SPATHE Welcomes SGM Jeff Carlson to the Team via DoD SkillBridge Program
In the last short five months, we at SPATHE have been incredibly fortunate to assist some of our nation’s most seasoned veterans through our partnership with the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge Program. Being a Service-Disabled-Veteran-Owned Small Business, we feel it is our duty to lend support to our fellow warfighters, both new and old. We understand the hardships that come with transitioning out of the military and, with the help of our various military transition programs including the DoD SkillBridge effort, we aim to offer a meaningful, one-on-one, hands-on approach to helping our veteran applicants establish the next chapter in their careers.
The DoD SkillBridge Program (sometimes referred to by the Military Departments as the Career Skill Program (CSP)), is a program that gives Service members the opportunity to capitalize on training and development throughout their military career so they can grow and develop as professionals fully capable of serving the Nation – both during their time in uniform and after their term of military service, as civilians. This enables Service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, and/or internships during the last 180 days of their service.
Our latest applicant is SGM, Jeff Carlson. Jeff comes to us after a 26- year career in the U.S. Army serving honorably in multiple organizations as a communicator from the tactical to strategic levels, spending 15 years within the Special Operations community serving at Ft. Bragg and HQ in Tampa. However, after a gratifying career, Jeff along with his wife and son, are ready for civilian life. During his time with us, Jeff hopes to pursue a career in Project and Program Management and will work alongside many of our SPATHE employees to learn how a defense contractor operates in today’s day and age. We got to sit down with Jeff to discuss a little bit more about his career goals, his transition, and how he has been able to manage the famous Five F’s (Faith, Family, Finance, Fitness, and Friends).
We are so excited to have you join the team, Jeff. Tell us a little bit more about your interests in Project/Program Management. How do you think your career in the military has prepared you for this role?
One thing that truly interests me about Program/Project management is the opportunity to learn something each day. PMs have to exchange and retain a breadth of knowledge within their organization and during interactions with other organizations and companies, ensuring continuous success is vital.
Project management, like the military, requires one to be knowledgeable, organized, able to multi-task, communicate, be an effective problem-solver, and have good leadership abilities. Many of these traits and skills came from the military. Throughout my time in the Army and without realizing, at first, I was doing project management, and as I rose through the ranks to senior enlisted, I was performing this role more and more.
How has your transition been so far for you and your family? What are their thoughts? How has SPATHE helped to assist with this matter?
Sondra, Bailey, and I are looking forward to not moving every few years and settling into a forever home. So far, the transition back into civilian life has left us a little anxious to this point. After 22 years as an Army family, the support systems and programs we had in the military are not as readily available. SPATHE has welcomed us into their family and helped to ease our nerves as we transition back into civilian life. The DoD SkillBridge program presented by SPATHE is a fantastic opportunity offering the ability to sit with industry leaders, many of them veterans, and gain first-hand knowledge and insight into the corporate world. Spathe allowed me to sit, learn, and ask questions with everyone within the organization’s various departments during one-on-one sessions, expanding my knowledge base and learning from the subject matter experts.
With everything currently going on in your transition, how have you managed to balance the Five Fs (Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness, Friends)?
Keeping balance in our daily lives has not always been the easiest during the transition. We have a great support system with our families, military friends, and life-long friends who all let us know they are there for us. There are still many unknowns as we continue, but knowing we have the support helps.
What do you hope to achieve during your time here at SPATHE?
At the end of the skill bridge program, I hope to have achieved enough insight into the corporate world, ensuring a smooth transition into a program management role becoming an integral part of an organization. Honored to have this opportunity offered by Spathe, and they have helped to smooth the transition from Army green to corporate grey.
Time and time again, our Military Transition interns prove themselves to be some of the brightest and hardest-working individuals who join the SPATHE team. As a proud Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), we are committed to providing our veterans with the opportunities and skillsets needed to successfully navigate the professional landscape. We are more than fortunate to have Jeff join the SPATHE family and we look forward to offering him the assistance and guidance he needs to hit the ground with his feet running come retirement.
Our primary mission as a company is to lend our support to the warfighter. If you or anyone you know is currently in their military transition and could use assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We want to help in any way we can!
