After spending most of his twenties in the Marine Corps, Josh Anderson admits that his transition back to civilian life was “a little rocky.”
“You’re coming from an environment where you feel connected, where you always know people have your back,” says Anderson. “Suddenly you don’t know where you fit or how to translate the skills you learned into something that’s valuable in the workplace.”
That’s where Patriot Boot Camp comes in. Anderson is the director of the nonprofit organization focused on providing service members, veterans, and their spouses with the skills they need to succeed in the tech sector.
It’s an organization Anderson says he could have used when he left the military in 2007. He had little idea what he would do after returning to civilian life, falling into recruiting “almost by accident.”
He continued on this path, working on recruiting for companies like Accenture and Google. Then he started helping startups find the right people for their teams. Neither job felt exactly right.
But earlier this year when he spoke with Taylor McLemore, founder of Patriot Boot Camp, something clicked. Helping veterans transition into tech careers? It seemed like the perfect fit for Anderson.
Launched in 2012, Patriot Boot Camp started off as a series of weekend events to assist veterans in finding jobs in the tech sector. It sponsored nine of these events across the country, helping out about 550 veterans in the process.
“The theory was that veterans were ideal for the tech world,” says Anderson. “They are comfortable with discomfort. They can juggle the priorities of a team with the priorities of a mission. These are some of the intangibles that you get with military service.”
With Anderson joining the team, the organization is changing its focus a bit. Instead of constantly being on the road, Patriot Boot Camp is establishing permanent offices in cities with fast-growing tech scenes: Denver and Austin.
“We are really putting down roots and building meaningful connections with communities we want to serve,” says Anderson, a member at Denver’s WeWork Union Station. They are part of WeWork’s Mission Possible program, which helps nonprofit organizations secure office space.
And as part of its mission to provide ongoing support for veterans, the organization is partnering with programs with complementary missions like the Colorado Alliance for Veteran Entrepreneurship.
“We’re all trying to focus on serving our constituents with that one question in mind: Is it the right thing for the veterans?” says Anderson.
Photos: Jennifer Li