Air Force

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452 - Finding a Workplace Where You Can Thrive (Valerie Rivera)

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452 - Finding a Workplace Where You Can Thrive (Valerie Rivera)

Why Listen:

Valerie left active duty after 15 years of service, and has gone on to found a company designed to help people thrive at work. In addition to discussing her own journey, we talk about how to find out if a culture is right for you, how to shift your mindset to be happier at work, how to make sure you are living a life of alignment, and more.

About Valerie:

Valerie Rivera is the Founder & CEO of Take Back WOrk, who’s mission is to partner with organizations of all stripes to create workplace cultures where people thrive. She served for over six years in the AIr Force, most recently as Team Leader for Tradecraft Deelopment and Capability Integration. She earned her MBA at Stanford Business School. "

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BTU #451 - From Air Force to US Ambassador (Gary Grappo)

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BTU #451 - From Air Force to US Ambassador (Gary Grappo)

Why Listen:

There is so much to appreciate about today’s interview. First of all: diplomacy. This is the first interview I’ve done around diplomacy, and I started off in the deep end of the pool, to say the least. Gary went from Air Force Officer to the US Ambassador to Oman. He had an incredible career in which he was involved in monumental work around the world. However, what I appreciate most about Gary is the humility and specificity he brings to this interview. It’s not just about why Veterans may enjoy a career in the foreign service (and, by the way, Gary makes a pretty solid argument for this). It’s the texture he brings to the conversation, of finding his own career path, starting over again in foreign service after earning his MBA and working in the corporate world, of being diligent in learning a new craft and working his way up… after having done just that in both the military and the corporate world. It was a privilege to be able to learn from Gary, and I hope you enjoy this candid and enlightening conversation.

About Ambassador Gary Grappo:

Gary Grappo is a Distinguishe Fellow at the University of Denver and the CEO & Founder of Equilibrium International Consulting. He served as the United States Ambassador to Oman from 2006 to 2009, and previously Grappo was Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor of the United States Mission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He served in the US Air Force for over 8 years, and holds a BS in Mathematics from the United States Air Force Academy, an MS in Geodesy and Survey Engineering from Purdue University, and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

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BTU #420 - An Overview of the Space Ecosystem (Shelli Brunswick @ Space Foundation)

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BTU #420 - An Overview of the Space Ecosystem (Shelli Brunswick @ Space Foundation)

Why Listen:

Shelli is doing incredible work at Space Foundation, a nonprofit helping expand the space ecosystem and helping job seekers just like you find a job in the space industry. There are a lot of opportunities here. Shelli is one of the rare ones I've interviewed in 420 episodes where it is so clear that she found a good fit for herself in this organization. After 29 years in the Air Force, she is motivated by helping others and giving back. She desires to be inclusive with this industry and pay forward to the next generation. It's always refreshing to speak with someone that has found a calling, not just a career.

As always at beyondtheuniform.org you'll find show notes with links to everything we discussed, as well as 419 other episodes just like this one.

About Shelli:

Shelli Brunswick is the Chief Operating Officer at Space Foundation, the world's premier organization to inspire, educate, connect, and advocate on behalf of the global space community. Her career includes work as a space acquisition and program management leader and congressional liaison for the U.S. Air Force to her current role, including overseeing Center for Innovation and Education, Symposium 365, and Global Alliance.

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BTU #402 - Find Your Mission (Nic McKinley)

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BTU #402 - Find Your Mission (Nic McKinley)

Why Listen:

This is one of the more energizing conversations I've had on the show. In addition to serving in the Air Force, working in the State Department, serving in the CIA, and now running two different companies - one of them designed to fight human trafficking - Nic is needless to say, an amazing human being. As a founder of two companies, his biggest advice to entrepreneurs is to not start a company. We talk about how success is opportunity meeting preparation, and how oftentimes we focus on motivation when we should be focused on preparedness and the reasons why we are doing things. We talk a lot about mission and some of the best tactical advice I've heard from a guest about how to specifically and tactically uncover your next mission. We talk about the choices that we make every single day and how we have limited opportunities and being precise in what we say yes to, and better and more important, what we say no to. We talk about not just having compassion and empathy lead the tears, but having that lead to motivation. We talk about so much on this show. And I think it's one of the few episodes I would say is worthy of three or four listens.

About Nic:

Nic McKinley is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of VERAFĪ, a private intelligence and due diligence firm specializing in collecting, analyzing, and presenting intelligence so you can make confident decisions about key hires and investments. He is also the Founder and CEO of DeliverFund, a nonprofit private intelligence firm that disrupts human trafficking markets by providing intelligence and delivering specialized analytics about human trafficking activities to law enforcement authorities. He is a 10-year veteran of the US Air Force, where he served as both pararescuemen and as a pararescue instructor and a pararescue team leader. He has also worked for both the US Department of State as well as the Central Intelligence Agency.

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BTU #401 - Taking Care of Your People (Trier Bryant)

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BTU #401 - Taking Care of Your People (Trier Bryant)

Why Listen:

For those of you who smoke cigars, and you know the phrase knuckle burner - this is a knuckle burner of an episode. I went in trying to keep this to 30 minutes, but we used 58 minutes for this conversation. It's because Trier has so many great points about so many different topics. You'll learn about her career. She's the co-founder and CEO of a company called Just Work. She has a tremendous amount of experience at Goldman Sachs, Twitter, other great organizations around people management, and she has so much great advice about taking care of your people, which is something our audience knows well. But doing that outside of the military blind spots, you may have to talk about empathy in very tactical ways and share stories that I found compelling. She talked about language-specific language to use to create openers within the civilian workforce of getting to know your team and making it an inclusive environment. We talk about entrepreneurship. Despite starting two different organizations, Trier talks about how she doesn't consider herself an entrepreneur, how she's much more interested in scaling something than building it. We talk about how you may not be unique in the military, but you are a unicorn when you get out of the military - the concept of followership again.

About Trier:

Trier Bryant is the co-Founder and CEO of Just Work, which works with leaders and teams of all sizes across a range of industries creating more effective organizations where respect and collaboration combine to produce just workplaces yielding exceptional results. She started out at the Air Force Academy, served in the Air Force for 7 years, and has held roles at Goldman Sachs, Twitter, SigFig, Astra, and more.

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BTU #398 - A Future Built on Trust (Leemon Baird)

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BTU #398 - A Future Built on Trust (Leemon Baird)

Why Listen:

I think there's a couple of reasons why you're going to like this episode. First of all, Leemon runs a company called Hedera, and he's Co-founder and Chief Scientist. It is in the blockchain space, which I still understand so little about. And still know there are so many possibilities there. He talks about how his career that started at the Air Force Academy led him to that point. One thing I love, though, about my conversation with Leemon is that he's very humble for someone who has founded four incredibly successful companies. And despite having these four successes under his belt, he talks in this interview about how much luck plays a role. Entrepreneurship is a skill that over time if you fail and keep on trying, you can be smart and build up a skill set that can help you increase your chances of success. He talks about how he approaches interactions in business where it's not zero-sum where he tries to make it a win for himself and whoever he's working with. He talks about how he found his Co-founder that he met while in the Air Force and has co-founded four different companies, and tells an incredible story about when his co-founder went to turn down his job, his boss offered his promotion, and the boss ended up investing in their company instead. So tons of great stories here. He does come from a very technical background. He's not only the Chief Technology Officer but the Chief Scientist of his company Hedera. And so you get a different lens. I think we'll oftentimes on the show, we have someone with more of a pure-play business background, and he brings a test tech perspective, including his Ph.D. in Computer Science, in his time teaching computer science at the Air Force Academy.

About Leemon:

Leemon is the inventor of the Hashgraph distributed consensus algorithm, and he's the Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Hedera. Leemon is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy. He was a full professor of computer science at the academy and was on the faculty for eight years. He has been the Co-founder of several startups, including two identity-related startups, both of which were acquired. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and has multiple patents and publications in peer-reviewed journals and conferences in computer security, machine learning, and mathematics.

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BTU #393 - You Deserve It (Brian Reese)

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BTU #393 - You Deserve It (Brian Reese)

Why Listen:

Today is episode number 393 with Brian Reese. He sponsored this interview, which is a huge help for us keeping the show going. But I also want to share that I am so grateful that we did connect. I found this such an uplifting conversation; we talk authentically about vulnerability in the military asking for help, we talk about his new book, which is called You Deserve It. Even the title is difficult for me to accept. I think there's a natural part of me as a human being as well, as a veteran that just slough this off; I don't need to get my benefits, I don't need to go to medical, I don't need to do these things.

And we talked about picking apart that myth and how we do a disservice to ourselves, to our communities, to our families, by not taking advantage of a lot of these resources there to help us. And more importantly, we talked about how obfuscated this process can be, how difficult it can be to know your benefits and to actually do these things.

Brian's got a great attitude on these things and the tactics to get the best support you need both in your job search as well as in your benefits. We also talk a little bit about entrepreneurship, I am really in admiration of what Brian has done, he's grown to over 125 team members. And I hope that his passion and enthusiasm come out in the conversation because he's certainly found a career path that's aligned with his mission.

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BTU #370 - Everday Spy (Andrew Bustamante)

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BTU #370 - Everday Spy (Andrew Bustamante)

Why Listen:

There’s so much I loved about my conversation with Andrew. For those of you wanting a mental image of Andrew - picture Dwayne Johnson with hair… that’s Andrew. After five years in the Air Force, Andrew served in the CIA for seven years. Since then, he has taken the lessons he learned in the CIA and used them - for himself and his clients - to get the most out of life. If you’re interested in the CIA or entrepreneurship, there’s something in this episode for you. But no matter what your intended career path, I love two things in particular that we riff on. The first is, the sense of bringing awareness to the assumptions we make in life. For example, in that intro audio clip, Andrew is speaking to how often we assume one needs to work 9-5, Monday through Friday. When you realize that is just a myth, it gives you a considerable competitive advantage that you can exploit in your career. Andrew has all sorts of incredible mental hacks that I LOVED hearing. Second, I find that there are often judgments about people who leave the military, people who leave public service like the CIA and go on to do something different that is right for them and their family. We talk about this head on, and I believe nearly all Veterans will benefit from this part of our conversation.

If you enjoy this episode, be sure to check out BTU #337 - Entrepreneurship and Self Knowledge (Khemit Bailey) (https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-337-entrepreneurship-and-self-knowledge-khemit-bailey?rq=khemit) and BTU #328 - Struggle is What Gives Us Value (Micah Fink - Heroes & Horses) (https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-328-struggle-is-what-gives-us-value-micah-fink-heroes-horses?rq=micah%20fink), which have similar elements to this episode. both of those will be linked in the show notes.

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BTU #341 - From Air Force to US Ambassador (Gary Grappo)

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BTU #341 - From Air Force to US Ambassador (Gary Grappo)

Why Listen:

There is so much to appreciate about today’s interview. First of all: diplomacy. This is the first interview I’ve done around diplomacy, and I started off in the deep end of the pool, to say the least. Gary went from Air Force Officer to the US Ambassador to Oman. He had an incredible career in which he was involved in monumental work around the world. However, what I appreciate most about Gary is the humility and specificity he brings to this interview. It’s not just about why Veterans may enjoy a career in the foreign service (and, by the way, Gary makes a pretty solid argument for this). It’s the texture he brings to the conversation, of finding his own career path, starting over again in foreign service after earning his MBA and working in the corporate world, of being diligent in learning a new craft and working his way up… after having done just that in both the military and the corporate world. It was a privilege to be able to learn from Gary, and I hope you enjoy this candid and enlightening conversation.

About Ambassador Gary Grappo:

Gary Grappo is a Distinguishe Fellow at the University of Denver and the CEO & Founder of Equilibrium International Consulting. He served as the United States Ambassador to Oman from 2006 to 2009, and previously Grappo was Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor of the United States Mission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He served in the US Air Force for over 8 years, and holds a BS in Mathematics from the United States Air Force Academy, an MS in Geodesy and Survey Engineering from Purdue University, and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

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BTU #337 - Entrepreneurship and Self Knowledge (Khemit Bailey)

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BTU #337 - Entrepreneurship and Self Knowledge (Khemit Bailey)

Why Listen:

There are two reasons to listen to this interview. First of all, Khemit created a platform to help people discover their values and create a life of alignment with one’s values. I really enjoyed his approach to this, and found it both novel and effective. Second of all, Khemit’s story illustrates how he has built a career that is in alignment with his purpose in life. He left Apple to pursue a career better suited to his unique aspirations. This led him to living in Lisbon. Regardless of your career pursuits, you’ll benefit from hearing Khemit’s unique story.

About Khemit:

Khemit is the founder of The Character Arc. He is a US Air Force veteran, former Mandarin Chinese linguist & intelligence analyst, and a founding member of the New Product Security team at Apple, Inc. in both China and the US.

He holds an MBA in International Marketing from The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California.

He is also a writer, fitness & martial arts enthusiast, and unabashed fiction buff.

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BTU #330 - Tech, Side Hustles, and Relationships (GS Youngblood)

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BTU #330 - Tech, Side Hustles, and Relationships (GS Youngblood)

Why Listen:

My guest today transitioned from the Air Force into high tech in Silicon Valley, where he has worked in Product Management at Intel, Trulia, Realtor.com and other great companies. He also wrote a book about Product Management, where he takes the principles around procedures and checklists from the military, and applies them to the functional role of Product Management.

However, beyond our discussion of Product Management in this interview, there are two things that I absolutely loved about my conversation with GS.

First: side hustle. GS made the transition to the Real Estate industry. While his day job was building tech products for the Real Estate industry, he leveraged what he was learning to start investing in Real Estate as a side hustle. The result is that, over the course of his career, he developed side income that has allowed him to transition into more meaningful work around coaching and writing. This is a wonderful example of how - outside of the workplace - listeners can cultivate a hobby that creates the financial freedom to pursue a deeper purpose in your next chapter.

Second: relationships. In the 300+ episodes I’ve done so far, we’ve only talked about relationships in one other episode, and that is the recent episode #323 - Conscious Leadership, with Floyd Carlson. It’s something we should talk about more. For those of you who are in relationship, I’m sure you can relate: when my relationship is off with my wife, Rebecca, everything is off in my life. I’m not as productive at work, I’m not as focused in my conversations, I’m not able to operate at my peak potential in my professional life. There is not this clear distinction between work and life… they blend together, and one affects the other. In his work with couples, and in his recent book, “The Masculine in Relationship” GS brings some very poignant advice to how listeners can improve and deepen their relationship. I know, I know, this is a podcast ABOUT career success… trust me on this, you can have success in your career without success in your relationship or family, but it’s not much fun.

I met GS through the men’s work I’m doing with John Wineland, and it was a pleasure to get to know this professional side of him in our conversation - I hope you enjoy it as well.

About GS:

GS is a coach who helps men in relationship develop their Masculine core. He is a former Silicon Valley executive, founder of a tech company that he eventually sold, and the author of two books (including the recently published “The Masculine in Relationship”). His teachings are based on 12 years as a student and creator in the realm of the Masculine-Feminine dynamic, and also pull in principles from a variety of fields: psychology, martial arts, tango, meditation, and BDSM.

After his time as a military officer, GS got his MBA from the University of Virginia and transitioned into the high tech industry. He spent time at Intel, Broadcom, Trulia, Realtor.com, and Matterport. He also founded and sold the company CityStash, which sought to disrupt the $23B self-storage space with technology.

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BTU #286 - Finding a Workplace Where You Can Thrive (Valerie Rivera)

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BTU #286 - Finding a Workplace Where You Can Thrive (Valerie Rivera)

Why Listen:

Valerie left active duty after 15 years of service, and has gone on to found a company designed to help people thrive at work. In addition to discussing her own journey, we talk about how to find out if a culture is right for you, how to shift your mindset to be happier at work, how to make sure you are living a life of alignment, and more.

About Valerie:

Valerie Rivera is the Founder & CEO of Take Back WOrk, who’s mission is to partner with organizations of all stripes to create workplace cultures where people thrive. She served for over six years in the AIr Force, most recently as Team Leader for Tradecraft Deelopment and Capability Integration. She earned her MBA at Stanford Business School. "

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BTU #277 - How to Maximize Your GI Bill Benefits (Robert E. Woods III)

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BTU #277 - How to Maximize Your GI Bill Benefits (Robert E. Woods III)

Why Listen:

Special thanks to Frank Vanburen from episode #39 for making the introduction to Robert. Robert is the Founder of Banneret, which has discovered a unique method to help veterans transition, that is attractive to companies that want to do the right thing, but are cash strapped. In this interview we talk about this approach, which may be appealing to many listeners. We also talk about entrepreneurship.

About Robert:

Robert E. Woods III is the Founder of Banneret, an organization that is helping companies take advantage of incentives of hiring skilled military veterans. As a resultof our work, businesses can save tens of thousands of dollars for every veteran hired. Veteranshave an opportunity to add up to $45k to their first year's income without using companyfunds. He started out in the Air Force, where he served for 5 years as a Dental Technician in the Air Force, with a focus on oral surgery. He holds a BBA from Howard University, a Master’s Degree in Investor Relations from Fordham University, and a M.S. in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.

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BTU #103 - Dr. Felicia Haecker: From RV to Dr, entrepreneur, and mom

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“There are people who have - in their head - ideas that they think are ridiculous; dreams that they're afraid to pursue because of failure; because we're all afraid to fail. But while you have that safety net, go ahead an investigate it - dig into it deep, and then make a plan. Work backwards: this is the goal, assess what you have, and what do you need. And sometimes with plans you have to go back and course correct. Be OK with that. It's not a bad thing sometimes. We often beat ourselves up because we made a plan and it didn't go the way we thought it would - but that's OK. Always look back, reflect and see how you can grow from this." - Dr. Felicia Haecker

Dr. Felicia Haecker is the President of Haecker Associates Consulting, CEO of Dog Tag Divas, and Adjunct Professor at Brandman University, where she also received her Doctor of Education and Organizational Leadership. She started out in the Air Force, where she served for 12 years along with her husband, who served in the Air Force for 15 years. She faced many challenges after her separation from the military, and ultimately chose to pursue her Ed.D on female veterans transitions into post secondary education. Using this understanding of transitions, she now seeks to help other veterans diagnose where they are and construct a plan to reach their goals.

She has made herself available to the Beyond the Uniform community by email at shaecker@yahoo [dot] com

The top 2 reasons to listen to this episode is:

  1. A road of discovery - Felicia articulates so well what I - and so many of my guests - have experienced about a meandering road from the military to finding our career. She talks about taking leaps of faith, making mistakes along the way, but learning and being ok with those mistakes. Felicia and her husband left the Air Force after 12 & 15 years of service, respectively. They purchased an RV, and with their newborn daughter spent a year traveling the United States. This was the starting point of a journey that would lead Felicia to pursue her doctorate.
  2. Advice on transitions - Felicia did her doctorate work on the female veteran transition into post secondary education. She has also advised and mentored many veterans about this process, and has fantastic advice about how to avoid common mistakes in this transition.

Our Sponsor:

  • 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

Show Notes

Note: I've typed these notes during my interview with Josh, so they may not completely represent his words, and may contain spelling and grammar errors. My intention is to provide veterans with a quick reference to see the gist of our conversation, along with timestamps to hear Josh's actual advice in his own words within the interview.

  • 3:10 - Felicia's bio
  • 4:03 - How would you explain what you do
    • Every veteran makes a transition
    • Her and her husband realized they transitioned out of a community that was safe and comfortable. After their transition, a lot of people didn't understand their background and they were definitely out of their comfort zone.
    • This applies to the families as well - they have to deal with their significant other
  • 6:15 - How she divides her time
    • HCC & Dog Tag Divas are both emerging. She was diagnosed with PTSD and ADHD, and is learning there are things she needs to do to stay on task. Must do / should do / could do "To do lists" dominate her schedule on bright orange post its.
    • She has two kids, and it's a matter of taking advantage of time when she has it - time in line at Starbucks, at piano practice. Sometimes she
  • 8:12 - How did you decide to leave the military?
    • It wasn't an easy decision; she was an Army brat, with both parents in the military. She followed her dad all over Europe as an Army kid.
    • She recognized on her own she wasn't ready for college, and didn't want to waste her parents money
    • Decided to join the military - originally the Marine Corps - but wasn't treated seriously during the process and saw the Air Force recruiter on her way out. The military was safe and something she understood.
    • She was a photographer, and wanted to try something else out - she loved the military but wanted to try something new
    • When she found out she was going to have a mother, she wanted to be the mother she didn't have. It would be tough to do both the military and a mom, so her and her husband decided she would transition. Her husband had a similar background, so they both decided - at 12 & 15 years - to get out of the military.
    • They made the goal of each of them finishing their master's degree prior to leaving the military, which lead for a rushed schedule leading up to departure
    • They purchased a 35' RV, and spent a year traveling the United States.
  • 11:46 - Advice for figuring out when to leave the military
    • Investigate the feeling - if you feel like you need to move on, give that room. See if you can switch jobs within the military, but if you can't find it start figuring out how to make it happen.
    • She recently worked with someone who decided to open a catering business. But you need to do EVERYTHING you can to investigate this right now - intern, or find a temporary job. This person learned it wasn't what they wanted to do it. So investigate every avenue you can. Call people who do that job (better yet a veteran who does it) and get a feel for what it is like.
    • Harness your power - my power right now is I have a paycheck and roof over my head. This is what I have - what is it I need. Capitalize on your opportunities for growth. I want to have this much money in the bank, this much education, talk to them and get buy-in with the family. Sometimes you need to go back and course correct
    • The Hack Process:
      • H - Harness your power. You have SOME power in the situation
      • A - Assess your resources. What do you have on hand that will propel you forward, and what do you need to gather to get to that goal
      • I - Identify them. The people and resources that will help you and you need to get in your corner to get there
      • C - Capitalize on the opportunity
    • You may be more comfortable right now than you realize - any stress you can take
    • Give yourself permission to recognize how difficult the transition is, but don't wallow in it.
  • 22:59 - How would you describe your path from the military to deciding to pursue a PhD?
    • They were stationed in Missouri. They got in their RV and didn't know what to do next. They decided to visit her parents in Oklahoma. They piecemeal the first part of the trip together, visiting diners and different sites.
    • They noticed in their journey there was a subculture of veterans everywhere they went.  She noticed many experienced difficulty, and many were on the verge of homelessness. She realized that she wasn't the only one who felt challenged in the transition - there were many other veterans like this.
    • Along the journey she became pregnant with their second child. As they were unpacking their house in Georgia, her husband received a job offer in Sacramento. So they packed up their house and moved cross country with their two kids
    • After five days as a stay-at-home mom, she realized she couldn't do it. It was more difficult than her three deployments. She saw a commercial for a doctoral degree, and wanted to give it a try. Her children were 9 months and 3 when she started - it was crazy but she did it. And her husband just received his degree from the same program. He saw the growth and self discovery journey she went through and that motivated him to do it as well
  • What was the PhD process like for you?
    • She views herself as very lucky. Her program was very creative, and she was able to chart what she was interested in - which was transition in veterans. She was able to research, write papers, and do whatever she wanted. It became addicting, because she kept finding more and more information, but didn't find the readily available resources she wanted for veterans. It felt like a well-kept secret and she didn't want it to be like that.
    • She kept getting assignments that kept her digging and before she knew it she stood back and realized what she wanted to go after
    • When she left, her resume was good, professionally she was ready to transition. No one spoke to her heart and mind transition, that you never receive when leaving the military.
  • 37:40 - In your work with veterans, what are common problems you see them facing in their civilian career?
    • She teaches a masters class on Leadership. One thing she has her students do (and she does as well) is Morning Pages. You put the pen on paper for 20 minutes and you just write non-stop. She didn't think it would work and the first two weeks were random song lyrics, shopping lists, and babble, but at the end of two weeks the cob webs went away and certain things came into focus.
    • She kept doing it and started to get clarity on different items - things she hadn't thought about in years. It's completely free and is an easy way to make progress in thinking through issues. Just write about whatever comes to mind - no matter how random. Keep with it and you'll find clarity. Supposed to do it first thing in the morning, as soon as she wakes up.
    • There's a book called Road Map. There was a PBS show called Road Trip Nation and they actually wrote a book "the get it together guide for what to do with your life" - it will inspire you but also give you a roadmap.
    • A mentor would be a GREAT addition for veterans. Help you navigate the new waters and identify what is important to you.
  • Common mistakes that veterans face
    • The adage that "the grass is greener" is definitely true. Without someone telling you what to do, there is also a challenge of autonomy and having to do everything on your own.
    • She encourages people to imagine that you were dropped into the center of England. Yes - they speak English, but there are different words, customs, and norms. You still need to learn a lot - and it's like this with a military transition
    • Some people may not understand your life and may ask you offensive questions like, "Have you ever killed someone." Try to remember it's out of ignorance and curiosity and not malice.
    • She has found in Mommy Groups that things that are earth shattering to other people are not so for her... she has to remember that "my journey is different." It may take time to find your time. Observe how they interact with other people.
    • Emotional Intelligence will be key too and this was something she had to learn
  • 44:50 - What can we do to help veterans who are struggling in their transition
    • Her local VA has a special office to help veterans who are homeless and she is looking at how to help with this
    • Sometimes they just need someone to listen to them
    • The TAPs programs send a LOT of information towards veterans, and going and talking and sharing there could help a lot
    • She was surprised that she was diagnosed with PTSD, even though she had taken many disturbing photos as a photographer on active duty.
  • 49:20 - Final words of wisdom?
    • If you've been listening to this and thinking of an idea and not sure if you should do it - give yourself permission to try. It's ok to be afraid to fail - that's ok. If you think about it - the times you succeed you probably didn't think about how you got there... you didn't think about how you got there. It's only when you fail that you do. But this is when we learn - from this failure. It may work, it may not, but it's ok. Have more than an A-D plan - there are 26 letters in teh alphabet. At the end of the day, try to do what makes you happy.
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BTU #61 - Ryan Guina: Air Force E5 to Business Owner @ The Military Wallet

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BTU #61 - Ryan Guina: Air Force E5 to Business Owner @ The Military Wallet

Ryan is the Founder of Cash Money Life & The Military Wallet - two websites that focus on helping people better manage their finances by offering informational articles, tips, tutorials, and product and service reviews. He has run these sites for over nine years and been featured on publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and LifeHacker. He started out in the Air Force, where he served for six and a half years as an Electrical-Environmental Specialist. After transitioning from the military, he worked at BearingPoint as a Management Analyst and then at the Computer Sciences Corporation as a Business Process Modeler. In addition to running his websites, Ryan currently serves in the Illinois Air National Guard.

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BTU #55 - Ashley Snyder: Air Force Medical Services corps to Google operations

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BTU #55 - Ashley Snyder: Air Force Medical Services corps to Google operations

Ashley Snyder is the Global Process Manager, Finance Operations at Google. She started out at the US Air Force Academy, where she studied Operations Research and was a Distinguished Grad. After the Air Force Academy she went on to MIT, where she earned her Masters in Operations Research, while also serving at Draper Laboratories as a Operations Research Analyst. She then served for five years in the Air Force in a variety of capacities as part of the Medical Services corps, including positions as

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Army vs. Air Force vs. Navy: How Branch of Military Services Affects One's Career

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  Overview: This article looks at the Industries, Functional Roles, and Company Sizes pursued by veterans of the Army, Air Force, and Navy. It also compares these three branches of the military to each other to see how their career choices differ. My intention for this article is to highlight the wide array of civilian career possibilities for military veterans, and provide a starting point for further career research. additional background information on my motivation for this analysis can be found here.

Methodology: A full summary of the basis for this article can be found here. The most important thing to note is that this is based on LinkedIn data for Service Academy veterans only. I have used Service Academy veterans as a proxy for all Army / Air Force / Navy officers, as it was the most reliable way to sort through the LinkedIn data available. While there are obvious limitations to this approach, my intention is for this to be a starting point for further research.

You can view the complete interactive data visualizations here.

U.S. Army [data visualization here]:

Industries [data visualization here]:

The top twelve industry categories for Army officers is as follows:

  1. Government & Law (18%): Although the top industry for Army officers, they are the least likely of the Armed Services to end up here, a full 25% less likely than Air Force, and 7% less likely than Navy officers.
  2. Technology (17%)
  3. Business (11%): most likely of all officers to enter into Business. They are 41% more likely than Air Force and 13% more likely than Navy officers.
  4. Financial Services (11%): most likely of all officers to enter into Financial Services. They are 73% more likely than Air Force and 19% more likely than Navy officers.
  5. Health Services (7%): most likely of all officers to enter into Health Services. They are 39% more likely than Navy and 15% more likely than Air Force officers.
  6. Real Estate & Construction (7%): most likely of all officers to end up here, as they are 26% more likely than Air Force and 21% more likely than Navy officers.
  7. Other (6%)
  8. Education & Research (6%): most likely of all officers to end up here, with Army officers 26% more likely than Air Force and 21% more likely than Navy officers.
  9. Arts (4%): least likely of all officers to end up here, as they are 3% less likely than both Air Force and Navy officers.
  10. Consumer Packaged Goods (4%): most likely member of the Armed Services to end up in CPG. They are 66% more likely than Air Force and 27% more likely than Navy officers to end up here.
  11. Manufacturing (4%): most likely member of the Armed Services to end up in Manufacturing. They are 57% more likely than Air Force and 23% more likely than Navy to end up here.
  12. Transportation (4%): least likely of all officers to enter Transportation. They are 77% less likely than Air Force and 56% less likely than Navy officers.

Functional Roles [data visualization here]:

The top 10 Functional Roles for Army officers is as follows:

  1. Operations (21%): Although this is the most common Functional Role for Army officers, compared to other branches of the military, Army is the least likely to pursue a functional role in Operations. They are 31% less likely than Air Force and 7% less likely than Navy officers.
  2. Sales (12%): most likely of all branches of the military to pursue a role in Sales; 63% more likely than Air Force and 21% more likely than Navy officers.
  3. Entrepreneurship (11%): most likely of all branches of the military to pursue a role in Entrepreneurship; 15% more likely than Air Force and 5% more likely than Navy officers.
  4. Program & Project Management (10%): most likely of all branches of the military to pursue a role here; 26% more likely than Air Force and 2% more likely than Navy officers.
  5. Engineering (10%): least likely of all members of the Armed Forces to pursue a role in Engineering; 15% less likely than Navy and 2% less likely than Air Force officers.
  6. Finance (8%): most likely of all members of the Armed Forces to pursue a role in Finance; 61% more likely than Air Force and 13% than Navy officers.
  7. Consulting (8%): most likely of all members of the Armed Forces to pursue a role in Consulting; 41% more likely than Air Force and 10% more likely than Navy officers.
  8. Education (7%): least likely of all members of the Armed Forces to pursue a role in Education; 17% less likely than Air Force and 1% less likely than Navy officers.
  9. Information Technology (7%): least likely of all military officers to pursue a role in IT; 9% less likely than Air Force and 7% less likely than Navy officers.
  10. Military & Protective Services (6%): least likely of all military officers to pursue a role here; 22% less likely than Air Force and 5% less likely than Navy officers.

Company Size [data visualization here]:

Army officers are most likely to join a company that has:

  1. 10,000+ Employees (37%): Although Army officers are most likely to end up in a massive organization, they are the least likely of all officers to end up here; 22% less likely than Air Force and 2% less likely than Navy officers.
  2. 1,001 to 5,000 Employees (14%)
  3. 51 to 200 Employees (10%)
  4. 11 to 50 Employees (10%)
  5. 201 to 500 Employees (8%): most likely of all military officers to end up at a company of this size; 15% more likely than Air Force and 5% more likely than Navy officers.
  6. 1 to 10 Employees (8%): most likely of all military officers to end up at a company of this size; 19% more likely than Air Force and 8% more likely than Navy officers.
  7. 5,001 to 10,000 Employees (7%): most likely of all military officers to end up at a company of this size; 24% more likely than Air Force and 5% more likely than Navy officers.
  8. 501 to 1,000 Employees (6%): most likely of all military officers to end up at a company of this size; 32% more likely than Air Force and 16% more likely than Navy officers.
  9. Self-Employed (1%)

U.S. Air Force [data visualizations here]:

Industries [data visualization here]:

The top twelve industry categories for Air Force officers is as follows:

  1. Government & Law (25%): most likely of all officers to pursue a career in Government & Law. This is driven mostly by the subcategory of Defense & Space, where Air Force veterans are 118% more likely than Army and 64% more likely than Navy officers to pursue a career. Overall when it comes to Government & Law, Air Force officers are 33% more likely than Army and 25% more likely than Navy officers to pursue a career here.
  2. Transportation (16%): most likely of all officers to pursue a career in Transportation. This is driven mostly by two subcategories dominated by the Air Force: (1) Aviation & Aerospace, where Air Force officers are 244% more likely than Army and 72% more likely than Navy officers to pursue a career; and (2) Airlines/Aviation where Air Force officers are 1,082% more likely than Army and 152% more likely than Navy officers to pursue a career. Overall, when it comes to the Transportation industry, Air Force officers are 341% more likely than Army and 92% more likely than Navy officers to pursue a career here.
  3. Technology (15%): although this is the third highest rated Industry for Air Force officers, they are the least likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 12% less likely than Navy and 11% less likely than Army officers.
  4. Business (8%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 29% less likely than Army and 20% less likely than Navy officers.
  5. Health Service (6%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 21% less likely than Navy and 13% less likely than Army officers.
  6. Financial Services (6%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 42% less likely than Army and 31% less likely than Navy officers.
  7. Real Estate & Construction (6%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 21% less likely than Army and 4% less likely than Navy officers.
  8. Education & Research (5%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 21% less likely than Navy and 18% less likely than Army officers.
  9. Arts (4%)
  10. Other (4%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 50% less likely than Navy and 37% less likely than Army officers.
  11. Manufacturing (3%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 36% less likely than Army and 22% less likely than Navy officers.
  12. Consumer Packaged Goods (2%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 40% less likely than Army and 24% less likely than Navy officers.

Functional Roles [data visualization here]:

The top 10 Functional Roles for Army officers is as follows:

  1. Operations (30%): most likely of all officers to pursue this Functional Role; 44% more likely than Army and 33% more likely than Navy officers.
  2. Engineering (10%)
  3. Entrepreneurship (9%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Functional Role; 13% less likely than Army and 9% less likely than Navy officers.
  4. Education (9%): most likely of all officers to pursue this Functional Role; 20% more likely than Army and 19% more likely than Navy officers.
  5. Program & Project Management (8%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Functional Role; 21% less likely than Army and 19% less likely than Navy officers.
  6. Military & Projective Services (8%): most likely of all officers to pursue this Functional Role; 28% more likely than Army and 22% more likely than Navy officers.
  7. Information Technology (8%): most likely of all officers to pursue this Functional Role; 10% more likely than Army and 2% more likely than Navy officers.
  8. Sales (7%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Functional Role; 39% less likely than Army and 25% less likely than Navy officers.
  9. Consulting (6%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Functional Role; 29% less likely than Army and 22% less likely than Navy officers.
  10. Finance (5%): least likely of all officers to pursue this Functional Role; 38% less likely than Army and 30% less likely than Navy officers.

Company Size [data visualization here]:

Air Force officers are most likely to join a company that has:

  1. 10,000+ Employees (47%): most likely of all officers to join a company of this size; 28% more likely than Army and 22% more likely than Navy officers.
  2. 1,001 to 5,000 Employees (12%): least likely of all officers to join a company of this size; 20% less likely than Navy and 17% less likely than Army officers.
  3. 51 to 200 Employees (9%): least likely of all officers to join a company of this size; 17% less likely than Navy and 14% less likely than Army officers.
  4. 11 to 50 Employees (8%): least likely of all officers to join a company of this size; 16% less likely than Navy and 15% less likely than Army officers.
  5. 201 to 500 Employees (7%): least likely of all officers to join a company of this size; 13% less likely than Army and 9% less likely than Navy officers.
  6. 1 to 10 Employees (6%): least likely of all officers to join a company of this size; 16% less likely than Army and 10% less likely than Navy officers.
  7. 5,001 to 10,000 Employees (5%): least likely of all officers to join a company of this size; 19% less likely than Army and 15% less likely than Navy officers.
  8. 501 to 1,000 Employees (5%): least likely of all officers to join a company of this size; 24% less likely than Army and 13% less likely than Navy officers.
  9. Self-Employed (1%): least likely of all officers to join a company of this size; 14% less likely than Navy and 0.03% less likely than Army officers.

U.S. Navy [data visualization here]:

Industries [data visualization here]:

The top twelve industry categories for Navy officers is as follows:

  1. Government & Law (20%)
  2. Technology (17%): most likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 29% more likely than Army and 20% more likely than Navy officers.
  3. Business (10%)
  4. Financial Services (9%)
  5. Transportation (8%)
  6. Other (8%): most likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 99% more likely than Air Force and 25% more likely than Army officers.
  7. Education & Research (6%): most likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 26% more likely than Air Force and 3% more likely than Army officers.
  8. Real Estate & Construction (6%)
  9. Health Services (5%)
  10. Manufacturing (3%)
  11. Consumer Packaged Goods (3%)
  12. Arts (4%): most likely of all officers to pursue this Industry; 3% more likely than Air Force and 0.1% more likely than Army officers.

Functional Roles [data visualization here]:

The top 10 Functional Roles for Navy officers is as follows:

  1. Operations (23%)
  2. Engineering (11%): most likely of all officers to pursue this Functional Role; 18% more likely than Army and 15% more likely than Air Force officers.
  3. Program & Project Management (10%)
  4. Entrepreneurship (10%)
  5. Sales (10%)
  6. Information Technology (8%)
  7. Education (7%)
  8. Finance (7%)
  9. Consulting (7%)
  10. Military & Protective Services (7%)

Company Size [data visualization here]:

Navy officers are most likely to join a company that has:

  1. 10,000+ Employees (38%)
  2. 1,001 to 5,000 Employees (14%): most likely of all officers to join a company of this size; 25% more likely than Air Force and 3% more likely than Army officers.
  3. 51 to 200 Employees (10%): most likely of all officers to join a company of this size; 20% more likely than Air Force and 3% more likely than Army officers.
  4. 11 to 50 Employees (10%): most likely of all officers to join a company of this size; 19% more likely than Air Force and 2% more likely than Army officers.
  5. 201 to 500 Employees (8%)
  6. 1 to 10 Employees (7%)
  7. 5,001 to 10,000 Employees (6%)
  8. 501 to 1,000 Employees (5%)
  9. Self-Employed (1%): most likely of all officers to be self-employed; 16% more likely than both Army and Air Force officers.

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Methodology for "Army vs. Air Force vs. Navy: How Branch of Military Services Affects One's Career"

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The "Army vs. Air Force vs. Navy" data visualization base all analysis on graduates from service academies. The reason for this is that LinkedIn, through their "school" search criteria makes it possible to gather data for service academy graduates, but there is no other direct way to gather data for all military officers. I want to continue this research for the enlisted community, but felt that the data would be different enough that it was important to separate the data first. The final result of this initial data can be viewed here.

I grouped the data around several key areas related to a post-military career.

  1. Industry: I looked at all 147 LinkedIn classified Industries, except for "Military." This was the easiest way to look at Army, Navy and Air Froce Officers on LinkedIn who are no longer on Active Duty. The 147 categories did not provide as much insight, so I created my own subset of categories in order to extract higher-level takeaways. I was unable to find any official guidance on the best way to create these subgroups, but provide an overview of my grouping here.
  2. Function: Fortunately, LinkedIn only provides 12 different categories for Functional Roles. However, LinkedIn only shows the top 10 industries, so this is what I have shown in the data visualization.
  3. Size of Company: This was the simplest to obtain, as LinkedIn only provides 9 categories for Company Size, and provides this data consistently for all service branches. As a result, the data here will be the most accurate to actual LinkedIn data.

In order to display the data, I used the New York Time's D3 model. Special thanks to Nemil Dalal, who put together the majority of this data, and helped me as I put together the small remainder he did not complete. I also used Upwork in a few locations to help me edit this models and add them to my Wordpress website template.

All feedback and suggestions are welcome here.