Introducing, Herstory by Your Sequel!
Herstory by Your Sequel is another way we are equipping you with the information you need to make a successful transition. We’re giving you the scoop on how others in similar positions have made career transitions, so you can learn from history through her stories.
We want to highlight Herstory, because she has happily transitioned from a military to corporate career, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t bumps along the way. This is a share all, so you can avoid ‘lessons learned’ and apply what worked for them to your own story.
But now, without further ado, we would like to introduce to you Katie Horgan, a US Marine Corps Veteran currently representing kick-ass female veterans in New York City.
Katie went to University of Southern California before joining the Marine Corps. She joined the military for the opportunity to serve the country and lead people. She deployed twice, once to Iraq and once with a Marine Expedition Unit. After continued advancement, she came to the point in her career where she knew her role would inevitably shift to staff positions, creating distance between her and the Marines she led. She’d prefer to stay operational — close to the troops — and decided to transition to a job that would allow her to continue to lead with influence.
Strap in! Katie shares the critical turning point in her transition, practical knowledge about MBA programs, why she loves startups, and the disadvantages/advantages to her military background today.
Katie and I met for coffee in Chelsea at Café Grumpy, a very hip spot. It’s one of those more interested in quality than churn. This is cool, but it means there are lines, and unfortunately the line this morning was so long that Katie didn’t have the time to wait and order. That being said — be impressed with her sharp and insightful responses, all sans caffeine.
Dressed in black from head to toe with little to no makeup yet flawless, glowing skin, Katie exudes the fashionable and fierce New York City young professional. We chatted for 45 minutes before she bounced to her next coffee date, perhaps with coffee this time. The woman is in high demand.
YS: How did you know what you wanted to do after the military?
KH: I didn’t — I was mid deployment work-up and didn’t have a lot of time to develop a plan. I talked to friends, and friends of friends. I found people through LinkedIn and connected to the vet community. But I was one of the first in my peer group to leave the military. I was the first to pursue an MBA. It took me two years to figure out the direction I wanted to go. To some degree, I’m still figuring it out.
YS: Why did you decide to pursue an MBA?
KH: I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do after leaving the military, but the clock was ticking, and I had to make a decision. I thought business school would give me some time to figure it out, while giving me the network and education to pursue my career of choice.
YS: Why did you choose Columbia?
KH: I didn’t initially think I could get into a top school, but I kept hearing, if you’re going to get an MBA, get a Top 10. It’s the network that counts and the top 10 schools have the best network.
I was advised to focus on 2–3 applications, instead of mass applying, and I honed in on Columbia, HBS and NYU. I had the best conversations with Columbia students, and made that my only campus visit. It just felt like a strong community — veteran and the school as a whole. And the network is incredible.
YS: What was your MBA experience like?
KH: There are tracks to follow for certain careers that begin almost immediately in your first year — one month into business school. For example for finance or consulting, you should know at the beginning of your first year if these are fields you want to pursue. I jumped on the consulting track and began interviewing for summer internships. After a semester on the ‘recruiting track’, I didn’t get offers from any big consulting firms. So instead, I went to a smaller company focused on brand strategy for my summer internship.
YS side note: Your summer internship placement is critical to a reliable job offer upon graduation. If you are able to land a good summer internship and perform well, it is likely they will bring you on full time next summer.
KH: It didn’t take me long to find that I didn’t like the work. One of the things I enjoyed about the military was the sense of ownership. In the consulting world you plan and advise, but then you walk away. You don’t have ownership, and you don’t get to implement.
Looking back, I think my interviewers in the first semester might have picked up something I didn’t know about myself — consulting wasn’t a fit for me and I wasn’t a fit for consulting. I continued to follow through with consulting recruiting anyway.
Early in my 2nd year of B school — I sat down and thought about what I wanted, what my values were — where I wanted to live and what I wanted to do. I realized I wanted ownership and skin in the game. I had to course correct. A classmate from Columbia made an intro to a new startup, Plated. One of the cofounders was a Marine Reservist. I was hired as a Logistics Manager in April, one month before graduating.
YS side note: If you haven’t checked it out already, Plated is a meal kit delivery service that is dedicated to helping people “cook more, live better”. Every week, they deliver pre-proportioned ingredients and recipe cards to your door so that you can cook a gourmet meal at home. Less expensive than take-out, and you actually get to see what goes into your food!
YS: How did you know you wanted to work in startup environments?
KH: I liked the scrappy aspect of working at a startup. In the military, there is a lot of figuring it out as you go along — all junior officers & enlisted are “entrepreneurs”, of sorts. I saw a lot of parallels between my military and startup experience.
YS: Why did you switch from Plated to your current company, Crave Crush?
KH: At Plated, the first year was pretty different from the second year. You reach a point in an organization where you need to pivot and become a “real business”. We had great leadership moving the company forward and were experiencing a lot of growth & success. But personally, I started to miss the scrappy part. I was being pushed more toward one, specialized role instead of having the flexibility to try new ideas, test concepts, and wear several hats.
At Crave Crush, I play a key role in many different parts of the organization — operations, logistics, customer service, analytics, etc — and I am helping to build a business from the ground up. I also had the opportunity to launch a product, and I think that’s really exciting.
YS: Did you have a mentor through your transition process?
KH: Not really. I know now that the concept of military alumni is good but you have to find them. You have to seek them out. There isn’t a single, cohesive vehicle for finding people.
YS side note: Enter us!
YS: Looking back, what do you think made your transition successful?KH: That point where I took a step back and decided what I wanted from my career. In the MBA environment (and elsewhere), there is a lot of pressure to do what other people think you should do. In the military, you don’t have the time or luxury to think about what interests you. This was really the first crucial moment in my life where I had to take time out to think about what I wanted.
YS: How did you do that?
KH: I had a pretty tough time during my summer internship at that consulting firm. My stress level was high, and I was uncertain about where I was going to be employed after graduation…IF I was going to be employed.
You know how in the military, someone always has control? And if it’s not you, you can look to the next person in your chain of command for direction?
That summer I realized that for the first time I wasn’t in control, and there was no one to tell me what to do next.
I made myself sit down and list out what was important to me, from a personal and professional perspective. That exercise really helped me to narrow the list of “next steps” that I was considering. It helped me refine my job search, and say “no” when a lead or opportunity wasn’t a fit. Ultimately, this exercise led me to pursue operations roles at startups, which has been a great fit for me so far.
YS: If you could go back and do it again, would you do anything differently?
KH: I would have thought about things differently if I had known more. For example…
— I would have taken some loans. I had no idea how expensive school was going to be, and I exhausted my savings.
— I thought you could go to business school in New York and interview in California, but that’s harder said than done. If people know where they want to end up — they should definitely go to school there. Where you go to school is where you build your network.
— Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone to a bigger company first to learn how successful companies operate. You can learn a lot by recreating the wheel, instead of learning by trial and error.
YS: What do you think are the best resources (books, websites, tools) for veterans in transition?
KH: Not one thing. Unfortunately you have to build the best combo of products for yourself. It’s an amalgamation of several things. Basically, have as many conversations as possible!
YS: What advantages/disadvantages has you military background given you in your career?
KH: Advantages…
— The work ethic definitely carries over. Particularly in a startup and in the early stages — You’re working 7 days a week when there is often nothing standing in between you and something failing.
— Communication Skills. I’m direct and feel comfortable speaking straight to the point.
— The ability to get the job done with an 80% solution. I’m not attached to a perfect solution.
Disadvantages
— Direct communication can be a double-edged sword. Saying what you mean with constructive criticism does not play well with all people. I expect everyone to be able to handle it, and that is not always the case.
— Peer influence and operating within a relatively flat command structure was new to me. In the military, I was used to directing down, or managing up. Now, I’m forced to think about communication and leadership skills in a new way. I’ve learned to manage by influence.
YS: What advice you would offer women in transition today?
KH: We are not used to doing introspection — the exercise of just thinking about what you want. But you have to do it. Write it down, and keep that list handy — of what you want. Set your priorities and your intentions.
— Have as many people as possible review your resume. My first draft was trash. You need a civilian’s perspective. Too often, they look at your resume and have no clue how to transfer your skills. E.g. When we hosted veterans for an event at Plated, some of my colleagues had literally never talked to veterans. They respect military service but find it difficult to understand how a veteran’s experience can bring value to their organization. In general, you have to know how to communicate your value. Your first opportunity to do this will be with your resume, so take it seriously.
— Being a vet might get you in the door, but it will not necessarily get you the job offer. So many vets are hitting a wall. I wish someone had told me that I was going to hear “No” a lot, before I heard “yes”.
— Get involved with whatever veteran organization you can. The most useful thing for me has been the Veteran network in New York. The Veteran’s group at Columbia was instrumental. This is where I heard about Marine Corps birthday dinner and met several people. It’s also given me a way to help other vets.
— Assimilate to business culture and news. Before I got out I listened to Bloomberg every morning to know what was going on.
— Take Excel primers regardless of whether or not you’re going to business school. If the military runs on messages, the civilian world runs on excel.
Unfortunately, at the end of the day transitions are often a lot of trial and error, and being honest with what you want. What you want will change with what you know, and you will continue to learn a lot about yourself after you get out. You’ll be bombarded with info. Do your best to narrow your interests down, focus on your goals, then go get experience.
Then once you’ve made it, remember the people that help you during your transition. Once you are out, and have established yourself, be that person for someone else!
