Finding purpose and a career path with Jacobs after military service

Created by VERCIDA for Jacobs

 

Matt Edwards shares his story of military service and his new career with Jacobs, which offers a supportive environment for veterans.

 

 

I was a professional athlete for several years, but six months before I was due to swim at the Beijing Olympics, I suffered from a lack of confidence and I ran away from the sport. Before I knew it, I was in a military careers office and had signed up to join the Royal Marines. 

I soon found myself serving in active conflict areas in Iraq and Afghanistan and completed several tours back-to-back. I needed a break so I took a teaching role, helping to train new recruits and passing on the skills I’d learned on the ground. However, I got the itch to return to soldiering and subsequently joined the Special Forces. 

Unfortunately, I sustained life-changing injuries in a training accident which resulted in me losing my leg below the knee in 2019. I felt like my whole journey had come to a stop and I had to rebuild myself. I couldn’t serve on the frontline anymore, so I had to find work elsewhere. I reached out to my internal network within the military, as well as civilian friends, and ended up chatting to someone involved with Veterans’ Network – VetNet – at Jacobs.

This conversation led to training and work experience at Jacobs during my last six months with the military. During my work experience, I was given the opportunity to work in a variety of areas and I was subsequently offered a position as an inside sales manager. This involves working with potential clients who issue pre-qualifying questionnaires and invitations to negotiate for contracts. We go through the bidding process, working with specialists within Jacobs to answer the clients' questions, so that we can tender and hopefully win more business.

My time at Jacobs so far has been an amazing learning experience and the support of VetNet has been really important. I left the military, which is very much like a family, and I was looking to join an organisation with a close-knit team. VetNet offers opportunities to speak with people who have been through the same sort of experiences that I have. It helps me along my journey, especially as I have come into a new environment with new people after serving in the military where everything was very familiar and structured.

I am still in the transitional stage, but I have the opportunity to use the transferable skills gained from 15 years experience before I joined Jacobs. I’m new to this working environment, so VetNet helps me to showcase my skills and Jacobs provides a great environment for me to develop. I have already worked through an entire bid process with a client, which has given me so much confidence. There is a whole new commercial language to learn, as well as new processes, so it is good to be able to reach out to someone in the network whenever you need extra support. 

Mental health support is another area where Jacobs is incredibly supportive. I developed complex Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from my time in the military and now I have been asked to be an advocate and complete some positive mental health training. Just as I receive help in accessing mental health support when I need it, I can now guide other people who are struggling to the appropriate level of help.  

My life experience has been about giving back – in the military, the humanitarian aid work was really important to me, as well as the training, and now I want to be able to help people at Jacobs, whether that is through listening to staff and guiding them to support and professional help or training people in the future. I didn’t know the sales process when I started, but I have learned so much already, so eventually, it will be my turn to start training others.

As well as VetNet, it’s important to highlight the work of the ACE Network (which stands for Access. Connect. Empower) at Jacobs. This is the network that connects and supports those with disabilities or other physical or cognitive adaptive challenges, their families and friends, and those who provide care to others. ACE has given me the confidence to know that whether I have a mental health condition or a physical injury, I am still employable and I have never been judged.

Jacobs understands what a veteran or someone who is still serving can offer the business world and is passionate about helping employees to have an agile career so that they can grow and develop within the company. I have no idea where I might be in the next five years, but within the next 6-12 months, I want to be a fully-fledged inside sales manager, delivering live bid work and supporting the business. I definitely see myself having a long-term career here.

 

 

Are you getting ready to transition out of the military? 
Jacobs appreciates the sacrifices you have made and values the experience you have gained through your service in the military or as a military family member. For more information on careers at Jacobs and the support offered please click here.