United States Naval Academy

Date: Jun 11 2021
Major: Engineering Department (This Major's Salary over time)
The Naval Academy is definitely not for everybody. I had no idea I would want a career in the Navy - I wanted the academic program in engineering. I was not an exceptional student (2.9 - BTW, no grade inflation), as the academics blended with the professional education, physical education, and monastic lifestyle made me seek extracurriculars to change my day-to-day experience.

Despite my mediocre academic performance, I was selected for the Submarine Service. Might as well have moved on to a PhD in nuclear engineering AND a full time job with shift-work seven days a week and no sunlight. The Naval Academy fully prepared me for success in the Submarine Service. I soon sought to stay in because it is truly a level of responsibility and action that none of my civilian peers could ever imagine. I decided I wanted to make a career out of it, and I was given an opportunities to so some of the coolest stuff in the world that we can never talk about.

Unfortunately, I came down with a medical condition that forced me to leave the service. The Navy did right by me. While my life had turned up side down, I needed to re-discover by mojo and learned that despite my enjoyment of the rigor of my Naval service, my new career was building companies…I have started and sold more than three companies, all of them a great success. I learned it wasn't structure I sought, but it was the reward of hard work that few other people have the stomach to complete and the leadership to build something from the ground-up that is truly innovative. Without the Naval Academy, I would have NEVER been able to stretch myself. I wouldn't know what I am capable of.

The Naval Academy does not make you successful - you make yourself successful, and the Naval Academy was the ideal place for me gain skills, test myself, and understand my path to success. I have seen colleagues who have pursued a wide array of career paths post-service…food production, piano teaching, factory managers, fire and rescue, politics, and religious leaders…all incredibly successful and happy. There are times you are truly miserable in the process ("a bitching sailor is a happy sailor"), but you know what your are capable of and how to get there.