Don’t Overlook the Value of Education
in Your Military-to-Civilian Transition
By Ricardo Chamorro, PenFed Credit Union
After I graduated from West Point as
a U.S. Army intelligence officer, I
served most of my military service
abroad, everywhere from Germany and Italy
to Bosnia and Iraq. Living abroad, with so
many diverse colleagues and assignments,
was some of the best education I ever
received.
Still, when I transitioned into the civilian world in
2005, I knew I had more to learn. Knowing I wanted
to enter the finance industry, I decided to attend
business school.
It wasn’t an easy decision. After going from a
rigorous undergraduate educational program to a
rigorous military career, the idea of beginning a
demanding graduate program was daunting.
Today, I work for PenFed, a credit union that
serves the national defense community and those
who support them, and I hear many similar
sentiments from transitioning servicemembers: “I’ve
been to combat. I’ve already learned more than most
people my age.” Or, “I’m a veteran with a college
degree – why do I need more education?” Or, “I can
get a great job, and a great paycheck, right out of the
service. Why should I take on debt?”
Veterans coming out of the military have the
ability to think boldly and strategically, to execute and
manage, and to solve problems creatively. These are
many of the skills business school teaches with
experiential learning methodology. What I didn’t have,
however, was the technical financial education that I
would need to enter the fast-paced world of mergers
and acquisitions strategy with a high-profile financial
institution. If I hadn’t chosen to continue my education,
I would have been at a disadvantage, regardless of
my unique military background.
Education is an important way to complement
the skills, confidence and leadership experience
servicemembers gain during their time in service. By
“education,” I don’t just mean an elite graduate school
or a pricey degree. I encourage my fellow veterans
to look at alternative educational resources,
whether that means using the GI Bill for a
licensing or certification program, reading
textbooks on your own, taking an online
course, or apprenticing under a mentor.
I also encourage veterans to take advantage of
the veteran-specific resources that are out there.
Educate yourself on the opportunities, even if it takes
some time. There is a vast network of veterans across
all industries who can provide advice, jobs and
support. There are hundreds of companies out there
that are actively looking to recruit veterans – you just
have to find them. Some, like PenFed, have military
employment programs; others include UPS, PepsiCo,
Johnson & Johnson, Intel, Home Depot, and Northrup
Grumman. Others might not actively publicize their
initiatives but might be founded by veterans who like
to hire other veterans. Still others, like Amazon, offer
apprenticeship programs. If you’re married, look for
companies, like Starbucks and the USO, that
specifically hire military spouses, and those who
actively support veterans and their families, like
Disney, through major discounts.
Just as you view your cultural diversity as a
strength, not a handicap, look at the time you commit
to education in the same way. You might invest two
years in a graduate program, sacrificing a paycheck
for those years, to graduate with more and
better-paying opportunities than you would have had
otherwise.
recei
Veteran’s Perspective
LS
Ricardo Chamorro is a U.S. Army
veteran and executive vice president of
consumer banking and strategy at
PenFed Credit Union.
Want to comment or have any questions on
this article? Email us at info@latinastyle.com
18 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 26, No. 3, 2020
/www.latinastyle.com
link
