After 8 years in the military, I decided to skill up in tech. A career counselor encouraged me to look into Salesforce and the Merivis Foundation, which supports veterans transitioning to civilian life by training and finding a career in Salesforce. I participated in the first Merivis cohort while working a night job at a semi-conductor factory. I learned a lot about Salesforce and it made me confident that I could be a Salesforce Admin. I'm now a full-time consultant working with major Salesforce customers, earning a 4x higher salary, and I love it! Before Salesforce, I made $9 per hour doing backbreaking work that had no room for growth. Now I do work that matters, and my life is so much better for it.

I use Trailhead to help further my career. As a consultant you have to learn fast, and Trailhead helps us do exactly that. All consultants at my company are required to earn 30+ badges when we start, and we have regular trailmixes to learn new products as our business grows and clients need new innovations.

I tell people about Trailhead all the time! When I come across people who are unhappy in their jobs and curious about my success, I tell them they can do exactly what I've done because Salesforce makes it easy and free to learn online. I encourage them to challenge themselves to learn and volunteer to put their new skills into practice, and that will lead them to full-time work.
For veterans like me, I encourage you to take a serious look at Salesforce when you re-enter civilian life. I was a fueler in the military (not a “thinking” kind of job), yet here I am thriving as a Salesforce consultant. Check out Vetforce—the awesome team and community will show you the way!

Blazing a trail and not closing it off to others. The main thing to me is helping others reach for the opportunity. I've been that person looking for a chance, and I'm grateful that I found something better. Now, I want others to blaze the same trail. To help open the doors, I'm on the Merivis board and giving back through PepUp Tech.

The Trailblazer Community has helped me so much. On my first project, I was so nervous. I got an assignment with user requirements. I went to the online community and found the answers already waiting for me, I didn't even have to ask. I just answered my first question on the Answers forum, and I look forward to giving back more.
I've never been involved with a community where everyone wants to help everyone. Everywhere I've worked, there had always been competition among everyone. Here, you find a genuine environment where people want to see you succeed. I haven't experienced something like that since I left the military, and I'm so proud to be a part of it all.

Congratulations, this is one of the smartest things you could ever do! The demand for Salesforce skills is so high, you'll have amazing job security. Opportunities will find YOU. And you can choose so many different paths. Dedicate yourself to putting in the work and it will pay off.

There isn't anything veterans can't do when it comes to challenges. We've been trained to handle complex, dangerous situations with minimal resources while keeping our cool. You can throw anything at us and we'll get it done with whatever resources we have available.