Our 2019 Merivis Veterans Day blog post is written by guest author Dan Carpenter.

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 marked the beginning of the Armistice that ended World War I. Since that time, November 11th has been a day of remembrance in the United States which has evolved into Veterans Day to honor all those who have served the country in war or peace, dead or alive, and to thank living veterans for their sacrifices. I can think of no better way to honor and support veterans than through programs that empower them to transition to meaningful and rewarding careers post military. Such programs are well received by this action-oriented population which did not join up looking for handouts but can appreciate the service minded approach to acquiring the skills to serve a purpose and contributing to a team. Merivis supports veterans preparing for their next mission through training, mentorship and job readiness for Salesforce cloud technology careers and is one such proven program that I can personally vouch for getting results. 

My Army career came to a close on November 15th, 2002 following injuries that limited my continued usefulness to the military as well as narrowing my options for civilian employment. Even as an IT support specialist work was not always easy to find nor very stable long term. Over the next 15 years I was part of mass layoffs on three separate occasions. Merivis helped me to break that cycle with specialized training on the Salesforce platform which helped me to do great things for my then current employer and equipped me with a high-demand skill-set which opened the door to my current position at nearly double my previous compensation level. I feel great about what Merivis has done for me and about the fact that they also share these opportunities with the military spouses who stood by veterans during their service in recognition that being married to a service member is a sometimes thankless type of service with very real sacrifices of its own. 

My experience with Merivis is that they are the real deal – but it comes with a caveat, organizations like Meriivs that serve our nation’s finest provide programs and services to help see us succeed in the civilian workforce, but they can’t do it without your help. Over the last year Merivis has tripled the number of classes they offer, expanded to cities outside of Texas, and served hundreds of veterans and military spouses in their pursuit for new careers in the Salesforce economy. To continue these efforts financial support is necessary, these programs cost thousands to civilians in the business world but to veterans and military spouses Merivis makes it nearly free so we have more opportunities to take control of our careers. Your support helps them continue this effort.  In order for Merivis to scale to serve more veterans and military spouses to reskill, consider donating to this years Merivis Veterans Day Campaign. Your financial support will allow Merivis to grow next year to make a difference to more veterans who have given so much for our country.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating Veterans Day, and honoring the sacrifice and commitment so many have made through their military service.

— Dan Carpenter