Life Changing Is ... Providing a Pathway

Adam C., Department of Defense SkillBridge Program

"It was 100% worth it, and I don't regret it at all. I couldn't be happier that I did it."

After joining the Marine Corps out of high school, Adam served for two years in Hawaii before getting transferred to North Carolina.

As his three-year enlistment neared its end, he began thinking about what he wanted to do next. He learned about SkillBridge, a Department of Defense program that allows service members to complete an internship with a civilian company in the last 180 days of their contract.

A western Pennsylvania native, Adam looked at options close to home.

“I knew I wanted to try to do something business-oriented," he says. "I was scrolling through, and I saw UPMC there. At first, I skipped it because I thought it was going to be like a doctor or something. But I looked further into it and realized they had every single thing you could possibly imagine on it."

UPMC is the largest Department of Defense SkillBridge provider in Pennsylvania. Any service member can apply for SkillBridge; their unit commander must approve their participation.

Adam applied to UPMC and landed a three-month internship as a revenue cycle analyst. Before the end of his internship, his supervisor offered him a permanent job — which he accepted.

"I thought it was going to be just the internship," Adam says. "So, I thought a three-month internship, that's great to have. And then I think as he seemed to like me and liked what I did, he offered me that job. It was definitely just great to have that head start."

The transition from the military to a corporate position had some challenges for Adam, but he was able to navigate them.

"It's a little intimidating at first because every single person here has already gone to college," Adam says. "They've already done all this, and it kind of makes you feel like you're behind a little bit. But I feel like once I actually got here and talked to people, a lot of it can be picked up. A lot of it's on-the-job training."

He believes the military helps set people up for long-term success.

"I just think we come from a background where you pretty much can handle just about anything," he says. "The amount of stress and demand that comes with being in the military, it really just gives you great character and great work ethic. Even if you didn't go to college, I think it's a comparable skill to have."

Adam plans to attend business school at the University of Pittsburgh while still continuing to work at UPMC. In five years, he hopes to still be at UPMC.

He's recommended the SkillBridge program to other service members.

"It was 100% worth it, and I don't regret it at all," he says. "I couldn't be happier that I did it."

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