I first heard about Tech Qualled about six months before I was planning on going through my military retirement. The plan to separate was hatched about two years before that, but I didn’t have much luck finding a job that fits with my unique background. Some of my friends who separated had jobs lined up that corresponded to a degree they received or working for the government in a job that corresponded to the work they did in the military. However, like many other jobs in the military, I really didn’t have a “pipeline” I could get into post-military. I had to get creative, and Tech Qualled found me at the perfect time.

Tech Qualled reached out to me via Linkedin. At the time, I hadn’t considered going into sales at all. In fact, I really didn’t know much about sales. After my first conversation, I went on a sales research blitz and found out all I could. Right from the get-go, I loved everything I read and heard about it. I knew from that point on, sales were where I wanted to be, where I belonged. I also knew from conversations I had with graduates I found on Linkedin that Tech Qualled’s training program was not only legitimate but that it set the bar for the sales industry. Thankfully, I was accepted into Tech Qualled’s training program right before my military retirement. I found the selection process very educational, and it helped set my frame of mind going into the training that followed.

The training itself was much more difficult than I expected. That being said, I absolutely loved it. I’m not a big fan of abstract concepts, I want to learn things I can use, and I feel the Tech Qualled curriculum is designed to be this way. I thought the final week, named “Sales Boot Camp”, was aptly named. It reminded me of Officer Training School, because there is a lot of information to learn and things to do and not much time to do it in. In a way, it felt like an appropriate transition from the military, as the military trains you to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations.

One of the best parts of the training that I didn’t expect going in was how much I connected to my fellow cohort members. Everyone is going through a difficult time together, many of us took a huge chance leaving the military and going into a career we didn’t know much about. All of us go through the discomfort of the first few role-play sessions, and we see each other develop. We all meet up in Fort Worth and go through Boot Camp together, another tough test, and feel the euphoria of graduation together. Those experiences bond people for life.

Now that I’m on the other side, I am so lucky I found Tech Qualled before my military retirement, or more appropriately, that TechQualled found me. If you are a transitioning veteran and are on the journey I just went through, look into sales! If you need someone to talk to about sales, Tech Qualled, or just transitioning, find me on Linkedin, I would be happy to talk to you!

*****

Frank is an Air Force veteran and Tech Qualled Cohort 11 graduate. He is now in an Outside Sales Account Executive role at Softchoice; a leading IT solutions provider.