“When I was job shadowing the recruiters, I asked how I could get that job,” Almond said. “They told me you don’t just ask for it. You have to apply. So I set a five year goal.”
By 2009, he was working as a recruiter out of the same office near the Vancouver Mall where he’d first enlisted. But in 2012, he was moved to San Diego, where he began work as a cryptologic technician. However, after three years working in the recruiting office, connecting with people is what he enjoys most.
“It’s always been something I’ve had a passion for,” Almond said. “I like sitting down with the guys and girls who are considering enlisting, because I can relate to them and remember where I was at that age. You act as a catalyst between them and the enlisted community. You are a first line leader for them.”
He said among the biggest challenges in his new job would likely be dealing with some people’s perceptions of what a career in the Navy involves.
“The guys and girls who want to enlist don’t have as many issues with the idea as their parents and friends often do,” Almond said. “You are dealing with a lot of different people’s perspectives, not just one. Hopefully, I can be the voice of reason.”