For many officers, the decision to transition (or not) comes down to a matter of security or safety. Guaranteed promotions, paychecks, and pensions can leave officers with the perception that staying in is the safe choice. 

Sure, the transition is a bit of a risk, but the truth is, for many officers, this perceived safety is a fallacy. A fallacy that keeps us from pursuing what's important to us, finding a career that best uses our talents and skills, and discovering a new definition of "security" and "safety" that the tunnel vision of the military doesn't allow us to see.

We want to hear from you! You can email us at [email protected] & the Corporate Captains Facebook Group has over 600 current and former military officer talking transition. Come join us.

This episode is a portion of an interview I (Brent) did with a fellow podcaster amongst the military officer ranks. The 20+ minute clip is a shockingly enlightening synopsis of why the conversation around the transition is so important. It was particularly shocking because I was on a podcast trying to create more officers (CommisionED: An Air Force Officer Podcast) and while this is certainly not the mission of Corporate Captains, one could argue we are trying to make fewer officers. 

I was asked to talk about my career field and experience as an Air Force officer, but about halfway through the interview, the host of the show (Colin Slade) gave me the opportunity to talk transition. I'm sharing it on the Corporate Captain's feed because when I listened back to our conversation, I was blown away with how well it hit on why it's critical for officers to be thinking transition early (regardless of whether they get out or stay in) and truthfully, why Jay and I even started the Corporate Captains podcast. 

Check out what Colid Slade and Reed Gann are doing over at CommissionED, and if you have someone if your life interested in becoming an officer, their podcast and Facebook page are incredible resources.

We want to hear from you! You can email us at [email protected] & the Corporate Captains Facebook Group has over 600 current and former military officer talking transition. Come join us.

One of the most frequent questions we get asked is how to effectively balance "going it alone" while also working with a recruiter. Often the recruiter what's you to pour everything you have into their program, but as a transitioning military officer, you have to do what's best for you. Often, that means beginning the networking and career hunt on your own

This episode, we share our experience, what we learned in the process of doing our own thing while working with recruiters, and provide some recommendations on how to tackle the issue in your own transition.

GIVEAWAY INFO:

We're giving away, "Range" by David Epstein, one Brent's recommendation from Episode 13. You've got up to 6 opportunities to win. Here's how to be eligible for the book:

1. Subscribe to the podcast (Send us a screenshot to the pod in your library)
2. Rate the podcast (5 stars if you feel the pod is worthy, plus that'll help us find more officers)
3. Share the podcast (Shoot an episode to a junior military officer in your life that might benefit from candid discussion on the transition)
4. Join the "Corporate Captain" Facebook group (already in the group? Great! Just let us know)
5. Email us at [email protected]

Send us some screenshots or just let us know which entries you took advantage of, then email us or reach out to Brent on Facebook, or LinkedIn. Each step is worth an entry. So, up to 6 chances to win.

BONUS ENTRY - When you reach out, drop us a question or let us know something specific that you've been thinking about as you work through your own transition decisions.

"You have to network." "Networking is the most important thing." "You're nothing without a network." We've all heard it a thousand times, but it's a lot easier said than done. So, what are practical steps military officers can take RIGHT NOW to expand their network and prepare for a successful transition.

Just like the "click-baity" title says, we have a conversation that covers 9 tactical and strategic tips we used in our own transition that not only paid dividends in the transition but continue to bear fruit a year-plus into the transition.

Episode Recommendations:

Brent - Thank You Cards from Amazon

Jay - Make Me Smart w/ Kai and Molly

We want to hear from you! You can email us at [email protected] & Corporate Captains now has a Facebook group!

In this episode, we talk about the paralyzing thought of thinking the transition has to be perfect. The thought that, straight out of the gate, you have to get an offer with a certain job title, number of reports, and salary. The thought that you have to land at the perfect company, with a great culture, and all the opportunity in the world. This simply isn't the case.

The transition for military officers is all about playing the long game of growth and development as a leader. Business and corporate America is a great way to make it happen and taking a step sideways, or even what seems as backward, is not just a good career move but capitalizes on one of the great benefits of transition; flexibility and growth.

We hammer through the truth of the lies we tell ourselves about the transition, the current culture on the "outside," and ways capitalize on countless opportunities once you've made the transition.

Episode Recommendations:

Brent - Use pandemic-time to start a blog (or a podcast) and build your brand!

Jay - Take Charge of Your Brand by Giselle Nunez

We want to hear from you! You can email us at [email protected] & Corporate Captains now has a Facebook group!

We have an Air Force and Marine background, but there are some universal truths about the skills military officers have. One of those truths is that it's difficult to know the exact skills we have that are not only transferrable by desired by business, corporate America, and the private section.

We discuss what skills do transitioning military officers have that are transferrable to business and corporate America. We talk "hard skills" vs "soft skills" and what employers are actually looking for vs what the job posting says. 

Episode Recommendations:

Brent - Range by David Epstein

Jay - Subscribe to a business publication and take a deep dive into the current culture and climate of the private sector (Fortune is a favorite)

We want to hear from you! You can email us at [email protected] & Corporate Captains now has a Facebook group!

We are both a year-plus into the transition and it's been everything we expected and nothing we expected all at the same time.

We give an update on what's been going on, surprises we've encountered, the best/worst parts of the transition (so far), and how our outlook has changed/evolved, if at all. 

We want to hear from you! You can email us at [email protected] & Corporate Captains now has a Facebook group!

Jay shares a conversation he had recently with one of his former Marines that hits close to home for any military officer that has made the transition. Regardless of how successful the transition is, there can be a sense that something is missing. The feeling of purpose and what that looks like everyday changes, even amid chasing vocational goals and dreams in business and corporate America. 

We discuss this venue change for purpose and why it can be a great thing, but still be difficult to deal with.

We want to hear from you! You can reach out via Twitter @corpcaptainpod or email us at [email protected]

In this episode, we talk about the "why" behind the transition. Everyone's transition is unique, but we are all chasing something. It's a tough game to play with so many unknowns and we are often led to a situation where we have to wait to be in the place, job, or situation we ultimately want to be in. 

So, we talk salary, job titles, location, and everything in between to expose a lot of the "shiny objects" that can keep your "why" from being at the core and prevent us from casting a strong vision

We want to hear from you! You can reach out via Twitter @corpcaptainpod or email us at [email protected]

For this episode, we have the incredible honor of welcoming Jay's wife Caitlin and Brent's wife Sarah to the podcast. The transition was not a journey we took alone and we both have a debt of gratitude to the role they played in our transition.

We are eternally grateful, but one of the main reasons we wanted to have our wives on the show is because of the unique perspective they bring. The more we talked to them during and after the transition, the more we realized the value they'd bring to ANY military officer considering the transition to business and corporate America.

So, single, married, doesn't matter. This is a great episode as our wives take the filter off and share the good, bad, and the ugly of the transition.

We want to hear from you! You can reach out via Twitter @corpcaptainpod or email us at [email protected]