“Just baby step it; don't think 'Where do I need to be in 30 years,' think about 'where do I need to be in the next year or two to set myself up.'" – Michael Bradley

Michael is the President & Owner of M3S Networking, a small business that focuses on dynamic problem-solving, particularly with startups and small businesses. He Started out at the Naval Academy, after which he served for seven years as a submarine officer. After his transition from the Navy, he spent two years working on a spy satellite job with the National Reconnaissance Office as an Acquisition/Project Officer. Michael is also the Chairman of the Navy Nuclear Power Officer Career Conference (NUPOCC), a career fair helping veterans transition from the military or find new jobs- those of you who have listened to Episode #55 with Ashley Snyder will remember this as the organization that she credited with landing a job at Google directly out of the Air Force. Finally, he's a husband, dad of 3 boys and is a credentialed baseball media member.

The top three reasons to listen to today’s show are:

1. Work / life balance - I don’t think this is talked about enough, but Michael does a really good job discussing how to factor this in to your career path & decision.
2. Career fair - those of you who listened to Episode #55 with Ashley Snyder remember how she went directly from the Air Force to Google because she attended a veteran organized career fair… well Michael is the one who runs that career fair. It’s free, it helps a ton of vets… I’d go so far to say that NUPOCC is advantageous to veterans in a way that comes at Michael’s expense. Check it out - it’s really great and I know all of you listening on active duty or who have recently transitioned would benefit from it.
3. Startups - Michael has started two different companies, and has great advice on starting small.

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Selected Links

• NUPOCC - Arlington, VA & Pearl, HI, Bremerton. Events. Google, Palantir, Facebook, Blue Origin, JP Morgan (~20 companies). Grad Schools: Harvard, Wharton, Stanford. High end candidates, high end companies and schools, high end venues. $2-3k table fee - get list of candidates & phone numbers
• Service academy career conference - https://sacc-jobfair.com/
• Related podcasts you may enjoy
  • Ashley Snyder - Ashley went from the Air Force directly to Google, and attributes NUPOCC for playing a big role in that transition

Show Notes

• 1:58 - Michael's background, from the Naval Academy and Submarines into starting his own company
• 3:00 - Michael's experience a baseball media member; it may not generate a lot of money, but it gets him into Pittsburg Pirate games
• 5:29 - Michael's decision to leave the Navy and how he approached this decision
• 7:30 - Michael's experience in the Navy Reserves, and his advice on how to best take advantage of the IRR
• 10:38 - The highlights of Michael's journey from leaving submarines until today
• 14:00 - Michael's thoughts on work / life balance, and what advice he would give to fellow veterans
• 18:20 - An overview of the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Officer Career Conference (NUPOCC)
• 29:43 - Who can attend the NUPOCC conferences (hint: Michael will never turn a veteran away from an event, so contact him)
• 32:45 - A few common mistakes that Michael sees veterans make in the career transition to civilian life
• 41:30 - How Michael started M3S and advice he would give to other veterans seeking to work for themselves or create side income
• 46:00 - Michael's final words of wisdom