Timothy Avery faced his transition to civilian life much earlier than anticipated, and found himself - far ahead of his peer set - having to decide what to do. Initially, he found his way to Management Consulting, where he worked with both BearingPoint and Booz Allen Hamilton. However, after further consideration, he navigated his way to a doctoral program in clinical psychology (i.e., Doctorate of Psychology, or PsyD). In all my interviews, one of the most commonly cited pieces of advice from veterans is to make sure that "you know yourself as you prepare for your job search." Tim does an exceptional job of breaking down practical ways in which you can do this.

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

• How Tim unexpectedly found himself transitioning to civilian life...twice
• An overview of the Management Consulting industry and the key players
• What day-to-day life is like as a consultant
• How he transitioned into a PsyD/PhD program
• What day-to-day life is like as a PsyD student
• His advice for how to better understand what will make you happy
• And much, much more…
  • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking hereand choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• Recruiters Mentioned: The Lucas Group, Cameron-Brooks
• Consulting Firms mentioned: Ernst & Young (EY), Deloitte, KPMG, McKinsey & Co., Bain & Co., Boston Consulting Group, Booz Allen Hamilton
• Book recommendation: What Color is Your Parachute
• American Psychology Association conference
• The Yellow Ribbon Program
• If any veteran ever feels in distress, please call:800-273-TALK, 1 if military / veteran
  • Can text as well

Show Notes

• [2:23] Background
• [3:58] An unexpected transition to civilian life...twice
• [5:45] How the Consulting industry supported the Naval Reserves
• [8:34] Researching possible careers and deciding on Management Consulting
• [13:25] Management Consulting firms where Veterans should consider applying
• [15:53] A day in the life of a consultant
• [21:18] Travel and Consulting Work
• [22:29] How life compared between BearingPoint and Booz Allen Hamilton
• [22:59] Switching to advanced education in Psychology
• [27:47] The process of starting a PsyD/PhD
• [33:15] Planning ahead for transitions...they take longer than you'd think
• [36:40] A day in the life of a PsyD student
• [40:50] Advice for increasing self-knowledge as you approach your job search
• [52:50] Advice for all veterans