After spending 23 years in the Army, I’ve mastered the art of saying “Yes, sir!” and “Rog’ ” while internally questioning my life choices. Medically retired but still standing, I traded in my boots for a pair of more comfortable shoes that don’t involve running at 5 a.m.

I’ve had the pleasure (and sometimes the misfortune) of working on interagency task forces for the U.S. Department of State, where I learned that diplomacy is just a fancy word for convincing people to do things they don’t want to do. I’ve also dabbled in the mysterious world of special access programs for the CIA, but if I told you more, I’d have to… well, you know the drill.

With 15 deployments under my belt, I’ve seen more airports than I’d care to remember, and I can navigate a foreign country’s bureaucracy faster than you can say, “Where’s the nearest coffee shop?” I’ve also perfected the art of packing light and making the most out of any situation. Now, I’m channeling all that experience into civilian life, because after all, keeping data safe sounds a lot like keeping people safe, just with fewer explosions.

With valuable life skill and a myriad of experience, I plan to segue into the IT world. Yes, I’m pivoting from dodging bullets, and building rapport to trying my luck at computer things, and I’m pretty sure my transition from the battlefield to the digital frontier is going to be an epic one. Who knew the toughest mission would be deciding between networking or cybersecurity?

The goal of this Blog is to share my experience making the transition from warfighter to IT, in whatever capacity that may be.  It’s about the stories that may come out of this, and maybe some shared experiences along the way. Maybe I’ll inspire others to embark on their own journey, maybe they’ll just laugh at me? Who knows!

Thank you for a being part of my journey.

“Ace”