Joining SuiteVets: Army veteran trains in ERP consulting

Army veteran Adam

B. went through a successful transition from the military with Oracle Net Suite's Suite Vets. This program helped him acquire the skills, knowledge, and vision to leverage his unique, valuable experience in a civilian career. What makes Suite Vets such a great opportunity is that it's exclusively for veterans and military spouses- there's an instant connection, camaraderie, and support to complete the program successfully.

So, how did Adam get into Suite Vets? How was his experience? What advice does he have for transitioning from military service to civilian life?

A life-changing referral

Like many fellow veterans, Adam's service in the United States Army has been a mix of active duty and reserves. Between stints, he pursued a degree in Education, which would become his compass to steer his career in the right direction. "I was in school when 9/11 happened. I missed almost 11 semesters between deployments," Adam remembers. "Once I graduated and got my degree, I went back to active duty.

School, active duty, and the Army Reserve were a steady mix in my life for the past 10-15 years, until I joined Oracle Net Suite ."

Adam's first contact with Oracle was thanks to a chat he had at the Recruit Military fair in Austin with a United Service Organizations (USO) representative, who insisted he drop by the company's stand. "I knew Oracle was in technology, but I didn't know much about them, except that they had a basketball stadium in Golden State," Adam jokes. "What would Oracle need with someone from the military with logistics experience and an Education degree?

How would I leverage those skills in a career like that?" At the Oracle table, Adam met fellow veteran George Ploss, Sales Consulting Manager, and hit it off. "I talked with George and told him about my military background and experience, so we started a conversation on trying to get me a logistics or supply chain position. That's how it all started."

The military gets it done

In July 2019, Adam joined Oracle Net Suite's Suite Vets program . This intensive, 3-4-month course prepares hired veterans for an exciting and rewarding career as functional Implementation Consultants, working with Oracle Net Suite-based ERP financial software. "It was a great experience because everyone in the class were veterans; we connected automatically, regardless of what military branch we were from:
Army, Air Force , Navy, and even a military spouse . We had that camaraderie because we'd all been deployed, so we found it really easy to lean on each other when we had challenges with understanding this new line of work," Adam says. "Even though not all of us had experience in working ERP with account-based software, we leveraged the skills we acquired in the military: leadership, perseverance, trainability, teamwork, pushing …"

With a degree in Education, Adam knew he could take his participation in the Suite Vets program a step further by teaching others about Oracle Net Suite. "By preparing as a Consultant, I learned how to become an Enablement Lead as well," he reveals. "I train college graduates, experienced consultants, and fellow veterans on how to implement our software once it's sold to the client.

I teach them communication/presentation skills, how to work with clients, and how ERP works within Oracle Net Suite. As a culminating project, they get a blank environment where they build a business solution. We take them from A-Z: understanding the product, getting them comfortable with working face-to-face