From submarines to COO: A veteran’s transition to the corporate world

Roy Gilbert was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy Submarine Force for six years before transitioning to civilian life. After returning to school, Roy found success in the corporate world, first at Google as the operations manager responsible for launching Gmail and eventually as the Chief Operations Officer for Delta Dental of California and its affiliates.

As someone who has made this transition, Roy understands the challenges and anxiety that can come with leaving the military. He offers advice to veterans who are facing this exciting but intimidating chapter of their lives.

As a veteran, you have more skills than you realize. You know how to form relationships easily because you’ve had to move from unit to unit. Experience in dangerous situations allows you to approach corporate situations with real perspective. The skills you learn in the military are the skills employers are dying to have. They’re valuable and relevant. But when you transition out of the military, knowing how or where to apply these skills can be difficult.

The military does a great job of telling you what to do and how to get there. So, when you leave, deciding what to do next can be overwhelming. It’s the paradox of choice.

And you may not know who to reach out to for help. After years in the military, you might not have many civilian contacts. When I left, I hadn’t had a civilian job since I was a lifeguard at age 17. I had no idea what was out there. It’s this combination of limitless options and limited contacts that can lead you to lose to confidence and doubt yourself. That’s a mistake.

To move past the doubt and find the right career path, get some help from someone who’s been there. Find mentors, formal and informal. Take advantage of opportunities for education, like the GI Bill. If you’re an officer, it’s a chance to focus on an area of interest, such as business or law. If you’re enlisted, it’s a great time to get a degree — not only for the skills, but also for the networking opportunities.

And don’t discount coming out of the service with the backbone of a trade. If you’re a nuke electrician’s mate on a submarine, you can probably walk into any power plant and run circles around people, because you’ve been knee-deep in the work. But most importantly, take time to reflect. Assess what you’ve done, what you know how to do and where the holes in your resume and your skillset are. Think about not only the job you want to do, but also the life you want to lead. Your life is about a lot more than what you do as a job.

Taking the time to stop and reflect is what led me back to school, down the career path I chose and ultimately to Delta Dental. Ingrained in every veteran is a passion for service, and I found that Delta Dental shared my values. For instance, this year the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation gave a $50,000 grant to provide dental care to veterans in need. In all, Delta Dental serves more than 100,000 veterans through our Veterans Affairs Dental Insurance Program. Delta Dental’s commitment to the veteran community resonated with me.

So, if you’re transitioning out of the military, know that you have skills employers’ value. You know how to work, to adapt, to overcome challenges. You can do this. Believe in yourself, find help and take advantage of the opportunities you have. And the military doesn’t offer you many chances for self-reflection, so don’t forget to take time to think about where you want this next part of your life’s journey to take you.

For more information about Delta Dental’s dental plans for veterans, visit Delta Dental’s Veterans Affairs Dental Insurance Program website: https://feds.deltadentalins.com/vadip/index.php