Veterans in the Park

Shayne Kuhaneck joined the Navy's nuclear power program in 1992 and spent six years as a machinist mate on a fast-attack submarine out of Pearl Harbor. Today he is the chief accounting officer at a software company. Almost none of the distance between those two jobs was planned.

He walks through the actual sequence. The six-year mark, where re-enlisting for two more years really meant deciding whether to do twenty. A final year with ten months of it spent at sea. A first civilian job at a trash-burning power plant that looked nothing like the tour he was given on interview day — "something out of a Stephen King novel" — and that he left after two weeks. Then a recruiter's phone call that opened with, "What do you know about cryogenic liquid?"

He also covers what nobody told him on the way out: that naval nuclear power school converts to real college credit if you file the paperwork, and that a state education benefit he found by accident is what put him through the University of Connecticut. His message to his younger self is blunt — do your homework, find out every benefit you earned, and use all of them.

The episode ends where a lot of transitions stall: how to talk about service in a room full of civilians. Shayne's answer is the story he told a Big Four interviewer about the night his submarine lost propulsion — and what the interviewer said about him on the way out of the building.

A conversation between two people who were in at the same time on opposite sides of the pier. Whether you are at a re-enlistment decision, holding a first civilian job that isn't working, or trying to explain what your rate actually meant, this one is worth the twenty minutes.

Join me, Charles, as I sit down with William Wang, a former Army infantry officer, on Veterans in the Park. In this episode, William shares his remarkable journey from military service to becoming a senior product manager at Microsoft. We explore his transition from the 25th Infantry Division to the tech industry, discussing the pivotal role of leadership skills honed in the military. William reveals how operating with minimal guidance and embracing ambiguity prepared him for challenges in AI and product management. He also reflects on his motivations for joining the military and the critical moments that shaped his career path. Tune in to hear how William's military experiences continue to influence his innovative work in technology today.

In this episode of Veteran in the Park, host Charles sits down with Brian Tien, a former Army Armor Officer who successfully transitioned from the military to a civilian career as an Account Strategist at Google.

Brian shares his journey from West Point to commanding Abrams tanks at Fort Hood, and opens up about the unexpected cultural challenges of stepping into the civilian corporate world—from adjusting to flexible schedules to navigating casual workplace interactions. Tune in to hear Brian's candid reflections on the importance of networking, why you should leave the military without regrets, and his best advice for service members who are contemplating their own transition to civilian life.