When separating from the U.S. Armed Forces after years of dedicated service, it can be challenging to find your footing in the civilian workforce. For Paul Wegman ’04, though, it was all part of the plan.
Wegman had joined the military directly out of high school when it became clear that it was the best option he had to pay for a college education.
“I ended up going into the U.S. Air Force, which was the best fit for me,” he says.
Building A Strong Foundation
Fortunately, the work he was assigned ended up being a great fit, too. After basic training he was based in Aviano, Italy, where he worked as a communications technician at the 603rd Air Control Squadron. He wasn’t just sitting around the base performing training exercises, though.
“I got lucky. We were on active missions,” he explains. “It was a very interesting job, and I got active military wartime experience during that period.”
From there, he worked in networking engineering at the 31st Communications Squadron. In these roles, he learned valuable skills and gained real-world experience working in technology, which helped provide him with the direction he needed for the civilian career that would come next.
Keeping His Promise to Himself
“One of my big goals was to complete my undergraduate degree while I was in the military,” he says.
Wegman had earned some college credits while he was in high school, so he had a head start. While he was in Aviano, he began taking evening and online classes through UMGC in pursuit of a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems, which helped him round out his knowledge base.
“I was learning things in school that were directly applicable to what I was doing in the Air Force,” he says.
It turns out they were extremely marketable in the private sector, too.
Civilian Life Beckons
Wegman earned his degree in 2004—the same year he separated from the Air Force.
“I had a degree, had served my country, had gotten to see the world and had great experience from the military that was applicable to outside work in the IT space,” he says. “I felt it was time to make a move.”
He turned to the Transition Assistance Program for help developing his resume and getting started with his job search, and he quickly secured his first civilian job doing similar work to what he had done in the military.
“All of my experience and my degree set me up perfectly for it,” he says.
After a year, he realized that his skills were valuable in the civilian world and he could earn more working for a different organization. In 2006, he accepted a role with World Wide Technology where he would have more opportunities to continue to learn and grow in his profession.
“I worked there for almost 11 years,” he notes. “I started off as a field services engineer and kept building on my experience.”
Ultimately, he was promoted to federal account manager, a role in which he oversaw the management of several business functions and teams across 10 states.
Owning His Future
During that time, Wegman decided to return to school to earn his MBA and put his remaining GI Bill funds to good use as he pursued another goal.
“I always wanted to be in business—to own a business, start a business, run a business,” he explains.
He completed his degree program in 2017, the year before he and a partner bought NOVA Automation.
“NOVA Automation is a packaging machinery manufacturer that automates bag filling, stretch wrapping and packaging automation,” he says. “If it can go on a palette, we can automate the process to get it wrapped so it can be stored or transported.”
For the past several years with Wegman at the helm as CEO, the Denver-based business has grown and become the go-to partner for packaging solutions for organizations across a wide range of industries.
Paul Wegman '04 CEO, NOVA Automation
Sharing Lessons Learned
Wegman acknowledges that transitioning to civilian life can be challenging, but there are some things that can really streamline the experience.
“I think my best advice is that you ultimately have to make yourself marketable, regardless of where you are starting from,” he says.
Even if military experience doesn’t match what you want to do post-service, Wegman says that there are plenty of ways to add new skills while you’re deployed, including through volunteer work and continuing education.
“Start curating a path that gets you the experience you want, and if you can, get an education that is directly applicable to the job you are trying to seek,” he says. “I think that makes a big difference.”
Wegman should know. He followed his own advice and found that the sky’s the limit.
“[Owning my own business] is everything I had hoped for and more,” he says.
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