Quinn joined the military at 18 to become an infantryman. His dreams of a military career were dashed when he suffered an injury that led to a medical discharge, however during the two years he spent in the military, Quinn cultivated a strong work ethic, critical thinking skills, and adaptability. Quinn described the military as a place that rewarded problem-solving and efficiency and recalled, “If I look at a maneuver my squad is doing and I told my squad leader, ‘Hey, this route looks better,” nine times out of ten he’s going to say, ‘That’s very smart, I didn’t see that.’” These traits served him well after he transitioned into civilian jobs. “Even if I apply for a job and don’t completely understand exactly what it’s going to take, it’s very easy for me to look at what’s being done and replicate it, and then usually very quickly find better ways to do things. It was just something you learned to do on autopilot in the military.”

While Quinn was well-liked and appreciated by employers, he noticed that it was difficult to get callbacks on his job applications and he has found it hard to find a career path that fits his interests. He thinks employers do not understand how the skills he developed in the military make him a valuable worker. He also believes there is a stigma associated with his military experience. “I don’t know what it is that the media or the entertainment industry or news has done to make that employers think that everyone who has been in the military—especially medically discharged—is somehow unstable or not as good as an employee.” Quinn noted that people in the military are “people doing a job with a goal, the job just happened to be a little harder, which usually makes us better workers. We’re not the liability.”  Quinn aims to attend college in the future to offset the challenges he faced in his job search.