Forces: Army
Megan T - Lance Bombardier
"Set little milestone goals, work through each one, have a process, have a mindset of who you might want to work for, read about it and do not be afraid to go outside and ask for help and guidance. So much information and resources exists to help you, stick your neck out and get out there."
Megan served for six years in the British Army in a
telecommunications role in the Royal Artillery, reaching the rank of
Lance Bombardier. Her decision to leave the Armed Forces was
catalysed by a desire to change her lifestyle and settle down, and
also the prospect of undertaking a new career challenge. During her
resettlement, Megan was invited to a BT Transition Force event to
explore opportunities in telecoms, where she also found out about
Project FORTIS – an online platform that connects people from the
Armed Forces community with people in civilian organisations who offer
personal support, and career guidance to help Veterans succeed in
civilian workplaces.
The Project FORTIS Experience
Megan
connected with her mentor Joe Duhan through Project FORTIS. Joe served
in the RAF for 18 years, and when he left he had a very clear idea of
the type of civilian career he wanted to pursue – recognising that his
responsibilities and skills gained in the RAF were transferrable to the
role of a Management Consultant. Now working for Deloitte, Joe’s
passion for supporting the Armed Forces, and his understanding of the
challenges faced by people transitioning to civilian life, lead him to
join Project FORTIS:
“My physical transition was a lot
easier than the mental; the real difficulty was getting used to the
cultural differences”At the time of being matched to Joe,
Megan was undertaking a course and had an interview lined up with BT
Openreach. Megan says,
“Joe was brilliant, he was good in being proactive and providing resources”.
Joe provided much-needed guidance on the world of civilian
employment, opened up his network of contacts, and gave first hand
advice about his experience of transition.
Joe provided support
over the phone and by email that proved to be vital in guiding Megan
successfully through the Openreach recruitment process.
Megan's Progress, Reflection and Advice
Megan
is about to start working as a BT Openreach Engineer. She feels she has
had a relatively comfortable transition to civilian life and shared
some advice to others considering leaving - echoed by many others who
have transitioned successfully:
“Set little milestone goals,
work through each one, have a process, have a mindset of who you
might want to work for, read about it and do not be afraid to go outside
and ask for help and guidance. So much information and resources
exists to help you, stick your neck out and get out there”Joe's experience epitomises the positive impact of the Project FORTIS network
Joe
remains very committed to Project FORTIS and supporting Service
leavers making the transition from the Armed Forces to the often complex
and unfamiliar realm of civilian employment. By sharing his personal
experience and opening up his contacts, Joe finds helping
Military colleagues secure fulfilling civilian careers a very
rewarding experience.
If you’d like to be part of this growing Armed Forces network you can register on Project FORTIS here: www.projectfortis.co.uk
More success stories