Military Bottom Line

After separating from the military twice, I narrowed down the two most important factors for a successful transition.  The sooner you start working on these, the better prepared you will be to move from the military sector to civilian. 

Build that runway!

Kyle joined the Marine Corps in 2011 and worked as a helicopter mechanic as part of HMX, the presidential helicopter squadron. After 5 years of being on call and traveling the world, Kyle called it quits after his first contract. Following his enlistment, Kyle returned to the midwest to finish his college education. Like most others, Kyle began his exit using the GI Bill, that is until he learned about VR&E. Since then, Kyle has been able to get his private pilot's license, study abroad, move on to grad school and continue maximizing his benefits 6 years later. Kyle is also the only person I have ever met who has kept track of how much the VA has paid him/schools towards his education... Listen to the full episode to find out how much he's earned via his education benefits.  

Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn  

Ali is a commissioned USAF officer - despite obtaining the rank of Major and being over halfway to retirement, she’s on her way out of the Air Force. Throughout the episode we talk about why Ali joined the military in the first place, failing out of pilot training and the impact it had on her and how she found the career of her dreams.  We also talk about how she was able to double her paychecks during the last year of her military career and how that has prepared her for the infamous military transition.

Connect with Ali

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwr0AabqTv5QGEw05mNhoCw

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ali_the_agent/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ali_the_agent

Building credit early will provide lower mortgage rate later on when you use your VA loan to buy a multi-unit property. Lower interest rate means you save money on a mortgage payment. Lower mortgage payment on a multi-unit means you make more money. It's that simple.  

Start early, use responsibly, and follow my three credit card rules.

Scott is a recently retired Army Command Sergeant Major with 30 years of military service. After his military retirement, Scott started working for Army Emergency Relief (AER) and has been doing amazing things to help current and transitioning service members. This episode highlights the benefits of Career Skills Program (CSP) for transitioning veterans and how any and all soldiers who participate in CSP are eligible for grant money - this can cover moving expenses, tools, uniforms, etc. - ranging from $500-$1500! Scott shares so much valuable information about applications, timelines, and everything else you need to know about the grants available through AER.

Connect with Scott

[email protected]

Army Emergency Relief

David grew up in San Francisco and commissioned via OCS while attending Princeton University. He served as an artillery officer in the Marine Corps and completed two deployments before separating in 2021. In this episode, we focus on David’s creative pursuits and his encouragement for other veterans to do the same. We talk about the community David is building known as League of Veterans and how he hopes to get veterans involved in the NFT space and to ultimately provide grants and scholarships for veterans pursuing their creative passions.   

Connect with David: 

Twitter

Instagram  

The habits your build early in your military career have a massive impact on how your transition plays out. Start your first year in the military by building strong habits that will pay dividends in the future.

Despite this being a joke, I regularly see people take these steps when transitioning out of the military. If you want to make it hard on yourself, follow these steps.

Not every state as equal benefits for its guard members. Some states offer as little as $4,500/year towards tuition, while other offer a tuition waiver that allows you to attend school for free as long as you're in the guard.  The guard unit you  you join has a massive impact on your overall ability to achieve your educational goals affordably.   Combining the state education benefits with the federal Chapter 1606 Selected Reserve Montgomery GI Bill can really set you ahead.

You have two choices if you're failing a class using the GI Bill. Either you drop the class, or you keep going and take the F.  Don't miss the dangers of both of these options.