When people hear I went from 13B Artillery in the Army to machine learning and cybersecurity, they usually ask the same thing:
“How did you make such a big leap?”
But here’s the truth: it wasn’t a leap.
The mindset I needed to thrive in tech? I learned it long before I ever opened a laptop.
I learned it in formation. On the range. Under pressure.
The Army didn’t just train me for war—it quietly trained me for tech.
1. Repetition Builds Mastery
In the Army, you practice over and over.
Load. Fire. Clean. Repeat.
It’s the same with code. You don’t “get it” the first time. You drill it.
Loops. Functions. Git. Break it. Fix it. Do it again.
I never get frustrated with slow learning—because I understand that mastery lives in the reps.
2. Problem-Solving Under Pressure
On the battlefield, you can't panic when something breaks.
You breathe. You assess. You adapt.
That same skill carries over into tech, especially when:
Production breaks
You push a bad commit
You’re up against a tough deadline
I’ve been in worse. And that perspective gives me calm under fire.
3. Team Over Ego
The Army taught me that success is about the mission, not individual glory.
In tech, that translates to:
Writing clear, maintainable code
Sharing credit
Helping your squad (your team) win together
Collaboration isn’t just a soft skill—it’s tactical.
4. Systems Thinking
Artillery isn’t just brute force. It’s systems working together:
Spotter calls the target
Crew sets angles
Loader times the shell
Commander clears the shot
That trained me to think in inputs, processes, and outputs—exactly how systems architecture works in tech.
Final Thoughts
The Army didn’t teach me to code. But it taught me how to:
Learn fast
Stay calm
Solve problems
Lead with purpose
And honestly? That’s what tech really needs.
Stick with me at jameshenderson.online—where battle-tested minds break into tech with clarity, courage, and code.