Starting My Next Chapter In The Civilian World

So lots of news this month on my transition from the military! I’m now officially out of active duty service. It has been a wild ride and I’ve loved every minute of it (even the parts that were not exactly fun). I was able to work with some of the best and brightest that our nation has to offer, especially all my brothers in Special Operations. I’ll miss it and I don’t know if I’ll ever find something as challenging and rewarding as my time in the military, but I’m certainly going to try. My last day was a little anticlimactic – you just walk into the office, sign a few documents, have some people check your paperwork, and then you just walk out. That’s it. I left my detachment a while ago. So, there weren’t really any goodbyes or farewells. You just kind of leave. I’m not sure what I was expecting exactly, maybe at least a “That’s it, you’re done.” I probably checked my paperwork at least twice right after I left the building to make sure I wasn’t forgetting something. 

But on to the next chapter.

I’ve done plenty of interviews and applications recently trying to find a new career. What I will say is that the Indiana University network, specifically the MBA alumni network, was a great way to open doors at a lot of different organizations. I would reach out to individuals who I’d never met, and they always took the time to talk to me and help me however they could, just because they saw I’m a Kelley Direct student. And I’m only halfway through the program. I can only imagine the doors that will open once I’ve spent another year meeting and networking with everyone in the program. 

In the end, though, it was my network from the military, the Special Operators Transition Foundation, that helped me start my new journey. They walked me through the entire process, from building my resume to reviewing offer letters. This month I started my new career in the healthcare industry with Curative, Inc. It is a relatively new start-up company that has certainly matched the pace and complexity that I often encountered in special operations – something I wasn’t sure was possible. It’s also a remote position, which will take some getting used to. I’m now fully remote with both my job and my education, which is great considering gas prices recently. 

If I were to give any advice to someone, whether they are transitioning out of the military or getting ready to start a career after getting their degree, it would be to take advantage of all the resources available to them. Both the U.S. Army and Indiana University have numerous programs, services, and networks to help you every step along the way. If I hadn’t already been working with a transition program, I certainly would have leveraged the Graduate Career Services offered by IU. From what I have seen so far, I know it would have been a huge help.