In episode 260, we’re joined by guest Brandon Seymour. This week we’ll share part 1 of an interview with Brandon detailing his decision to join the Marine Corps and the experience of boot camp, the impact of a significant injury while serving, his transition back to civilian life, the decision to pursue a career in technology, and his shift in focus from networking to operating systems. Original Recording Date: 12-18-2023 Topics – Meet Brandon Seymour, Joining the Marine Corps, Boot Camp and Leadership, A Medical Discharge, Transition to Civilian Life, A Focus on Technology, A Directional Shift 2:29 – Meet Brandon Seymour * Brandon Seymour is a director of solution architects at Calian, a technology solutions company headquartered in Canada. * Calian acquired a solutions provider called Computex in 2022, which was similar to places Brandon has worked in the past. * At the time of this recording, Brandon has been with Calian for about 3 months. 3:09 – Joining the Marine Corps * Brandon is 47 years old now, and in his time at the University of Arkansas he remembers meeting someone who had planned to go into the Marine Corp after college. * Brandon feels many kids are seeking some kind of break between high school and college, a time of adventure. * “I needed an adventure to fulfill. But I also came from a home that didn’t have a father, so I needed something to help me discover who I was as a man. And I looked to the Marine Corps to kind of fulfill both of those things for me.” – Brandon Seymour, on pursuing the Marine Corp * It felt safer to pursue going into the Marine Corps since Brandon had a friend who would go through boot camp with him. * Brandon’s grandfather was a Marine, and he remembers hearing the stories of how the Marine Corps had the most difficult boot camp of any branch of the military. Not everyone who would go through boot camp would become a Marine. Brandon wanted to pursue it to prove something to himself. * Brandon had originally gone to college to pursue studies in international economics (which was a new program at the University of Arkansas built with Wal-Mart’s help). * Ideally Brandon would pursue the program and then go work for Wal-Mart someday, eventually becoming a billionaire. That never happened. * “I needed something to bring areas of discipline in my life. I needed something to give me a little bit more direction in life. I needed something to bring some adventure in my life. And it fulfilled all those things for me…. I finished around 2 years of college and then left for the Marine Corps.” – Brandon Seymour, on pursuing the Marine Corps * Brandon didn’t tell his mother about his decision to go into the Marines until she drove him to the airport to leave for boot camp. Despite this being very upsetting to his mother at the time, she recognizes now it was something Brandon needed to do. * Brandon did take advantage of the GI Bill for veterans to help pay for college after his time in the Marines. * Brandon was medically discharged from the Marines after breaking his back and his legs. He would use funds from the GI Bill to get certifications related to computers. 7:43 – Boot Camp and Leadership * How was Brandon’s experience in boot camp after hearing about the difficulty and deciding to join the Marines? * There is a mental aspect of boot camp with which many people stru...