. . . it’s just a graft to get there.
In this blog TechVets member Luke Flannery shares his personal journey following his decision to leave the Royal Marines. After serving eight and a half years with 45 Commando he took the plunge just before the global pandemic struck. Here he tells us how he navigated the uncertainty and took strength from the TechVets community to start-up his own tech company.
Almost two years ago I made the decision to give my twelve months’ notice and leave the Royal Marines to pursue a career in software development. I assumed for the first few months of my transition that there would be very few ex-forces in the tech industry and that I would have to start this journey completely alone with a very small network.
By a sheer stroke of luck, I was advised to take a look at TechVets, the now 6000 strong organisation is crammed wall to wall with ex-forces in any and every branch of tech that you could think of. Finding TechVets was my launchpad and it’s the organisation that’s got me into the position I’m in now. If it wasn’t for the help, guidance and support of the TechVets community I wouldn’t have made the decisions that have led me to where I am today. With this in mind, my first gem of advice to anyone planning on leaving the military is:
(No, stop reading this and join, there’s the button top right)
At the two-year point where I had made the decision to leave, coronavirus wasn’t as yet, a household name. Almost every industry under the sun was thriving; as cheesy as it sounds the world was rife with opportunity and this played an enormous part in my decision to leave the Corps.
So, when my final day in the military eventually came, we were just 6 days away from our first national lockdown. I’d just plunged my entire life savings into an extensive three-month JavaScript course. By the time I’d finished – confident and ready to get stuck into the industry – the market was quiet. Really quiet.
The next few months turned into survival mode. I’d work twelve-hour shifts imitating the role of a traffic cone at a COVID test site, then coming home to revise in preparation for a future opportunity. What helped me was that I had the TechVets online community on hand to help ease the stress. I wasn’t the only one suffering and the proactiveness of the members was incredible.
Eventually, my opportunity came in the role of a web designer, happy days! Three weeks later I was made redundant, and I didn’t see a penny. Sweet.
Inspired by the hard work and dedication I was witnessing from everyone at TechVets day in and day out, I decided to just go for it. With no savings, no job and no fall-back option, I founded Digibean Ltd. My own web design agency built purely from a refusal to accept the situation I found myself in.
The gamble paid off, I’ve now got a fantastic group of clients, I answer to no one but myself and I get up every day looking forward to work.
The reason I’m telling you all this is because I, like everyone before me, felt apprehensive about leaving the military in pursuit of a new challenge. But that was before the year we’ve just experienced. The current job market and unemployment rates are the worst since the Great Depression, so there’s plenty of reason to be second-guessing your decision to leave.
But here’s my second gem:
Don’t question your decision, just do it. The discipline and drive ingrained in you from the military will serve as an asset to push you through the stresses of the current situation.
I need to be clear, my story is by no means a success story, but I hope it’s taught you that there are opportunities out there, beyond the military. And most importantly, you’ll find a warm, welcoming community waiting for you whose members will help you in any way they can.
I’m not at the grass just yet, but I can see it from where I’m stood and it’s most definitely greener.
Luke Flannery, is a former Royal Marine who served with 45 Commando and he is now the proud founder of Manchester based www.digibean.co.uk
If you’re a veteran interested in pursuing a career in tech or going down the entrepreneurial route like Luke, join the TechVets Discord community and connect with others who are in the same boat. You can also reach out to Luke who is happy to support other service leavers who find themselves in the same situation. You can contact him via LinkedIn.
