“If you have the opportunity to do something in life, give it a shot. You never know where it will take you. ”
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Why Listen:
I want to highlight a couple things that Murph and I talked about in this interview. The first is that I love Murph's attitude around expanding your thinking about your career. In this own life, he ended up doing things that he didn't initially plan when he got out of the military.
Murph currently works at the University of Central Missouri and as their Director of Military and VeteranServices so he has some great thoughts from his experience helping many veterans in their post-military life. We talk about the value of education that keeps on coming up again and again in Murph’s story.
We also talked about the TV show that he's on called “Tough as Nails”. We talk about what it was being on the set and how that opportunity came about.
About Murph:
Murph is the Director of Military and Veteran Services at the University of Central Missouri. He is also a competitor on CBS’s new show, Tough as Nails. TOUGH AS NAILS is a competition series that celebrates everyday Americans who roll up their sleeves and don’t think twice about working long hard hours and getting their hands dirty, in order to keep their country running. On the show, competitors compete in challenges that take place at real-world job sites. Murph served in the Marine Corps for 22 years. Since his military service, he has worked as an Adjunct Faculty member at Central Texas College and Columbia College and also worked at Lowe’s in their as a Human Resrouce and Training Manager.
Our Sponsor:
This episode is sponsored by the Carlson School of Management. Whether you're transitioning to a civilian career or continuing military service, an MBA from Carlson at the University of Minnesota prepares you for a high-impact career in business. Carlson is committed to the veteran community and provides the benefits, experiential learning, and network to accelerate your career. In addition to a resident tuition waiver, all admitted full-time MBA military candidates receive generous scholarships and stipends to cover expenses that may not be eligible for the GI Bill.
E-mail mba@umn.edu to learn more. That's mba@umn.edu.
Selected Resources:
Transcript & Time Stamps:
5:00
Joining me today from Warrensburg, MO is Kelly “Murph” Murphy.
You spent time as a university professor while you were still on active duty with the Marines. Was that something you could see yourself doing after you got out of the military?
I had a tour in the Marine Corps as an instructor. I really enjoyed it. After I finished my Master’s degree, I had the opportunity to teach a couple university level courses. I thought that it was something I might pursue after I got out.
I ended up taking a bit of a different route. I went into human resources after leaving the military. But eventually, I made my way back to roles in education. I love being able to prompt a lightbulb moment in other people.
I joined the Marine Corps at 17 years old. One day my friend invited me to go see a Marine Corps recruiter with him. I talked to the recruiter and the following Friday, I enlisted in the Marine Corps. At that time, I knew I wasn’t ready for college. The classroom environment wasn’t for me. I had thought about going to a mechanic school but that wasn’t really right for me either.
Before I knew it, my first six years was up so I enlisted for another four years. I did a tour of recruiter duty in southern Indiana. During that time, I realized that I had never used any of my education benefits. Soon after, I enrolled in Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Within two years, I earned my Bachelor’s degree. A couple years after that, I finished my Master’s degree. I also pushed other enlisted members to pursue their education as well. I really believe it’s important to take advantage of those opportunities.
13:25
What was your transition out of the Marine Corps like?
I had done back to back deployments out of Camp Pendleton. There weren’t too many choices available to me after that. I ended up being stationed at Fort Leonard Wood. During that time, I went to several retirement ceremonies. I noticed that many of these retiring members would thank their spouse for raising their kids. That was a wake up call for me. I wanted to become more involved in my kids' lives. I ended up retiring so that I could spend more time with my family.
I applied to 60-70 different jobs after retiring. I got five interviews from those applications. I didn’t end up getting any job offers from any of those. I went to as many job fairs as I could. One day, I started talking to an HR Manager at Lowe’s. He recommended me for a similar job at Lowe’s and I ended up being offered a position.
That job search taught me that it never hurts to be over prepared. And also be ready for disappointment. The job market is tough. You won’t get every job that you want.
Last year, Lowe’s Home Improvement made the decision to remove the HR position from their individual stores. So I was job searching again. Lowe’s is a veteran friendly company. Part of my job was working with the University of Missouri - the same department where I am now. I would bring them Lowe’s job postings that veterans could apply to. From that relationship, I was able to move into my current role as the Director of Veteran Services at the University of Central Missouri.
24:20
What do you do in your role at the University of Missouri?
There are people in my office called “certifiers”. They work with veteran students at the University of Central Missouri to make sure they are getting the student benefits they deserve. We also have a lounge and study area for student veterans that need somewhere to hang out. We do veteran service projects in the community. Both veteran and non-veteran students participate in those projects. It’s a great opportunity for them to break down barriers and bond.
I encourage active duty military members to take classes now while you’re still on active duty. Even if you don’t finish your degree while you’re still in, you’ll be that much closer. You earned your education benefits so you might as well use them.
Your GI Bill benefits are limited strictly to colleges and universities. I just met someone that used his GI Bill to pay for a CDL license certification course. You can also use your benefits at police academies. So there’s something for everyone. I really encourage all veterans to take advantage of those benefits.
31:30
You’re currently on a reality show called “Tough as Nails”. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Think about going to a unit where you’re deploying in a month. You have to get to know people really quickly and learn new skills.
The show is a group of 12 people including myself.
33:00
How did the show come about?
I started using Instagram about five or six years ago. I used it to document my fitness journey after leaving the Marines. I was contacted by an apparel company. They sent me some of their gear and I posted it on Instagram.
Then last January, someone from the Discovery Channel had seen me on Instagram and sent me a message that said that they were interested in casting me on a show. I ended up being selected for “Tough as Nails”.
34:50
Did you have to put your job temporarily on hold?
When I got cast on the show, I knew I would be gone for several weeks. I met with the President at University of Central Missouri and he allowed me to take a leave of absence from work.
35:30
Have you watched the show?
No, I’ve only seen a couple commercials.
36:10
What advice do you have for veterans that have trouble “putting themselves out there”?
I’m a shy person by nature. I prefer to keep to myself. But the reason that I wanted to do the show was to prove to myself that I could still keep up and “bring it”. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.
I feel like I’ve already done my dream job - that was being part of the Marine Corps. I retired because I wanted to spend more time with my family not because I didn’t like the Marine Corps. So everything now is just the opportunity to take on new challenges and life experiences.
43:30
What was surprising for you about being part of a reality television show?
Getting to know the crew was one of my favorite parts. You really get the chance to know the people that put the show together. I had no idea it took so many people to make a show.
46:20
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
If you have an opportunity in life, take advantage of it. You don’t want to have regrets in life. If I hadn’t done “Tough as Nails”, I would have regretted not taking advantage of the opportunity. Even if you’re not completely comfortable with something, it’s worth giving it a show if you have the opportunity.