What is the biggest difference between military service and civilian life?
Brian: There is an amazing amount of trust built in to military life. The pace is fast and you learn on the job. There were plenty of times when I felt under qualified for the responsibilities I had so early in my career, but your superiors trust you, they train you and they help you succeed. I may have felt like I didn’t know what I was doing sometimes, but I always felt confident that I would succeed. As I transitioned back to civilian life, in many ways I had never felt so insecure. Civilian life offers more choices, more risks, and the built-in support system of military structure isn’t there to provide that basic sense of confidence. Jodi: In civilian life, and the workplace in particular, our primary focus is on taking care of ourselves, looking out for our best interests and finding opportunities to gain a competitive advantage. This was a huge adjustment for me because in the military, it is the exact opposite. You’re never thinking of yourself when you’re engaged in military s
