Mission to Mars: A Conversation with a Veteran at SpaceX

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Episode Description

This week, we welcome United States Air Force veteran, Construction Manager at SpaceX, and FourBlock Career Readiness Instructor Kyle Dedmon to the podcast.

In this episode, Kyle discusses what he learned from his own military transition and civilian career, sharing expert insights and advice along the way. He explains why he recommends that his FourBlock students think of the military as a corporation, and shares what he believes to be one of the most important steps for a veteran in transition to take.

Kyle started his career as an active-duty engineering officer in the United States Air Force after completing the ROTC program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. He was initially stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, followed by McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey, with two deployments in between totaling a five-year military career.

After separating from the military, he took a position in Houston with Exxon Mobile supporting mega-capital projects (above $1B), focused on improving downstream operations at the second-largest refinery in the United States. Kyle currently lives in Los Angeles and manages a team focused on construction and real estate operations for SpaceX. He also serves as a FourBlock Career Readiness Instructor for the Los Angeles cohort of our Career Readiness Program.

About Us

Welcome to the FourBlock Podcast, a show that examines veteran career transition and the military-civilian divide in the workplace. General Charles Krulak coined the term “Three Block War” to describe the nature of 21st-century military service defined by peace-keeping, humanitarian aid, and full combat. But what happens next? Veterans are often unprepared to return home and begin new careers. We call this the Fourth Block.

FourBlock is a national non-profit that has supported thousands of transitioning service members across the nation in beginning new and meaningful careers.

Mike Abrams (@fourblock) is an Afghanistan veteran, FourBlock founder, and author of two military transition books. He’ll be representing the military transition perspective. Lindsey Pollak (@lindsaypollak) is a career and workplace expert and New York Times bestselling author of three career advice books. Lindsey will be representing the civilian perspective of this issue.

Veterans, explore new industries and make the right connections. Find a career that fits your calling. Join us at fourblock.org. Sponsor our program or host a class to equip more of our veterans at fourblock.org/donate.