want to go into start-ups, this can be a much more targeted approach.

BTU #32 Brooke Jones-Chinetti discusses her participation in JP Morgan’s rotational program and the main benefits she gained from the experience.

BTU #42 Shaoli Breaux discusses General Electric’s Junior Officer Leadership Program, a program that can be an extremely valuable for transitioning junior officers.

Goldman Sachs, Pepsi Co., and others also have fantastic programs for veterans. (20:00) 9) Bunker Labs

BTU#38 Chris Shaw, director of the New York Bunker Labs office

They are doing great things with entrepreneurship. They have great programs and operate in almost every major city. I hear great things and if you are interested in starting your own company, this can be a fantastic resource for you. (20:40) 10) BreaklineBTU #54 Bethany Coates, founder and CEO of Breakline

This is an application only program. It is a 10-day program and if selected to participate, the fee is around $150. During this immersive program, you hear from a variety of speakers and have the opportunity to visit start-ups on-site. This is like a Silicon Valley backstage pass. (21:50) 11) Boots to Business I haven’t had the opportunity to interview anyone from Boots to Business but have heard great things. In this program veterans have to opportunity to be exposed to a variety of organizations. It is sponsored by the Small Business Association. (22:24) 12) Patriot Boot Camp This organization has a variety of three-day events. The next one will take place in February 2018. This is a high quality organization helping veterans that want to move into entrepreneurship. (22:48)

Losing a sense of community and connection is often very difficult for transitioning veterans. Here are three resources that help veterans maintain feelings of connection and purpose. (24:30) 13) Team Red White and BlueBTU #108 Garrett Cathcart – Southeast Regional Director at Team RWB

Team RWB operates in 43 cities. In any given week there are all kinds of activities including hikes, ruck marches, pub outings, yoga, bowling, etc. All events are geared toward connecting with other veterans. (26:00) 14) Veterans Yoga ProjectBTU #123 Dan Libby, founder of Veterans Yoga Project

There are multiple Veterans Yoga Project locations throughout the United States. They offer a variety of events to veterans centered around mindfulness and thoughtfulness. (26:48) 15) Travis Manion FoundationBTU #101 Joshua Jabin – COO of Travis Manion Foundation

The Travis Manion Foundation offers a variety of different opportunities for veterans to get involved in their community. They have a course called “Character Does Matter” in which veterans are able to mentor youths in a variety of ways.

(27:55) This is by no means an exhaustive list. If you have any other resources you’d like to add, please go to the Beyond the Uniform website. In the show notes for this episode, you will find links to everything discussed today. Also check out the directory on the BTU website. If you’ve interacted with these organizations, please leave reviews about your experience. You can also add any resources I’m missing. --comments--