“And so that's the biggest hurdle, being proactive. The military is not going to be there, when you get out…Your last day, when you sign out, like that's it. They don't care about you anymore. You're just going to head out the base, out that front gate and you're, you're done. That's it. No one else is gonna check on you or anything.”
Twenty-year Army Veteran, Nick DuChene, learned that the biggest obstacle that transitioning service members face when they leave the military, is not being Proactive!
KP of The Morning Formation Podcast, sat down with DuChene for an interview and gained valuable insight from the Veteran, who enlisted in the Army at the young age of 17 years old! DuChene had no prior work experience before his 20 year career in the Army. He retired from the service at almost 40 years old and now is a mentor to other Veterans, helping them with employment success in the civilian world.
In the interview, Nick recounts his great experience, serving in the Army. He has a great respect for the service, as it brought purpose and mission to his life. Nick also shares a story about a time he lead a high-risk mission in Iraq, where he and his team rescued people in a hostage situation.
Nick appreciated many aspects about the military. He appreciate the team-building aspect of the military.
“Sometimes you fail, but you fail as a team, you don't fail as an individual, which is good. Because I'd say that failure probably is worse if you just did it by yourself, compared to if you did it as a team, because you still have a support group that's there that understands why you failed, how you can improve to get better.”
He also points out another great benefit to being a service member…one is not left alone to figure out things by themselves.
The military guides one along the way.
“With the military, one good thing is, everything is set up for you. And so that's from A to Z. So you're never by yourself. The military guides you, no matter what school it is, the transition from one installation to the next installation, it's there. You have someone to catch and guide you through the steps.”
While Nick DuChene, who retired as a First Sergeant, has much respect and love for the military, he also gives practical and logical advice. He knows that one must plan for the future, in the event one decides to transition out of the service.
Nick’s number 1 piece of advice for those who want to transition to civilian life…
BE PROACTIVE.
Nick DuChene is currently working as a Veteran Employment Advocate, helping service members who are transitioning out of the military. At the time of the interview, he was working for Gavin de Becker & Associates where he had roles in Executive Security as well as roles in Recruitment, often hiring other Veterans like himself.
If you are a Veteran who has already transitioned or you are currently enlisted and considering to transition, this episode will offer you good insight. To learn more about Nick’s exciting adventures when he was enlisted and to gain wisdom from his transitioning experience, listen to the full interview.
Click here for the whole interview.
Blog post written by: Lina Gomez
