SEAL Stories

Testaments to struggle, strength and success

My exit from the SEALs was based on school. I finished my undergraduate degree while serving, prepped for GMAT and went right into an MBA from the Teams.

Phil

If I’ve learned anything from the brotherhood, it’s that SEALs will seize an opportunity and succeed. The problem is, if you ask a team guy what they want to do in the civilian world, most won’t know. The majority have performed phenomenally in many  areas. They’re smart and driven, but they’re always training, always deploying. By the nature of the work they aren’t exposed to a lot—no networking, mixers, or leveraging relationships to get a foot in the door.  SFF is critical because it understands the mindset of the SEAL and how to line up scholarships and opportunities to help them excel. Few have the resources to get on an educational path—their skills aren’t translated beyond service.

Thanks to SFF, I went to a highly competitive business school and graduated at the top of my class, even with a security contract that kept me on merchant vessels and away from the classroom for 8 weeks at a clip. My accomplishments during deployments didn’t translate into a career—the degree was my measurement of my success in the outside world. The scholarships and successive education put me on a professional trajectory to understand what I was good at and how I could market myself professionally. I couldn’t have done it without the help of SFF.

—Phil

More SEAL Stories

If I’ve learned anything from the brotherhood, it’s that SEALs will seize an opportunity and succeed. The problem is, if you ask a team guy what they want to do in the civilian world, most won’t know. The majority have performed phenomenally in many  areas. They’re smart and driven, but they’re always training, always deploying. By the nature of the work they aren’t exposed to a lot—no networking, mixers, or leveraging relationships to get a foot in the door.  SFF is critical because it understands the mindset of the SEAL and how to line up scholarships and opportunities to help them excel. Few have the resources to get on an educational path—their skills aren’t translated beyond service.

Thanks to SFF, I went to a highly competitive business school and graduated at the top of my class, even with a security contract that kept me on merchant vessels and away from the classroom for 8 weeks at a clip. My accomplishments during deployments didn’t translate into a career—the degree was my measurement of my success in the outside world. The scholarships and successive education put me on a professional trajectory to understand what I was good at and how I could market myself professionally. I couldn’t have done it without the help of SFF.

—Phil

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More SEAL Stories

It was the hardest thing I’d experienced, even after all my deployments. Until then, I’d been so busy working that I couldn’t focus on my physical or mental health. Broken down emotionally, I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. As a 30-year SEAL veteran, I faced greater hiring challenges than a 10-year veteran. On top of the “normal” discrimination facing SEALs, I battled ageism. In the military, you are part of a meritocracy. You rise within the structure based on your ability to perform consistently. It’s very linear. SFF helps you understand this isn’t the case elsewhere.

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