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Reflections from U.S. Army Veteran, Christopher J. Nicholas

Posted: November 5, 2020

On November 11th, our nation will celebrate Veterans Day and pay tribute to each and every veteran who has fought for our freedom. As a service-disabled veteran-owned business, every day at Bancroft is dedicated to veterans. It is our mission to offer the opportunity of restoration to service members and first responders who have sacrificed so much.

In the days leading up to Veterans Day, we are honored to highlight the extraordinary Veteran Training Program Candidates who make up the Bancroft Capital team.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Nicholas served as enlisted soldier and UH-60 Blackhawk Pilot in the U.S. Army for a total of 16 years. Chris is a helicopter crash survivor, medically retired disabled veteran, and fully licensed Candidate in the Bancroft Capital Veteran Training Program.

It is our privilege to share reflections from Christopher J. Nicholas:

Challenges in transitioning from the military to the corporate world

The biggest transition challenge for me personally was to initially figure out what new industry in which I wanted to pursue a career. My helicopter crash ended the aviation career I worked so hard to establish and I had never imagined that I’d ever have to look for a new career in a new industry. I had to take a realistic assessment of what I would and wouldn’t be able to do physically going forward. Of course, the silver lining to this is that I had an opportunity to start over and start fresh!

Overcoming the challenges

There were several things that greatly helped with overcoming the challenges of transitioning from Army Aviation into a career in finance. Any career change from the aviation sector is going to be a jump, but the first tool at my disposal was time. Since I identified early on in my transition that I needed to find a career outside of aviation, I was able to maximize my multi-year recovery to prepare. I was also able to utilize a transition program to gain an internship with the Federal Home Loan Bank Office of Finance near my Army medical recovery unit that greatly prepared me for corporate life. Last, having a “Plan B” gave me some peace of mind. I knew that if I wasn’t able to gain employment immediately, I had education benefits that would help prepare me for the future as well. Luckily, I now have the best of both worlds by working with Bancroft Capital while simultaneously using my education benefits to attend MBA classes through DeSales University. Being prepared helped me maximize all the tools at my disposal and fast-track my new career.

Advice for veterans ready to transition out of their military roles and into civilian careers

I mentioned that I was able to take part in a military to civilian transition program over the course of years of recovery through the Army Recovery Care Program (formally the Warrior Care and Transition Program), which is a specialized program for wounded servicemembers like me. The Soldier Recovery Unit (formerly the Wounded Warrior Unit) gave me tailored transition resources to assist in both my medical recovery and transition into civilian life. Many regularly transitioning servicemembers may only think that these types of services and programs exist for disabled vets like me and don’t realize that they also have access to all the same transition resources as well! The most helpful of these resources are financial counseling and preparation services, resume building workshops, employment counseling, and job fairs. Depending on the situation and the support of your individual command, you may also be able to take part in a transition internship before you exit the military as well.

If you are looking for resources outside of the military, there are many other organizations that provide transition assistance and classes for servicemembers, such as the Travis Manion Foundation, Wounded Warrior Project, and the USO, which specifically has classes and counseling available as part of their Pathfinder Transition Program. Many don’t find out these resources exist until just months before separation when it becomes a mandatory “check the block” item on their transition checklist and they don’t take full advantage of the resources. Or even worse, they dismiss them as an unnecessary annoyance between them and getting out of the military. Although these resources are available up to one year after discharge, starting to prepare a year in advance can give you insights you may not have otherwise had, such as learning how to convert a military certification into a civilian certification that can increase your employment and compensation opportunities. Transitioning can be very stressful with so many changes and requirements happening in a short amount of time. Starting early gives you the peace of mind that comes with having a plan in place and allows you to focus on other aspects of transition, such as moving and taking care of your family without the added stress of how you’ll make ends meet or how you’ll afford all those new business clothes!

Experience in Bancroft Capital’s Veteran Training Program

For me, the Bancroft Training Program was such an amazing opportunity that I literally thought it was spam email sent by my Transition Coordinator! After meeting Cal and the Bancroft team I realized this was a life-changing opportunity unlike any other that has the potential to fast-track a career in finance. First and foremost, knowing that the family-friendly work environment was understanding and supportive of my physical limitations and continuing care was a big relief. The structured program provided guidance to me as a newcomer with little experience to learn and grow through formal licensing and on the job training. Although I know I’m starting “at the bottom of the totem pole” in finance, I’m treated with the respect I deserve after having a successful military career. Bancroft embraces my experience and respects my input as a member of the team. Last, Bancroft and I share the same values of responsibility and accountability, which means that with the peace of mind of being financially secure I am also held to the same high standards to perform and execute as anyone else in the office. As a result, I know that my new career with Bancroft is honorable, with purpose, and the result of the hard work I put into it.

Looking to the future in finance

I love learning and I love the ability to learn new things every day in this ever-changing environment. One of my favorite things about my journey to becoming an Army Aviator was the journey from student to expert and the years of studying and training that I put in to get there. I have an opportunity now to experience those same feelings of excitement, knowing that the hard work I put in now will help me become an expert in the future. I like knowing that I’ll never get bored and there is always something new to fulfill my driven personality. There are also so many areas of specialty to get to know in finance so I’m excited to gain more experience and find what my niche will be. I look forward to becoming a mentor for others who will be in my shoes in the future.

Veterans Day Reflections

Growing up in a small, mid-west town of 3,000 people, I have many fond memories of our little Veterans Day parade every year. I remember it was a joyous day that was important to the whole town. I remember marching down the streets of the downtown with a trumpet in my hand in the school band playing cheerful tunes. You could feel the pride to be a part of the community and this great nation in the air. Unlike Memorial Day, which is a somber day to remember those who were not afforded the privilege to see their service through to the end as I was, Veterans Day is a day that we can use to celebrate all those great American heroes who took an oath to protect our freedoms. We can remember the heroes of both past and present, both departed and living. We have the opportunity to set politics aside and shake the hand (or give a COVID fist bump) of someone who not only understands what sacrifice is, but who gave up their own freedoms to put it to practice. We have the opportunity to set aside differences and recognize a set of values and beliefs bigger than our own. Veterans Day is a day in which we can all be proud of great Americans that have sacrificed for us all and it’s a day that truly has us come together as a nation.