This isn’t meant to be a full “how-to”. And I definitely did not do everything right. But it helps to get a picture of what a transition looks like.
May 2011: Graduated and commissioned into the infantry.
August 2012: Left Ft. Benning after IBOLC and Ranger School; reported to Ft. Bragg and 3rd BCT, 82nd Airborne and started PL time.
December 2014: Deployed to Iraq.
April 2015: Redeployed to attend Civil Affairs Assessment and Selection (CAAS).
September 2015: Started Civil Affairs Qualification Course.
December 2016: Graduated CAQC, reported to 96th CA BN (CENTCOM).
June 2017: Deployed to Syria. During deployment is when I really started thinking about life after the military and decided on pursuing an MBA. This is when I started researching programs and thinking about post-MBA careers.
November 2017: Redeployed from Syria.
June 2018: First time taking the GRE.
August 2018: Initiated contact with a veteran’s club at one of my top MBA choices and worked with them on my resume. So I started this process about a year before I planned on applying.
October 2018: Deployed to Saudia Arabia. This was a pretty cush deployment, so I had a fair amount of extra time. During this time I probably had about 20 phone calls (via whatsapp as I was overseas) with vets at various schools. This was huge in learning about their culture and different opportunities at each school. I started compiling notes about what I was looking for and how I saw those attributes at each school.
December 2018: Started getting serious anxiety about managing the applications (and I was flush with deployment money) and so I broke down and hired an admissions consultant. If I could go back, there’s NO WAY I would do that again. Was nowhere near the value of the thousands I paid. Not even close.
December 2018: Spoke with my battalion commander about getting out. This is also where I told him I wanted to do a DoD Skillsbridge internship starting in August 2019.
January 2019: Started Princeton Review’s online self-paced course to study for the GRE again. All told, I tried about 3 other programs and none came even close to this one. I HIGHLY recommend it. My score went up 10 points, which can make a huge difference in the application process.
April 2019: Took the GRE again, in Saudi Arabia. Stayed in the Ritz in Riyadh across the street (perhaps the MOST ridiculously extravagant place I’ve ever been, but it was within our government hotel rate). I was honestly worried my test was going to be interrupted because of prayer or something, but it was an extremely well-run place and felt like the first time I took the test in the US. The testing center was also above the Venezuelan embassy, which I thought was pretty funny.
April 2019: Redeployed a week after the test.
April-August 2019: I was massively fortunate that my chain of command was supportive of me getting out. I returned from the deployment and they knew I was planning to start my DoD Skillsbridge internship in August, so they just kept me in my position as a Team Leader.
During this time, I was going all-in on my applications, as I was shooting to submit for a Round 1 MBA application, which usually has a deadline in early October.
August 2019: Started required transition classes with the army. This is also when I went to the VFW and worked with them to put in a disability claim to the VA.
September- November 2019: Worked at a startup in Durham, NC as part of the DoD Skillsbridge program, known in the army as the Career Skills Program (CSP). My place of duty was that startup — and it was awesome. There were a few times I had to go back to base during this period, but it was a rare occasion. I made the effort to bring this idea up early to my chain of command, and kept them informed as I could, and so they were familiar with the program.
During this time I ended up submitting 3 MBA applications for R1, and to Darden’s Early Admit round.
December 2019: Returned to Fort Bragg to out-process the army. This is also when I started this site, after what I saw as some shortcomings in the military’s transition process. Submitted an application for R2.
December 10, 2019: Signed out on terminal leave, picked up my DD-214 and left Fort Bragg for the last time.
Fall 2020: Will be starting my MBA. Currently accepted at Darden, but on the waitlist at a few other schools so still do not have a final decision on where I will be.
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