Sam Friedman is a Salesforce Project Manager at the San Diego Workforce Partnership and a veteran. Here he tells a little bit about his military and professional experience.
Which branch of our military did you serve in?
I served in the Army Cavalry, which is part of the Armor branch, for a little over 4 years on Active Duty, and I was stationed in South Korea and Fort Hood, Texas. I was a platoon leader for a year in Korea, where I managed about 40 soldiers and $30M of equipment, and then I transferred to Fort Hood, where I was an executive officer for two years and managed between 100 to 150 soldiers and $72M of equipment as the second in command of my Troop. I also went through a few training courses during my time in the Army, including the Basic Officer Leaders Course (BOLC), the Army Recon Course (ARC), and Air Assault School and I was enrolled in Army ROTC during my four years in college under a full scholarship.
How did your military experience help shape your career path?
My military experience has helped me to remain calm under pressure, prioritize tasks according to my organizational mission, communicate effectively and manage others. Most importantly though, I think the military helped me to understand that a team is stronger than an individual and the ability to delegate tasks to the individuals who are best suited to successfully complete them has made me more successful than any particular skill I have learned.
In terms of a career in technology, attention to detail, which was painfully learned during Air Assault School in particular, has been an essential skill. The military helped me to understand the universal value of human capital. Even though the transition from commanding soldiers to troubleshooting errors has required me to learn some new skills, I have continued to use my military experience to successfully work with others as a team to accomplish our mission.
The transition from the military to the civilian workplace was a difficult one, but I could not be happier with my current role as a Salesforce Project Manager. I would encourage any other veterans going through this transition to remain resilient and continue to network!
Being a veteran means that you are trained to be disciplined, never accept defeat and always place the mission first; these qualities should not be undervalued or taken for granted in the civilian workplace, where they can be used to accomplish great things!