 Although retention is an important part of the secretary of the Navy's 21st century sailor and marine initiative, and many sailors continue their naval careers through retirement eligibility, some do not. Those who choose a different career path often relate their success to the values and skills learned during their time in the Navy. We recently sat down with former sailors who have used the knowledge they gained during their service to attain success in the civilian workforce. I started out as an air traffic controller, stationed at NAS Norfolk, 88 to 91. Then I switched to a print and broadcast journalist, we used to call it a J.O. at the time. And I did that for the balance of my career. I was stationed at Naval Communications Station, Harold E. Halt in Xmouth, Western Australia, and then also at submarine base Pearl Harbor. One of the things I've learned as a hiring manager is you can look at a resume and you can take some things away from it. I've seen people that have, you know, a bachelor's degree and two master's degrees and then you hire them with your very enthusiastic and they don't necessarily deliver to your expectations. A lot of what it really comes down to is character. Anybody that's going to come into a new organization is going to have to learn that organization. So what's their character? What are their values? One of the things that I found is people that come out of the military for the most part have exceptional leadership skills, have exceptional work ethic, and understand that it's about teamwork and collaboration, doing whatever it takes to get the job done. I'm the first I joke with my team to say I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but one of the things I do think I bring is the ability to do whatever it takes to get the job done, a sense of duty, a sense of overcoming whatever the obstacles to the mission are, and I think the folks that I work for appreciate that. From the Defense Media Activity, I'm Petty Officer Andrew Johnson.