‘I liked figuring out the puzzle’
Army National Guard veteran Troy Taylor found a career that combines his love for problem solving with his love for making people smile
Troy Taylor’s future seemed clear-cut when he was a kid. His grandfather and uncle were both veterans, and he loved collecting and playing with GI Joe figurines. He always knew he wanted to serve his country.
After high school, Troy promptly joined the NH Army National Guard and was soon deployed to Iraq, where he was a part of the military police, doing patrols for six days a week, 12 hours each day. When he returned, his future suddenly felt a bit hazy. He needed to get resourceful.
Growing up in Meredith, Troy had worked in restaurants throughout his teenage years. During summer vacations he would sometimes work as a line cook at one restaurant during the day and another at night. He didn’t mind the hard work and found he was drawn to the culinary arts. He also enjoyed computers, tinkering with his own at home and sometimes helping fix computers at his school before the days of IT departments. “I liked figuring out the puzzle,” he said. Just before his deployment, he earned his associate’s degree in computer technology.
After Iraq, Troy first attempted to find a career as a chef, but at this stage of his life, it didn’t feel like a good fit. He then turned back to computers, earning his bachelor’s degree in computer information technology through Southern New Hampshire University’s online program.
Troy began working at Granite Edvance almost 20 years ago after learning about an open position through a family friend who worked here. “I did my own research and looked at the mission and thought, ‘That’s actually pretty cool. I really want to work for an organization like that,’” he said.
Troy, who now serves as Senior Systems Support Specialist, still enjoys the puzzle of solving people’s technical issues. But at Granite Edvance he’s also found the piece that was missing from his own life: “I like fixing people’s stuff,” said Troy, who is known around the office for sharing the gourmet homemade cupcakes his wife makes and photos of the puppies he raises. “And in the meantime, I try to make them laugh or smile and reduce their stress.”
Caption information: Troy Taylor, Senior Systems Support Specialist at Granite Edvance, in Mosul, Iraq in 2004.
Read about our other veterans:
Chris Nadeau: ‘You have to be comfortable with risk. Otherwise you’re always freaking out‘
Merek Weisensee: ‘I’m a good learner through poor situations’
Read other stories in our ‘Sharing Our Pathways’ series
Sharing Our Pathways: Matt Wallace
Sharing Our Pathways: Jenn Schaffner