Our Office for Military-Affiliated Communities serves to amplify the range of programs, support services, and partnerships already in place for our veterans. To further spotlight our veterans’ voices, we profile Gage Ricketts, Evening MBA and former member of the Indiana Air National Guard.
Military Service: Weapons Systems Specialist, Indiana Air National Guard, 2008-2014
Current Position: Data Integration Consultant, Strata Decision Technology
Did you always know you wanted to join the military?
While I never saw myself as a ‘military person’, I actually come from a military family. My parents met while they were both in the Navy. They both had last names that started with the letter R and were seated next to each other at an event, which is how they met. What drew me to the military was the opportunity to join the Indiana Air National Guard. When I was 17 I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life, but an opportunity came up to go to Purdue University for aeronautical engineering and enlist at the same time. I went to school for one semester, then went through basic training and technical school. It was a really great experience; I did seven months of active duty and training in Texas and then moving forward, served one weekend a month and a few weeks each summer every year. Joining the military is one of, if not the best, decision I’ve ever made. It’s had a significant positive influence on how I live my entire life.
Tell us more about your experience
My military experience was a very formative time for me. I was one of the youngest people in my group of trainees and got to learn from others with a lot more world experience than myself. My experience taught me discipline, confidence, and helped me grow in a lot of different areas. It’s hard to say where I would be now if I hadn’t done the military as it was such a huge part of my life for six years, but it was one of the best things I’ve ever done in terms of developing myself personally, meeting great people, and learning so much. I was a weapons system specialist, loading bombs and missiles on to A-10s and F-16s. In the military I was doing hands-on maintenance and mechanical work with the aircraft, while in school I was learning the theory and mathematics behind it.
What did you do post-service? When did business school enter your radar?
I realized part-way through my studies that I didn’t want to be an engineer my entire life, but after school I wanted to give the industry a fair shake, to get some work experience under my belt and to learn what it’s like to be in a corporate environment. I worked as an engineer for two years and then spent two years traveling through Europe, Asia, and Australia and working in Melbourne, Australia. Afterwards, I landed at Strata Decision Technology. I also had wanted to go to business school for a while. As an engineer, I didn’t necessarily get to see the big-picture impact engineering had on the world or how businesses function. Those things really interest me and I also thought they’d be important regardless of where I went or where I landed long-term in my career.
