- In which branch did you serve?
I served in the Air Force for about 6 years. I spent majority of my enlistment in North Dakota, but I did get the chance to travel to 4 different countries.
- Why did you join the Veteran’s ERG?
I joined Veteran’s ERG because I knew that I would find a connection there. Anywhere I go, I find myself meeting veterans who simply want to be of service to others regardless of what branch they were in. The good energy and comradery are always there and that even extends to spouses and dependents.
- Which of the goals of the Veteran’s ERG are you most excited about?
Aside from being more involved, I love that volunteering is encouraged in VERG. I’m sure many agree that it feels great to serve others and while I haven’t volunteered much in recent years, I look forward to adding that back into the balance of everything I have going on. It’s also a good way to explore other areas while getting to know different communities in Santa Barbara.
- Do you want to share a story about yourself and your journey before you came to Deckers?
It’s been an interesting career transition coming from the military to product design and development. The best way to describe my experience is like going from keeping my head down and coloring within the lines to crafting lines and colors to tell stories through product. I was surprised to find out more veterans were pursuing a career path in art/design as well so being involved in veteran groups allowed me to network and create long-lasting friendships.
The biggest challenge initially was going from 6 years of using my left brain to using the right. In the military I was comfortable being given detailed instructions on what needed to be done; there’s a manual for every little thing so there’d be less thinking and more doing. To go from that to exploring new ideas and developing creativity, it took quite a while to find and trust the creative process within myself. Reflecting on what I’ve learned and experienced, I see the growth that helped me reach where I am now and I’m proud of it.
Deckers Careers 