Posts

The Plan. Not too much, not too little.

  The challenge that I’m facing off the get go is that there is so much that I could be doing, I get overwhelmed with the options and end up stressing about the prospect of doing too little. Do I jump straight into an online master’s degree? Do I complete a certificate in full-stack web development and seek work as a part-time developer? Should I start making GPTs for the Chat GPT store and hope to make a quick buck? I suddenly have a bunch of extra time in my schedule. My time aboard an operational submarine is complete, and for the next 2 years I’ll be teaching tactics in the local training facility. The hours are extremely favorable to extracurricular activities. Often, I have nothing to do in the afternoons and get home hours before the evening traffic. An influencer I admire is Alex Hormozi, who preaches that, when faced with an overwhelming selection of self-help opportunities, the best path to pick doesn’t matter. Just pick something and do it. Don’t know what the best c

From Submarine Officer to Software Engineer

How does one transition from a long career in the Navy to a civilian job that will bring the most job satisfaction while avoiding the frustrating phase of jumping between jobs for years, hoping that something sticks? This question has occupied my thought space a lot as I begin to plan my transition from a Submarine Officer to a Software Engineer. I have been in the Navy for 9 years, and want this transition to be effective and concise. Some advice that has stuck with me is "find someone who has done what you want to do, and do exactly what they did." The idea being that we can learn from their experience to fast track the first few steps, then shape and mold our own journey as we get more experience. My problem is, I can't find anyone that has done what I want to do. I was alone when I was at the Paul G. Allen School for Computer Science and Engineering. No one in the Navy ROTC was earning, or had recently received, their Computer Engineering degree from the University of