Mentors for Soldiers with Navy and Army Guard Veteran Clint Honeycutt

61: Clint Honeycutt was in the US Navy for four years and then the Louisiana Army National Guard. After leaving active duty in the Navy, he used the GI bill to go to college but was unsure about his career goals. It was not until a mentor took the time to open his eyes and point Clint in a different direction that he realized there were other opportunities available. His career would have been quite different without great mentors that were willing to invest the time and provide guidance and support. It was this experience with mentors that inspired Clint to start Mentors for Soldiers as his way to “pay it forward” by developing a network of great people like the ones that helped him and connecting them to highly talented and motivated soldiers with the ability to make a difference.

I began college at Southeastern Louisiana University and also joined the Louisiana National Guard immediately after exiting the Navy. While in college I worked odd jobs (construction, security, casino dealer, and started a lawn care business). This paid some of my bills but none of which were moving me in a direction toward what I saw as a  career path. My major in college was Criminal Justice because the only natural career path I could see out the military was to be a policeman or game warden. It was not until a mentor took the time to open my eyes and point me in a different direction that I realized there were other opportunities available to me. I was given nothing more than advice and an opportunity, but that is all that I needed to successfully make the transition from the military to a civilian. After I had a career path and understanding of the opportunities everything seemed easy. I knew how to put in the time, hard work and commitment it took to be successful. I put college on hold my junior year to start a different career in the Health, Safety and Environmental field. I have worked successfully with four companies since I exited the military. Each company has played a major part in my development and at each company I had peers, friends and mentors that was essential to each success. In addition to working I was able to finish my degree and continue to complete my Masters. I currently work for a company that is among the world’s largest corporations. I am the Health, Safety and Environmental Manager for Conventional Worldwide Drilling & Completions. I enjoy what I do and my career has exceeded anything I ever imagined when it first started. I think my career would be very different without the people I met along the way that were willing to invest the time to provide a little guidance. Starting this organization is my way to “pay it forward” by developing a network of great people like the ones that help me and connecting them to highly talented and motivated soldiers with the ability to make a difference.

I was in the US Navy for four years and then the Louisiana Army National Guard for the remainder of my inactive reserve commitment (~four years). After exiting active duty in the Navy, I knew I wanted to use my GI bill to go to college but I was unsure about my career goals. I began college at Southeastern Louisiana University and also joined the Louisiana National Guard immediately after exiting the Navy. While in college I worked odd jobs (construction, security, casino dealer, and started a lawn care business). This paid some of my bills but none of which were moving me in a direction toward what I saw as a  career path. My major in college was Criminal Justice because the only natural career path I could see out the military was to be a policeman or game warden. It was not until a mentor took the time to open my eyes and point me in a different direction that I realized there were other opportunities available to me. I was given nothing more than advice and an opportunity, but that is all that I needed to successfully make the transition from the military to a civilian. After I had a career path and understanding of the opportunities everything seemed easy. I knew how to put in the time, hard work and commitment it took to be successful. I put college on hold my junior year to start a different career in the Health, Safety and Environmental field. I have worked successfully with four companies since I exited the military. Each company has played a major part in my development and at each company I had peers, friends and mentors that was essential to each success. In addition to working I was able to finish my degree and continue to complete my Masters. I currently work for a company that is among the world’s largest corporations. I am the Health, Safety and Environmental Manager for Conventional Worldwide Drilling & Completions. I enjoy what I do and my career has exceeded anything I ever imagined when it first started. I think my career would be very different without the people I met along the way that were willing to invest the time to provide a little guidance. Starting this organization is my way to “pay it forward” by developing a network of great people like the ones that help me and connecting them to highly talented and motivated soldiers with the ability to make a difference.