Always grateful, never satisfied.
I’ve spent the majority of my 14 years in the Coast Guard behind a desk or in an office setting. I’ve loved the work I’ve done but always looked for new opportunities for change, growth, and challenges. I now work in port state control doing exams on foreign vessels and it’s like nothing I’ve ever done. Never in a million years would I think a hardhat would be part of my daily uniform. It’s an overwhelming amount of new information to learn but I’m up for the challenge. I easily could’ve extended my time as a recruiter and been comfortable and happy. There are some days I’m frustrated and wonder why I didn’t stay my previous field. Then I think of the example I’m setting for my children. They are never going to be able to say (or at least they shouldn’t) that I didn’t have the work ethic for upward mobility. They can’t say I don’t have the humility to recognize I need help and ask for it. Most importantly, I hope they understand how healthy it is to continuously want to learn new things to evolve as a person. When I leave the Coast Guard I want to know that I took full advantage of my time in this great organization. I didn’t get to a good place and get complacent. When I got to a good place I always looked for the next good place and didn’t let anyone deny me from getting there. That’s real dope dad stuff right there.