Headquartered in Austin, TX (K-12 and Military Installations Projects)
Compensation: $80K–$120K + Company Vehicle

We are looking for high-performing, mission-driven professionals ready to step into impactful roles IMMEDIATELY. This is a prime opportunity for SkillBridge candidates or direct hires looking to transition into construction, operations, or QA leadership roles.

Key Requirements

• Ability to read and interpret blueprints & schematics
• Experience in construction, QA/QC, or operations preffered
• Must have or be eligible for access to military installations
• Strong leadership, attention to detail, and execution mindset

 DM me to get set up for an interview**!**

Let’s get you placed. 

I figured I'd put this together because I see a lot of questions about SkillBridge (SB) and the transition process, so hopefully somebody can take something away from it.

I was accepted into 5 different SB opportunities and ended up accepting the one I thought would work best for me. I just started my SB this week, so I still have a long way to go with it myself.

20 years in the USCG and 4 years in the USAF — my time had finally come to hang it up. I wanted to prepare myself the best way I possibly could for life after the only adult life I had ever really known.

I did not prepare well the first time I got out 21 years ago from the USAF, which is honestly the main reason I joined the USCG afterward. Now that I know going back in isn’t an option this time, I wanted to make sure I handled this transition better than I did the first one.

Luckily, another Coastie told me about SB around 4 years ago.

I started preparing for this over a year before the retirement date I wanted, and I’m glad I did. Even starting that early, there’s still a lot to figure out between resumes, networking, SB applications, VA claims (seriously, take advantage of BDD), that final PCS, interviews, and trying to figure out what you even want to do next.

One thing I’d definitely recommend is taking advantage of the career counseling and transition assistance resources your branch offers. I think a lot of us wait too long to start asking questions or planning ahead.

Also — go to medical and get EVERYTHING documented for your VA claim. Depending on how busy your unit is, you do not want to be trying to cram appointments into the final month before your SB starts. Again, use BDD and find yourself a competent VSO.

Starting last summer, I applied for everything I could find: security, manufacturing, emergency management, operations, tech, training, federal positions, and more. Some companies were responsive and genuinely wanted to help transitioning service members succeed.

But there were also a ton — especially on the official SB site — that never responded at all. You’ll find dead links, abandoned email addresses because the contact person no longer works there, discontinued programs, or companies that only used SB once for a very specific hiring need.

When I first started looking, I didn’t realize that not every SB opportunity is actually listed on the official website. There are third-party organizations, recruiters, and partner companies that can connect transitioning members with opportunities through companies they already work with.

Cohorts also seem to be the wave of the future for SB right now, although guidance seems to change pretty regularly.

I learned pretty quickly that expanding your search beyond the official website can open a lot more doors and lead to opportunities that fit you better. That’s ultimately how I landed my SB.

I think there are so many highly skilled military members out there who are great at leading people, solving problems under pressure, training teams, and adapting quickly, but sometimes it feels like the civilian side doesn’t fully understand how valuable that experience really is.

A few takeaways from my experience so far:

• Get your chain of command involved early if you think you want to do SB
• Start applying early, even if you’re still figuring things out
• It never hurts to send an email showing interest
• Take advantage of every resource available to you
• Networking really does help
• Tailoring resumes actually helped me, even though some people will tell you it doesn’t
• If you use AI for resumes, PROOFREAD IT — it will absolutely over-embellish or randomly add/remove things sometimes
• It’s ok to be picky and change your mind about opportunities
• Don’t lose hope if you get rejection emails
• Don’t just pick an SB to escape your last 180 days — pick one that can actually help jumpstart your civilian career

What’s kind of interesting is that I’m still figuring things out myself while also starting to help other people through it at the same time. I definitely don’t have all the answers, but after everything I’ve learned over the last year, I really do want to help other transitioning members any way I can and hopefully make this whole process a little less stressful.

So I just wanted to share some of my experience in case somebody else out there is starting this process and feels completely lost.

And I saved this for last:

I feel fortunate to have landed with Five & Fly, where I’m now doing my own SkillBridge as a recruiter helping connect other service members with opportunities that fit their backgrounds and goals.

I really didn’t want this to come across as a recruiting post — I mostly just wanted to share my experience and some things that helped me along the way. But if anybody has questions or thinks I can help, feel free to reach out.

chris@fiveandfly.com