Good day, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I was invited here today by Coding for Veterans to address the committee as a woman veteran who has just transitioned from the service to civilian life.
I am currently a student with Coding for Veterans in the cybersecurity program. After a full career in the Canadian Armed Forces in the administration and human resources field, I decided to go in a totally different direction. I would say that the CAF played a role in helping me find a new purpose.
My military experience as a soldier was gained through my time in the reserve force and the regular force in Canada and abroad. I proudly wore the army uniform for 35 years, and I had an exciting and fulfilling career during those years. I believe that the military has impacted me positively, and it helped me to transition with the confidence and tools to succeed in my post-military life.
Two years prior to retiring, I knew I was going to be released medically as I was no longer physically fit. In those last two years I attended a second career assistance network seminar, which is commonly known as a SCAN seminar. There is so much valuable information provided at these seminars that I actually did it twice in those two years. The SCAN seminar does a good job of preparing CAF members and providing all the resources necessary for retirement.
Attending those seminars really made me reflect on what I had accomplished and think about what could be next. I needed a new purpose, something that would be as exciting and challenging as the CAF.
I knew one thing: I didn't want to go back to administration or to manage personnel. From what I learned during the SCAN seminar, I carefully considered my passions and interests, and from that information technology seemed to be a good fit. Within the IT field, cybersecurity looked to be the right choice for me as it is a field that can be rewarding as well as challenging, and it's a field where there's a need to protect and defend the information and systems upon which everyone relies. It is not very different from one of the core responsibilities that CAF has in defending Canada and its interests, something with which I am very familiar.
I cannot speak for everyone, but my transition out of the military went very smoothly. The only thing that caused me some degree of anxiety was finding a family doctor. For the duration of your career you know that the CAF has you completely covered medically, but once you become a civilian, you are on your own. It's an eye-opener.
I was fortunate to have found a doctor 19 months after my release. I know many who have not been so lucky and I also know it is a national problem. This is, for me, the one area in which I would recommend a change. For many, leaving the military is difficult enough without the additional stress of finding a family doctor.
I am now well on the way to becoming a cybersecurity specialist. I have been studying for the last two years and I'm enjoying this new chapter. Although at times it's difficult, I keep soldiering on at my own pace.
Thank you.