“Don't be scared. Because you never know what could happen. You know, life can hit you hard, but there's always a way out.”
Jen-Liz Maldonado is an Air Force Veteran who had planned to serve for 20 years in the military, but had to retire much sooner due to medical reasons. Jen wants the military community to know that there are many options available for those who have to retire and transition out of the service.
In a recent interview with KP of The Morning Formation Podcast, Jen-Liz explains the steps she took once she retired, that have now put her on a bright path for her future.
Jen-Liz Maldonado graduated from the US Air Force academy where she studied Science. She later served as a Cyberspace Officer in the Air Force for almost 3 years before having to medically retire. Maldonado does share that she was thrown a curveball because she did not plan on retiring so quickly. With that said, she took advantage of the benefits and resources available to her and applied herself to make sure that she would still have a bright future.
“Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor…You have to be productive…And honestly, just taking those opportunities by your hand, because the worst that can happen is you don't get it. But if you do, your life could change, and if you don't, it's practice for something else that can be bigger and better.”
In the interview, Jen-Liz explains that she is currently working at NBC Universal and has multiple IT certifications under her belt. She explains that the reason she obtained this wonderful job at NBC and obtained these certifications is because of her connection to ACT NOW Education.
When looking for transition resources, Maldonado discovered the nonprofit organization, ACT NOW Education. ACT NOW offers thousands upon thousands of free resources to the military community. This means for active duty, veterans, military spouses, and dependents.
To find out more details about how ACT NOW Education helped Jen-Liz in her transition, and what other opportunities the nonprofit offers, make sure to listen to the whole interview.
Click here for the full interview.
Blog post written by Lina Gomez
