Nick Co

Category: Transition

  • The 3-m Adventure Starts

    After packing for a variety of situations and loading up the car, I hit the road and headed to Northern Virginia to catch up with friends. As I was leaving a guy was helping his girlfriend move into my building, we struck up a conversation and decided to hangout when…

  • Success, Investment, Training

    Success. First private-sector job offer in hand. It certainly took a village to arrive here. A phenomenal company, with great people, and a solid location. After sleeping on it yesterday, I almost signed the offer today, but another mentor convinced me to wait one more day and call him tomorrow.…

  • Sensing the Change

    I feel lighter. As I come to the end of my Navy time and start the rest of life, I feel a sense of adventure again. The notion of pursuing anything. Throughout my uniform time, I had been so hesitant to book any personal travel because of the paperwork, the…

  • Humbling Reminder

    Two interns arrived at WillowTree from Brazil (20) and Ukraine (19), and on their second day in the office, I grabbed lunch with them. We shared the journeys that brought us to that moment. They were uncontainably ecstatic to be there. Overjoyed at the opportunity. They were both students at…

  • Past Connections to Progress

    I finished watching the HBO series Band of Brothers, which tells the story of a group of men as they progress through the WW2 European campaign. The series brings up many topics, but their camaraderie with each other reminded me of my connection with my past sailors. This line hit…

  • Transition Update

    Resonating Quote: “Think of many things. Do one.” I am making a conscious effort to become a single tasker and focus energy on one task at a time with short aggressive timelines. For example, I set a 30-minute time limit on this post. I have not set aside time weekly…

  • Gracious and Generous Support – Transition Update 1

    This week, I’m humbled by the philanthropic communities and individuals who donate generous resources to transitioning service members. These valuable people helped me get a firm grasp on a previously chaotic transition and turn it into a controlled glide slope. Through this transition, I have learned a few things: Vets…

  • First Steps

    I’m starting this blog as a way to capture my lessons and share ideas. Mostly for me, but others might benefit. I decided to leave the U.S. Navy after an interview with SpaceX. Having been fascinated with SpaceX and Elon’s Starship project, I felt compelled to join. After the push…