The Veterans' Journey

Greg always knew what he wanted to be when he grew up: to be a soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

Greg’s childhood ambition led him to become a Combat Engineer and before long his superiors saw his potential, and he was selected amongst his peers to commence Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training and eventually deployed to detonate Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) in Afghanistan.  Following his time with the CAF, Greg served as an advisor with the United Nations (UN). With an excellent sense of humour, Greg details how he went from a “bullet catcher” in the CAF into a career in Cyber Security with a limited background in tech, and finally becoming the Head of Cyber Security with WithYouWithMe (WYWM) with the help of Ernst & Young (EY), and the Cyber Workforce Enablement Program (CWEP). Veterans sign up to the platform for free tech training https://go.withyouwithme.com/veteransjourneysu

Skills like leadership do not get translated to the public sector. There is a lack of recognition of potential and this makes it hard for those transitining from the military.

Michel “Mike” Toupin joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1996 as an Armoured Recce Driver, and quickly saw the value in getting involved in joining the IT Support Staff. Soon thereafter, Mike Occupational Transferred (OT) to the world of RMS before leaving the military and joining the Canadian Public Service in the IM/IT sector within the Department of National Defence. Beginning in Valcariter, Québec, and through his experiences in the Combat Arms, as a self professed IT nerd, Mike has represented Canada domestically and internationally, including long stints in Afghanistan, Budapest Hungary, and Belgrade, Siberia, before becoming one of the leading Cloud Architects within DND. Mike possesses a wealth of experience, and a good sense of humor to compliment his professional contributions to the federal government, and has dedicated himself to constantly improving his technical skills and abilities.

Balancing family & health was a struggle that makes perseverance a key point in this weeks episode. Infantryman to Cyber Security Cloud Analyst.

Vince took his retirement from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in September 2020 to start a brand new career in the world of cybersecurity!  Vince first joined the CAF as a 16 year old reservist in Montréal, and later served as a Crew Commander with the Princess Patricia Light Infantry (PPCLI). Without a background in tech, Vince dove headfirst into an exciting, and rewarding, career.  Vince will be graduating in August of 2021 from his Cyber Security studies, and has recently joined the WYWM team in Canada as a Cyber Security Cloud Analyst!

Christopher has always seen the value of technologist opportunities in both the CAF and as a civilian, and is passionate about assisting transitioning CAF members into tech roles!

Christopher Boyd served in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) with the Royal Canadian Navy as a Weapons Engineering Technician and has since transitioned into Software Engineering.  Post-service, Christopher applied to the  York University - Lassonde School of Engineering in Toronto, ON, and has focused his studies on upskilling in  Advanced Software Engineering, Advanced Data Structures, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Big Data Systems, Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence, Database Systems, Software Design.  Christopher has always seen the value of technologist opportunities in both the CAF and as a civilian, and is passionate about assisting transitioning CAF members into tech roles! Veterans sign up to the platform for free tech training https://go.withyouwithme.com/veteransjourneysu

Anywhere from 2.5 to 3 million in training, degree to masters level, why is it so hard to transfer these skills after leaving the military?

Andrew (Andy) Choquette served for over 34 years in the Canadian Armed Forces.  After two years as a military policeman in Québec City with 55 MPL, and another two years without a plan, he listened to his father, believed the CAF recruiter who had regaled him with tales of exotic locales such as CFS Bermuda, and enrolled in the Communications Research trade.  Initial tours of Leitrim, Alert, and Czech language training, led him to tours of Somalia, Bosnia, and Afghanistan. Andy spent his career continuously upskilling within the Comms Research trade and went from learning morse code to conducting enhanced cyber operations with NATO satellites.  After obtaining the rank of Chief Warrant Officer, Andy accepted a commission and retired from the CAF as a Captain. Following retirement from the CAF, Andy worked tirelessly within Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), Economic Development Canada (EDC), and the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group (CAF TG), to better improve transition outcomes for releasing CAF members and their families.  Currently, on a one-year academic sabbatical, Andy is completing his MBA at the Levine School of Business at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan. Veterans sign up to the platform for free tech training http://go.withyouwithme.com/veteransjourneysu