I spent 26 years of my life working, riding, and deploying on various U.S. Navy ships and commands. My service allowed me the luxury of working on and overseeing numerous electrical, mechanical and weapon systems. I truly believe my military experience gave me a clear understanding of the pace and work process of ship repair.
Now, I’ve been working as an electrical shop craft supervisor at BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair (NSR) for the last 15 years. The only difference is, I traded in a uniform for a hard hat.
My best career advice for transitioning service members is to start your new career as soon as you can to maintain momentum. Or as we say it in the U.S. Navy, hitting the deck plates running. As a marine electrician, you get to continue to do what you love and what you were trained to do, without the long deployments.
For me, a career here allows me to continue to apply the knowledge I acquired in the military but also continue to serve our country in a new and different capacity.
