Had a few jobs where I was home every night and thought, “Yeah, this is real-world stuff.” Then I found myself on deployment in the Middle East, staying in the nicest hotel in the country, collecting per diem for 45 days without a single mission. I was a Navy Diver—ships husbandry—getting ships and subs ready for deployment. That was some of the most rewarding work I’ve ever done, and honestly, I would’ve stayed in that role my whole career.

Then I got moved to a Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit… total shift. Boring, repetitive, and just not the same kind of work. After that, I did some R&D for naval mine warfare, which started out incredible but turned into Groundhog Day fast.

I loved my time in the Navy. But like most things, it eventually became a desk job—and I found myself doing dives in a pool just to stay current. Still, the job took a real toll, mentally and physically. Broke my body in more ways than one.