When I left the Marines, it was not because I disliked the work. I had originally planned to serve 20 years and retire in uniform, but over time, new interests began pulling me in different directions.
The Marines are a 24-hour responsibility. Once you commit, your personal ambitions take a backseat. Eventually, I reached a point where I wanted to explore those ambitions — specifically, entrepreneurship — while I was still young enough to act on them.
I made the decision to leave the service during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — even though the civilian job market felt uncertain, and many encouraged me to stay.
But retired service members who had built businesses offered a different message. They helped me realize that the military equips people with more transferable skills than they often think. The transition resources on base reinforced that point, so I felt ready to move on.
My military experience gave me options, but not a single direction
In the Marines, I worked on amphibious operations and rotated through several roles. That variety helped me grow, but it also made choosing a civilian path harder.
I had multiple strengths and enjoyed different aspects of my job, which meant I didn’t leave with a single, defined plan. I had possibilities, but no fixed route.
Once I committed to transitioning, I wrote my goals down and worked toward them before my end date. Even with that preparation, the hardest part was simply starting. In the military, the steps are usually provided. In civilian life, you take every step on your own.
I started to feel directionless, taking jobs in truck driving, sales, and real estate.
The habits I learned in the Marines became my biggest advantages
I didn’t realize how prepared I was until I stepped into civilian life. Public speaking, counseling skills, emotional discipline, and the habit of double-checking paperwork all became essential. Writing things down remained one of my strongest habits.
Those small details sharpened my mind and made me more reliable. Clear communication and consistent structure helped me as I moved toward consulting and supporting clients.
My experience also helped me advance at key moments. One employer took a chance on me specifically because I had served in the military. Veterans continued to mentor me even when they could not offer opportunities. When I started consulting, I leaned heavily on my military experience, especially in developing structure and communication systems for clients.
But some parts of military life made the transition harder
Working multiple military jobs gave me broad experience, but entrepreneurship requires long-term focus. If you jump between strengths too quickly, you never grow one fully. I had to learn to slow myself down and commit to the task.
The cultural difference between military and civilian workplaces was larger than I expected. In the Marines, keeping everyone informed is a core rule. In civilian environments, information moves at different speeds. People communicate based on their roles, goals, or personal habits. Especially in smaller workplaces, communication can be inconsistent. I had to learn not to take those gaps personally.
Accountability also functions differently. In the Marines, you trust that everyone is committed to the same mission. In civilian workplaces, people have different motivations. Some individuals seek career advancement, others desire stability, and others simply need a steady income. I struggled to adapt to that.
The Marines prepared me well, but left gaps
The military provided me with leadership experience, diverse skills, and a foundation that I still rely on. But I wish there had been stronger bridges between the military and civilian companies. Transitioning often felt like a jump when it should’ve felt like a path forward.
Leaving the Marines did not mean starting over. It meant learning how to translate discipline, structure, and communication into a world that operates in a different way.
The biggest lesson was understanding that you cannot transition alone. You need civilians who can explain the environment you are entering and veterans who can share how they adapted.
My transition taught me that the qualities that made me effective in uniform still matter, but they must be applied with flexibility and adaptability. Civilian strategy requires patience, influence, effective communication, and a willingness to take the initiative and build your own steps.
The challenge is real, but so is the opportunity to rebuild with purpose.
