I really enjoyed this weeks interview with Shanon Morris where we talked about how important it is to take time reflecting on the military experience, especially when it comes to the military experience. Shannon served in the Navy and attended the Naval Academy. She didn’t quite know what she was signing up for when she began her career in the Navy and initially wanted to quit at the Naval Academy. But through both the mentorship of a senior cadet and a little bit of fear tactics she decided to continue at the Naval Academy. In this interview we talked about her time in the Navy and how time has given her the ability to reflect both on her time at the Academy and the military.
Reflecting on the military experience
Shanon didn’t think a lot about her choice to attend the Naval Academy. She had attended the summer program during her junior year and it was a lot of fun. She expected her time at the Naval Academy to be very similar. But quickly learned that it wasn’t going to be fun and instead was really hard. After initially wanting to quit she focused in on her why and helped it lead her through the rest of the time at the Academy.
Intel to SWO
She wanted to be an intel officer but didn’t get a slot and instead became a surface warfare officer. This led to her first assignment being out on a ship. With her fist deployment a few months after arriving at her assignment. She talked about how much work there was to do on the ship. Not only did she have her normal job she also had to stand watches and by the end of the deployment she was also leading briefings.
Life changes
She was going through training for a new ship when she was hit from behind in a car crash. The car was totaled but she felt fine and didn’t want to extend her time at training so she didn’t go to the doctor. Then two weeks later when playing kickball, she went to kick the ball and her back froze up. This led to lots of doctors appointments and an eventual med board out of the Navy. While in limbo she put feelers out for a new job and was at work within a month of being released from the Navy. It ended up being a job she didn’t enjoy and she didn’t even make it a year before moving on to Google.
Looking back
She realizes that while finically good to switch from job to job with no break. It wasn’t good for her mentally. It didn’t allow her to figure out what she actually wanted to do. Recently she was laid off from Google. She and her husband decided to take some time and figure out what they want to do next. He is currently going through a med board and waiting for results. She is taking time to figure out a plan for the future and what she wants too. Thinking outside of the box and instead of following a traditional path.
She encourages women to be who they want to be. Don’t feel that you have to conform to the stereotype.
