“It's more change than you ever think it will be, because in the corporate world plans change all the time. Everything changes even more so than in the military. Don't expect a table nine to five job where you're just going to sit in the office all day. That's what you imagine when you're in the military - 'Oh, I wish I had more stability and wasn't changing around so much.' But it's just like that if not more in the corporate world."
 – Shaoli Breaux

Shaoli Breaux is part of the Junior Officer Leadership Program at GE Oil & Gas in Houston, Texas. She started out at the Naval Academy, and served as a Surface Warfare Officer for for 5.5 years. After she left the Navy, she stayed at home to take care of her young children for two years. Then, she transitioned directly to General Electric.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• An overview of the Junior Officer Leadership Program at General Electric
• What the GE Junior Officer Leadership Program looks like on a day-to-day basis
• What it was like to re-enter the workforce after two years of maternity leave
• What Shaoli's experience has been like in the Reserves while at General Electric
• And much, much more…

 

Links

• GE's Junior Officer Leadership Program: https://www.ge.com/careers/culture/us-veterans/junior-officer-leadership-program

Show Notes

• 1:35 - Shaoli's background
• 2:20 - An overview of the Junior Officer Leadership Program at General Electric
• 3:34 - Examples of the types of rotations available at a program like the GE JOLP
• 5:02 - What happens at the end of the two year rotational program
• 5:55 - An overview of the application process and advice for veterans considering applying
• 7:20 - What the GE Junior Officer Leadership Program looks like on a day-to-day basis
• 9:00 - The most challenging aspect of the GE Junior Officer Leadership Program
• 11:43 - Indications you may be well suited for the JOLP and indications that you may not like it
• 13:20 - What Shaoli wished she had known when she first started the GE Junior Officer Leadership Program
• 15:22 - Shaoli's decision to leave the military and how she approached this decision
• 16:30 - What it was like to re-enter the workforce after two years of maternity leave
• 17:55 - What Shaoli's experience has been like in the Reserves while at General Electric
• 19:20 - In what ways Shaoli felt ahead and behind her civilian counterparts
• 21:30 - Good habits that Shaoli learned in the military that she's tried to maintain, and habits she's had to break
• 23:20 - The most surprising aspects of Shaoli's transition to civilian life
• 26:07 - Advice on how to best prepare for one's transition from active duty
• 28:06 - Shaoli's final words of wisdom