This is the story of a Dutch Navy veteran who started his journey as a young 18 year old looking for a goal, a purpose and world travel. After a military honorable discharge, he was told that civilian life was no place for a military man. Armand proved his doubters wrong, finding a new purpose and a new career with the help of Salute Mission Critical, an IT and data center lifecycle services company that recruits, trains and transforms veterans into world-class data center technicians.
Determination in the Face of Doubt
Many veterans, like Armand, struggle to find work after discharging from the military. In fact, according to a study by Military Times, only 17 percent of employers say veterans are viewed as strategic assets in the workplace. Thankfully for Armand, he and many others found a company like Salute, that not only sees veterans as candidates but as valuable assets to the mission critical data center industry.
The first time Armand heard about Salute was when they took over the contracts of his previous employer in the Netherlands. Armand successfully and seamlessly became a part of the Salute team, following his love for technology and information technology related fields. Salute provided Armand with specialized training to take on the role of a Remote Hands Technician. While a lot has changed for Armand since being in the military, one thing has not changed: he continues to work hard every day doing something he loves. The biggest difference for Armand is the appreciation he receives at Salute.
“What affected me the most is that if I work harder I get more appreciation, contrary to military service where it sometimes felt the other way around,” Armand stated.
Transitioning from Military Work to Mission Critical Work
There are many ways that Armand’s life as a Data Center Engineer has benefitted from military training. Similar to his duties in the navy, Armand describes the EU data centers he works in as follows:
“They are both critical environments that need 24/7 care. War training scenarios [prepared me for this] because they take extraordinarily long hours and are pretty stressful… Now when working outside office hours, I think back to my military training to compare the two and feel at ease with what I am doing now as a civilian.”
Armand has always had a knack for service and his dedication and commitment continue to shine every day. What sets Salute apart is its unique approach to recruitment, training, deployment and support of their teams, which is based on the fundamental principles of military training and practices. Upon its inception, Salute’s founders recognized that military veterans were an often-forgotten talent pool of disciplined, adaptable and trainable personnel. Leveraging the talent of veterans like Armand has been key to Salute’s ongoing success and that of their clients.
From Sailing the Seas on a Destroyer to Taking Up Kite Surfing
While Armand’s life still consists of “critical missions”, the meaning of that phrase has changed a little. With those changes, Armand has also experienced some changes in his personal life that he describes as “different but positive”. Still a “sailor” at heart, Armand enjoys kite surfing in the sea and spending time with his lovely fiance. Armand is thankful for Salute for giving him the opportunity to be a part of a company where he can practice his skills in a field that has 100% of interest.
Armand said, “In ten years I see myself improving as a human and trying to overcome the hardships of life. I also don’t pin down a specific thing because life has many tracks and they are all interesting in their way. So I try to not fear failure, but rather fear not trying.”