When I left the Marines, I struggled to adjust to civilian life. Finding work in the real world was the most challenging.

"The Marines are a 24-hour responsibility. Once you commit, your personal ambitions take a backseat. Eventually, I reached a point where I wanted to explore those ambitions - specifically, entrepreneurship - while I was still young enough to act on them. I made the decision to leave the service during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic - even though the civilian job market felt uncertain, and many encouraged me to stay. But retired service members who had built businesses offered a different message. They helped me realize that the military equips people with more transferable skills than they often think. The transition resources on base reinforced that point, so I felt ready to move on."

"I had multiple strengths and enjoyed different aspects of my job, which meant I didn't leave with a single, defined plan. I had possibilities, but no fixed route. Once I committed to transitioning, I wrote my goals down and worked toward them before my end date. Even with that preparation, the hardest part was simply starting. In the military, the steps are usually provided. In civilian life, you take every step on your own."

I planned to serve 20 years in the Marines but left early to pursue entrepreneurship. Some skills learned in the Marines, like discipline, translated well to civilian life. The Marines demand continuous commitment, which pushed personal ambitions aside until I chose to explore them while still young. I left during the COVID-19 pandemic despite uncertain civilian prospects; guidance from retired service members and on-base transition resources emphasized transferable skills and helped me leave. Diverse roles in amphibious operations gave me strengths across areas but made choosing a single civilian path difficult. I prepared goals before separating, yet starting on my own proved hardest, leading me to work in truck driving, sales, and real estate.

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