Navigating Career Transitions: From Military to Construction to Insurance

Career transitions can feel like starting over, especially when you've invested years building your expertise and identity. In this deeply personal episode, Scott opens up about his journey from 14 years in construction to a new career in insurance—a shift that felt remarkably similar to leaving military service.

For many veterans, construction offers familiar comfort: structure, discipline, physical challenges, and a daily mission. Scott shares how he progressed through various roles from project engineer to operations manager, learning what true leadership means along the way. But the grind eventually took its toll. The constant pressure, long hours, and struggle to maintain work-life balance led to difficult questions about sustainability and purpose.

This isn't a story about "not being able to hack it," but about recognizing when your heart is no longer fully committed to the mission. Scott candidly discusses how he leveraged his military and construction background to build a new career in property and casualty insurance, where he continues serving the construction community, just differently. "Instead of building structures, I'm building security and peace of mind," he explains.

The episode offers powerful insights for anyone facing a career crossroads: your identity is bigger than your job title; growth requires leaving your comfort zone; community support is essential; and patience with yourself matters. Most importantly, Scott emphasizes that your mission doesn't end when your uniform or career changes—it simply evolves.

Whether you're a veteran considering a career shift, someone questioning your path in construction, or facing any significant life transition, this episode provides honest perspective and practical advice from someone who's been there. Connect with Scott on LinkedIn to continue the conversation about navigating life's challenging transitions.

This episode is brought to you buy Aerial Resupply Coffee. Aerial Resupply delivers bold flavor with every sip. Their beans are expertly roasted for peak freshness and a smooth, invigorating taste. Elevate your coffee game by using code CONSTRUCTIONVET10 at checkout to receive 10% off every order. Stay caffeinated with Aerial Resupply Coffee.

If you're a military veteran in the construction industry, or you're in the construction industry and support our military vets, and you'd like to be a guest on the podcast you can find me at constructionvetpodcast@gmail.com , or send me a message on LinkedIn. You can find me there at Scott Friend. Let's share the stories and motivate others!

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Chapters

• 0:00 Returning After a Hiatus
• 1:32 14 Years in Construction
• 7:18 Why Make a Career Shift
• 9:55 Transitioning to Insurance
• 13:50 Lessons Learned During Transition
• 19:40 Military Skills for Career Change
• 22:38 The Future of the Podcast
• 25:42 Practical Advice for Navigating Change

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

changing an identity you've held for years is tough. I've told a lot of people I said, man, this feels like getting out of the military all over again. This is the construction veteran podcast, connecting and celebrating veterans in construction now. Now here's your host, scott Friend. Hey everybody, scott here. Welcome back to the Construction Veteran Podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:33

If you've been around for a while, you know it's been a little quiet on the channel since January, so let's dig into it. So I wanted to take a minute and explain why it's been so long, catch you up on personal stuff and share where things are headed next. So today's going to be a solo episode, just me talking, sharing, reflecting. Uh, this is a bit of a reset episode, a way for us to reconnect, if you will. So I'll dive deep into my career transition, the lessons I've learned along the way and my plans for the podcast and community moving forward. So, whether you're a veteran, a tradesperson or someone facing big life changes, I hope the episode gives you something valuable to think about and helps you feel less alone in your journey. So let's get into it. So 14 years, that's how long construction has been a major part of my life. 14 years of 14 years of early mornings, hard work, teamwork, learning. I mean it's a long time to build something, a career, a reputation and a sense of purpose. So for many veterans like me, construction offers a lot that feels familiar Structure, discipline, physical challenge and a mission every day. So when you leave the military you're often searching for something with that same meaning, and construction can fill that gap.

Speaker 1: 2:17

So I remember my first day on a job site after leaving the military, so walking into the noisy, chaotic world with the smells of, you know, sawdust and diesel in the air, uh, it was this mix of excitement and nerves at the same time. But I felt like I belonged. You know, I knew I had a lot to prove though. So I w I was still starting fresh. So over the years I learned the ropes. So if you take a step back into the military side, um, even though we went by rank, I basically went from a laborer to an apprentice, to a journeyman, to a foreman, um, and did some safety things and scheduling.

Speaker 1: 2:58

But once I got out, moving into the commercial side and went from a project engineer to an assistant superintendent, I was a field superintendent. Um, I did some administrative stuff in that time. Um, you know, I was a project manager at one point. I was an operations manager at one point of a uh, a subcontractor, and each role came with different but new challenges, like each time I changed.

Speaker 1: 3:25

So leading people was a challenge, sometimes solving problems in the moment, the stress of like got to know right now, and managing the unexpected, so coordinating the chaos. And I remember multiple projects where things are just they're tough. Sometimes it's weather materials, sometimes materials are late, like really late, and safety concerns. You know, it's every job in different ways. I've had multiple weeks that really just tested me, but through the challenges I learned what real leadership looks like.

Speaker 1: 4:07

You know, I was very fortunate to be under some amazing leadership through that time. Not all of it, some pretty sucky, and it's a shame. I'm not going to tell you it's perfect. It's the same thing in the military you get some awesome commands that you get to work for, some great leadership on the enlisted and officer side, and then sometimes you don't. You know, sometimes you draw the short straw, and it's the same thing in construction. So I'm not going to sit here and lie and act like everything is perfect.

Speaker 1: 4:33

Sometimes it's tough and that's one thing that's been irking me is that I feel like a lot of us in this space that are I want to say the word like influencer, but a lot of people in space that are evangelists for this we act like construction's just always awesome. It's not, it's hard. We have to be straight up with the next generation. Like it is hard work, you know, but it's something to be proud of. That's one thing I love. Like I didn't care a lot of times that it was hard physically, mentally, emotionally, but again I learned what the real leadership looked like. It wasn't just giving orders, it was earning trust and standing with your team. That was the big thing.

Speaker 1: 5:16

But construction also shaped me personally too. Like I said, the pride, the pride you feel seeing a project come together, the friendships and relationships forged on tough days and the satisfaction of the physical work those things really do stick with you. But the grind is real. The long hours, physical wear and tear, mental stress I mean they all add up and for me, over time, I just started asking myself could I sustain this pace? So you know, I feel so blessed to have a lot of good mentors in my past and some have told me man, you got to slow down, to speed up. Things are constantly changing on the job site and I stressed myself out, so I'm not in any way blaming the industry for any of this. I personally did not know how to slow down. It was this 100 miles an hour at all times until I just crashed. Be the husband, father and person I wanted to be and my answer was no.

Speaker 1: 6:29

There's a lot of guys that do it and I have an immense amount of respect for it's not just older guys, it's guys that have been doing this as long as I have that have been, have had great careers and I have an immense amount of respect for them. And you know, maybe there is naysayers out there that are, oh, I couldn't hack it. Well, I don't care, sure, say that all day, that's fine, you can say it, I couldn't hack it and I couldn't. But the last thing I wanted to do would be to be that exhausted and have all those things on my mind and like that I'm not being productive, I'm not helping the team. If I'm like that and I know a lot of military guys can relate to that, especially like you teams guys or special operations guys you get.

Speaker 1: 7:09

If you have a guy on the team that is not all in. Leave him in the room, leave him back, you know, in the rear with the gear, let him figure it out. Maybe you held it against him, maybe you didn't, I don't know. But you don't want that guy on the mission with you right? I mean, I would think you would agree with that. And it was the same thing in the field. I just my heart wasn't for the mission anymore. Okay, so why make that big of a career shift after all those years? I mean, it wasn't easy, it was scary, it's still. I'm still going through it. It's a little scary.

Speaker 1: 7:46

You know, I went into a field I didn't exactly know much about yet, but physically I was feeling that wear and the tear just more and more, more so, I would say, emotionally than physically. But mentally the high pressure environment was just taking a toll Deadlines, budgets, managing crews, managing expectations, managing clients. The stress was just constant. And then you add in family responsibilities. I wanted to be more present at home. I personally could not find out, find a better way to do that. I again give credit where credit's due to the guys that are amazing fathers in the field. I came up on her guy that is a solid leader in his family in his church, in his community and on the job site. I just personally couldn't do it and it it sucks. You know I was I'm not like ashamed, but I'm upset that I could not make it all work.

Speaker 1: 8:47

I think I was trying to be too many things at once, but I I wanted to be more present at home and I needed to have more balance. So at the same time I started thinking about how okay, how can I use all the skills that I've gained through the military, through construction, but in new ways. And, oddly enough, that's actually how I found insurance of all things, um so well, specifically property and casualty insurance. So I'm trying to tailor what I'm doing for construction businesses mainly Not that I won't write other kinds of companies, and I would love to. I mean, I want to help lots of people, but if you think about it, it actually fits perfectly with my background. So I'm an insurance broker now, not an agent. I work for an independent brokerage. Uh, if, if you think about it, this fits perfectly. So the, the military discipline, the attention to detail, the problem solving all the same skills I used on the job site now help me understand risks, policies and how to protect a lot of my friends I mean people that I've worked with and I see it that I'm still serving the construction community, just differently. So instead of building structures, I'm building security, if you will, and peace of mind.

Speaker 1: 10:12

So, making the pivot, though it wasn't without its struggles. Changing an identity you've held for years is tough. I've told a lot of people I said, man, this feels like getting out of the military all over again. It's something I've known. I did twice the amount of time in construction that I did on active duty. So I was active for seven years and then later on did two years in the reserve. But you know, when you're active duty, that's your life. It's the same thing in construction and many other industries. It's like all that was my identity.

Speaker 1: 10:45

I had moments where I doubted myself and worried about what other people might think, to be honest, but here's. So I want to talk about a couple things that I've learned through it. So if you're out there thinking about a big change, let's talk about things I've learned. Number one your identity is bigger than your job title. That's in the military and out. So you're not just like the construction guy or girl or the soldier. You're the values and the grit that you carry every day. It's not your title. It might not necessarily be what you do. It's really. It's who you are, yes, what you do with your values, but it's who you are. It's who you are every day when the uniform comes off, when the hard hat comes off, that kind of stuff. So your identity is bigger than your job title.

Speaker 1: 11:35

Second point I would say is growth often means leaving your comfort zone. It's uncomfortable, it's uncomfortable, it's messy, but that's where real change happens. You have to get out of your comfort zone. The third thing I would say is lean on your community, man. I mean, if you're transitioning out of the service, lean on the community that you know, maybe back home, maybe your family, maybe the industry you want to go into, or if you're in an industry and shifting into another one, lean on your people, your tribe, whether that's your spouse, people at your church, friends that know you better than anybody, your inner circle, friends that know you better than anybody, your inner circle. Don't go it alone. Reach out to mentors, friends, podcasts, right, like this one or another one. Lean on your community. So what am I on for? Number four be patient, maybe. Be patient with yourself. I'm preaching to myself right now. I had to learn to be patient.

Speaker 1: 12:39

Transitions are not instant. Okay, I knew. I kind of had an inkling a couple of years ago that maybe I'm not going to do this forever, and probably about six months ago or so from the date of this was kind of nailing the coffin. I kind of figured all right, I need to start looking for a change. So it wasn't instant. Figured, all right, I need to start looking for a change. So it wasn't instant. You got to be patient, celebrate the small wins you know, day after day, and keep moving forward.

Speaker 1: 13:03

I never took my foot off the gas. That was one thing I'm proud of myself for that. I'm not trying to gloat by any means, but I'm saying, look I, I as a man, can go to bed comfortable with who I am, because I never, even though I knew I was kind of looking for something else, I didn't quite quit. I didn't stop giving it gas and helping the team with the mission. And one of the biggest lessons out of all that I want to share it's okay to evolve. Your mission doesn't end just because your uniform changes. It shifts. It's not over. Just because your uniform changes. It shifts, it's not over. The goal has moved. Hear me again. It has moved. It doesn't mean there's not a goal anymore, it has just changed.

Speaker 1: 13:52

Okay, so I want to take a minute and I want to really unpack how my military experience prepared me for the career shift itself. So all these people that are getting out of the military or changing careers, so the military teaches us resilience, leadership, discipline and how to perform under pressure. Those aren't just skills for combat, I mean, it's skills for life. So when I started learning about insurance and business development, I realized the skills translated perfectly the attention to detail I used in planning things when we were overseas. It helped me understand planning things on the job site. It helps me understand complex insurance policy. Man, I've got a lot to learn and I'm loving it. But the leadership and communication skills they helped me build relationships with potential clients, network with people that I want to work with uh, people I want to be around.

Speaker 1: 14:48

The resilience piece it helps me push through that learning curve. Like I said, you know you got to study to get your license, you got to study to understand these policies, but that that resilience is what I needed and it's helping me push through that realizing. Hey, I understand a middle-aged, I'm starting over, I'm doing all this, but having that resilience going okay. The learning curve might be a little steep, but I got this, um, and if you're a veteran facing a career change, don't underestimate your strengths, your military background. It's an asset, it's you know, no matter what field you choose. So let's talk about where the Construction Veteran Podcast is headed. So, if anything, I'm more fired up than ever to bring you stories like new stories and fresh perspectives. So, moving forward, expect to hear from veterans who are still working in the trades, business owners, entrepreneurs and folks who have made career pivots. Like me, I want the podcast to be a community where you can find inspiration, advice and real talk.

Speaker 1: 15:58

I'm not going to sugarcoat it. If I have one issue right now with the industry, it's that we do sugarcoat things. We talk about getting younger people into the trades and all this stuff, but we act like it's perfect. It's stinking hard, it is hard work, but it's something you can be proud of. Let's not act like it's not going to be over a 40-hour week or it is going to exhaust you. Let's be straight up and real when recruiting these people, because I would hate for us to give the next generation a vision of everything being lollipops and rainbows and then all of a sudden they realize this is not at all what I expected. I think there's this irrational fear that, well, nobody's going to want to do the hard work. That's BS. I have worked with people in there still now in their young twenties. You know these younger people that put in harder work than I've seen the generation ahead of me or my own. There's still good people out there that want to do hard work. I have met foremen that are 28 years old, that have massive dreams and are leading crews of people that are twice their age, almost Guys that have been doing it for 20 plus years, listening to this guy as a leader who still himself works hard. But so that's the real talk. Like, let's just be honest with it. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, but all that said, I'm off my rant, but I'm.

Speaker 1: 17:45

I'm planning new formats to you know, shorter solo episodes, not as long as this, but, uh, some live Q and a sessions, maybe some audio storytelling directly from a site, if I get an opportunity. Uh, if you want to be a guest or you know somebody with a story we're telling, hit me up. This is our space. Find me on LinkedIn at Scott Friend, or find the Construction Veteran on LinkedIn, or email me at constructionvetpodcast at gmailcom. Like, let's talk. Like let's talk.

Speaker 1: 18:22

A lot of you guys that listen, you know me personally, so how, like tell me, is there a story of a person that you know relative, friend, colleague, that is a veteran that we should talk about this? I'm hoping and if the guy's listening he probably knows who he is the guy that's going through the transition right now. I want to hear how's it going. You know what is skill bridge? Like that program didn't exist when I was in. How is that? Or, like, let's be real, are you worried? Are you scared? Do you feel comfortable? Do you feel like you're being supported and you're going to make a successful transition? From what I've seen, I think you are, um, I think people are plenty supported, um, okay, but so this is our space together. It's not me. I know I've like dubbed myself basically the construction veteran, if you will, but it's it's, it's a community, it's a space, it's not me, um.

Speaker 1: 19:06

So I want to talk about some practical advice too for vets and, uh, trades people or construction management people, navigating change, uh. So, before we wrap all this up, I want to leave you with some actionable advice too. If you're facing your transitions, um, I want you to reflect on what you want. Write it down and be honest with yourself Like man. If you're like I want to drive that Maserati and I want that multimillion dollar home, write it down. If that's your goal, write it down. My goal was I wanted to have my wife not have to work, and that was a goal of mine and we have always had that and I'm very proud of that. Um, you know, there were times where maybe we didn't have food, we didn't know food was coming. I never wanted my kids to have that thought.

Speaker 1: 19:53

So if you have to define what success is to you and you had to reflect on that but, man, it sounds cheesy, people would do these. What dream board it's, I think. But if you have a journal or anything, just write it down what you want. Uh, my wife used to keep a prayer journal of things that she would pray with or pray about, and she would reflect back on it and it's funny, you know, I was in that journal before we got married and she would look back like, oh my gosh, she could see all the things starting to piece itself together into the life that became ours. Um, so, reflect on what you want.

Speaker 1: 20:31

Build your network. I'm so glad, so I started doing LinkedIn like 2010, I think, and I'm really glad I did. There was some awesome networking, uh, at that time, and there still is, like it's way better than it used to be 15 years ago. You have every not every excuse, but you have every opportunity to build a network, connect with people in the industries that you're curious about, like with that tool on LinkedIn. Man, hit me up. If you know somebody in an industry, uh, whether it's a specific trade or manufacturing or general contracting or a location and you see that I'm connected to that person, reach out.

Speaker 1: 21:10

There are so many good people and I feel like people get scared. Like well, that's an executive vice president or that's the owner of a company. I can't talk to them. Dude people are. People. Talk to them Like people, treat them with respect that they've earned and they deserved. But hey, I'm new, I don't understand. Can you help me, can you guide me? And maybe they can't, but they're going to lead you to the person that can. It's so encouraging for people that are seasoned in their careers. I'm saying this from experience. They have a younger person come up and say will you teach me? We like talking about ourselves and we like talking about the things that we know, that we feel comfortable talking about because we know so much about it. So connect with those people, learn new skills, take uh, you know courses, read books, listen to podcasts. But learn new skills or hone the skills that you have and become better at it.

Speaker 1: 22:08

I there's arguments of whether you should focus on one thing or become a generalist. I'm not going to say I'm one way or the other. I had my path. It worked for me. But choose. This goes back on reflecting what you really want. Learn the skills so you can do that.

Speaker 1: 22:25

The next thing would be to set realistic goals. So small steps, small steps add up. You know some people are a big fan of Dave Ramsey. He goes over the baby step method for debt. Not a lot of people agree with it. A lot of people do. But it's that that mental, small steps adding up to pay off your debt. It's the same thing in your career. Set some realistic goals, set some small steps.

Speaker 1: 22:47

I want to achieve, you know, this certification that's going to take me one month or two months to do? Okay. Next step I want to. I want to get this certificate instead of a certification. I want to. I want to do this certificate class. Okay, now I want to. I want to finish my degree, if I haven't already, or you know, I want to become part of this organization.

Speaker 1: 23:07

These small steps start to add up and again you can reflect back and see that the next thing I would say is you have to take care of your mental and physical health. You cannot do it alone. If you don't have people you can talk to, you've got to find those people that you're comfortable with. If you don't, if you can't think of anybody, there is nothing wrong with going to like a better help or um therapy. If you're in Dallas, I've said I've gone to eQuest, which is an awesome facility equestrian therapy, it's. It's amazing. So you got to take care of your mental health in that aspect.

Speaker 1: 23:40

And then physical health walk. If that's all you can do, just walk. If you can't walk, watch your nutrition. Take care of your physical health. This is the one life we have in the one body we have. You got to take care of it. Um, next thing you got to be patient. Be patient Again. I said it again be patient and kind to yourself. It's fine if it takes time, man. I mean the transition, becoming who you want to be uh, it's going to take time. So be patient with that and embrace the mindset of a lifelong learner.

Speaker 1: 24:15

A lot of people say that your your best career might be ahead of you, and I'm living proof of that. I'm so stinking happy in what I'm doing now. Um, I really feel like I struck gold and I found the career I'm going to retire doing Um and I never stopped being a lifelong learner. I didn't get a degree and say, okay, I'm done. I had to get the MDiv because of what I was pursuing in the chaplain core. But you know, who knows, maybe there's an MBA in the future. I'd like that. Um. There's certificates I'd like to get. There's things that I want to learn. I have to learn to be more effective at my job. But I had a lot of good people reach out to me and say, hey, maybe you should look into AI, stuff like learning that. Maybe you should look into BIM man. If you don't, if you don't specifically go into that piece of the industry that's cool too Then you have another tool in your tool belt Just be a lifelong learner Plus. That's going to help you mentally in your brain development so you don't rot out Right, all right. So let me.

Speaker 1: 25:13

Let me share a couple more personal stories that really kind of shaped me. There have been times in my career where people have gotten hurt and I mean that hits me or worse, we did. I've shared, I've been on a job with a fatality. I didn't know the guy, but it impacted everybody, um, and I. I realized that at that point safety is not just a box to check it's. It's real lives. We're talking real people. There's the look at the statistics out there, people that die in the construction industry, or the injuries. These are lives. These are people with kids and spouses and extended family, loved ones, friends.

Speaker 1: 25:56

Um, but when that happened, that those experiences they shape how I lead and why I care so much about risk management today, uh, other other times I've been juggling family challenges and there's always tight project deadlines. Um, you know, when that happens I felt like I was failing at both at the job, at home. Uh, that struggle, though, it taught me being a good leader really means being honest about your limits and asking for help. Raise your hand. I'm not okay, and I was open and honest with leadership. Hey man, I'm not okay. I really have to take a couple of days off. Um, so, thankfully, I had some good leadership over me, uh, in the service handout, and especially my last company. I can't thank them enough. I had some wonderful people that I worked with.

Speaker 1: 26:45

Um, and I want to talk about mindset too. Um, so the mindset and motivation for the long haul um, we really got to talk about the mindset Again. There's a lot of powerful in that the journey. It's a marathon, right, not a sprint. I know super cliche, but whether you're rebuilding after the military, changing careers or just pushing through tough times, mindset is, I mean, I'd argue, everything. Almost. You have to focus on what you can control, celebrate progress, keep your purpose front and center. You know I like to remind myself your mission doesn't end when your MOS changes, it just evolves. So your mission didn't end when you get out of the service. It just it has changed. The goal post has moved Again. It's just shifted.

Speaker 1: 27:41

Okay, I've been jabbering. I really appreciate you guys spending the time with me today. I'm honored that you're part of this community those of you who have encouraged me to keep doing it. Thank you, um. Everybody. Keep pushing forward, keep building your future, and I'll catch you on the next episode of the construction veteran podcast. If you got value from today's episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone who might need to hear this, and if you want to connect with me directly, hit me up on LinkedIn. We're in this together. Thank you.