I Inc and Beyond

Jonathon could have made some bad choices in his life and wound up in prison or dead.

However, he chose to take control and find ways to not only be successful, but to go the next step and give back. 

Listen to this inspirational podcast and if you want to reach out to him, you can contact him at: [email protected] or call him at: 909-694-7778. 

Good luck. 

Josh Atkinson has a ton of powerful suggestions and ideas about how to make the transition from the military into civilian life in an effective and value based way.  His interview is loaded with insightful suggestions about how to best take advantage of the opportunities you are facing. 

He has developed an idea using the fishing and hunting metaphor to help explain ways to help your job search be more successful. 

He also talks about the value of earning certifications and how they can help open doors for you. 

Some suggested sites to check out: 

https://dodskillbridge.usalearning.gov/

https://www.pm-prolearn.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajatkinson/

Bottom line, figure out what you want to make happen, do what you need to do to prepare and then take your best shot at your desired role. 

Good luck. 

James Quilty is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Sofia Information Technology Consulting, Inc. (SofiaITC).  He has a rich background in Information Technology with over 20 years in Information Technology Program/Project Management, Systems Engineering, and Information Security supporting military and law enforcement missions both as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the U.S Army (Military Intelligence) and as a government contractor at the Pentagon, FBI, FAA, and USSOCOM.

James is on the Board of Directors as President for the Central Florida Chapter (CFC) National Veteran Small Business Coalition (NVSBC) and on the Advisory Counsel for Global SOF Foundation (GSF).

James’ has extensive experience in information technology and project management, and as such, is able to speak with credibility about career opportunities in both Project Management and Cyber Security.

James holds a Master’s in Business Administration with a Graduate Certificate in Information Security from Keller Graduate School of Management along with Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the American Inter-Continental University.

James is also a U.S. Army Service Disabled Veteran and has received numerous awards and certificates of appreciation for the work that he has done.

He clearly argues that no one size fits all and you have to tailor your strategy to meet your needs.  Do informational interviews.  Build your network. Do your homework. And in the end, you will be successful in your career pursuits.

Good luck.

Dr. Charlie Starkman is a Clinical Psychologist at the University of Michigan in Dearborn and works with student veterans in helping them transition back into a civilian role. 

Dr. Starkman reminds us that isolation is often one of the strong reactions that veterans often take when trying to deal with the changes in their lives and it often takes baby steps to move beyond that isolation. 

If you, or a friend or relative, are struggling with any of the potential mental health issues associated with making the transition back into civilian life please take action. 

If you are in a university setting, you can reach out to the counselling office on campus. 

If not, you can reach out to No Veteran Left Behind at:

http://www.noveteranleftbehind.us/index.html

Or you can contact me at:

https://tinyurl.com/VetsandRC

and let me know you need help and I will get you in touch with someone who can help you. 

There are resources to help you so please take advantage of them.  You deserve to live a happy and productive life after your service in the military.   

If you are even the least bit interested in project management, you need to listen to this episode with Shaunna Patterson.

In addition to her insight regarding the world of project management, she also has some great suggestions about how to stand out from the crown, how to be valuable and how to network. 

You can reach out to her on LinkedIn and if you are interested in a Project Management opportunity, be sure to connect with her. 

Also, as a reminder, we are also running our one day workshop for Veterans on January 16th.  Check it out here and register if you are interested in attending:  https://pmiglc.org/calendar?eventId=6424

Good luck.  

Listen to Grayson Wilson, a former interviewee on this podcast from a few months ago, talk about the progress he has made in his career pursuits. 

Grayson talks about developing his personal sweet spot and how he seeks out mentoring and guidance.  He also focuses on how he "pays attention" to what is happening in his life and what he needs to do to change things when they are not going in the direction he wants to choose.  

He also talks about the importance of personal reflection and how it can help inform many of the decisions we make in a positive manner. 

Hope you enjoy listening to his progress. 

Good luck. 

Learn about how an accomplished 28+ year veteran who retired as an Army Colonel, made a successful transition from the military to the civilian world. 

Colonel (Retired) Roger Jones is a native of Hampton, Virginia. He graduated from Norfolk State University a (HBCU) and received his Commission as an Infantry Officer in 1985.

Roger served as an Infantry Rifle Platoon Leader, Scout Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, Company Commander and Ranger Instructor before going to the U.S. Army Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1992.

Roger’s Special Operations assignments ranged from Special Forces Operational Detachment (A) Commander at the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Special Operations Forces Acquisitions Operational Test & Evaluator, through Special Forces Group Deputy Commander and Battalion Command at United States Army Recruiting Command.

After Roger’s Battalion Command, he was assigned to Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) at MacDill Air Force Base where he deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Pakistan in support of OEF-AFG.

After retiring in 2014, Roger transitioned to a career in the Defense Industry first working for Northrop Grumman and then two small companies supporting Special Operations Command Central, SOCCENT’s Joint Exercises Planning cell. He then worked for another small business – SHINE Systems & Technologies – to manage their SOCOM Wide Mission Support-B (SWMS-B) portfolio efforts.

That experience led to Roger’s employment with ARMA Global, a General Dynamics Company to manage their SWMS-A portfolio as a Senior Program Manager.

Roger currently works for Spathe Systems as their Vice President of Mission Support.

In the interview, Colonel Jones mentioned Four Block.  You can find out more information by going to the following website: 

fourblock.org

Also, if you want more information about Colonel Jones or want to reach out to him directly, let us know by going to the following website and submitting a "contact us" page with your specific request included:

https://tinyurl.com/VetsandRC

Good luck.   

Sandy Lawrence has just released her new book called The Transitioned Veteran, Success beyond Service and we have an exclusive interview with her about the book. 

Learn about her background, why she chose to write the book, some insight into it's structure and how you can use it to help inform some of the decisions you need to make in the transition from the military to the civilian world. 

Sandy has interviewed 53 veterans and learned about the common and unique experiences of veterans from all of the branches of the military along with the different ranks. 

You can find the book at the following website: 

https://tinyurl.com/TTVSBS

Good luck. 

Colonel Keith Sousa has over 35 years of distinguished military service, starting as a Private and finishing his career as a Colonel in the US Army.

While on active duty he held numerous significant leadership roles in several locations around the United States and In Germany 

More recently he has been responsible for managing the daily operations of an Army Reserve Group located throughout the state of Michigan with direct supervision of sixteen personnel, and indirectly responsible for over one hundred personnel.  He ensured that the functions of personnel, training, logistics, maintenance, and budgeting were in accordance with established standards, rules and regulations.  He supervised the staff in the execution of their duties.  Monitored facility coordination operations.  Ensured that Army Reserve Centers were efficiently maintained, operated and controlled consistent with current directives and regulations. 

Colonel Sousa has some great suggestions for veterans to pursue upon separation from the military and some very important steps to take to ensure that you are able to take advantage of the benefits and opportunities that are available to you. 

If you want to reach out to him for more information, he can be reached at: 

[email protected]

Also, if you want to explore several career related opportunities, check out the following web site: 

https://tinyurl.com/VetsandRC

Good luck.