A Veteran’s Path from the Military to a Career in Financial Crime Compliance

But now he finds himself in a meaningful career that lets him draw on his military experience and analytical and language skills. 

After eight years in the Army, Malik enrolled in the Joint BA/MA in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies. He leveraged the 45 credits he received for his training as a linguist at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) plus 15 community college credits to transfer into the program, completing both his BA and master’s degrees in just three years.

His strong Arabic language skills combined with experience in antiterrorism operations landed him a role in financial crime analysis. He recently shared reflections on his journey and tips for fellow veterans.

Graduate School Is a Force Multiplier

For anyone leaving the military, graduate school makes a lot of sense. It takes all the hard and soft skills you pick up in service and amplifies them. You’re not just shifting into an academic setting; you’re launching yourself into a new trajectory. I think of it as a force multiplier—it builds on what you already have and helps you apply those skills in a professional setting.

If I were talking to another vet or service member considering grad school, I’d tell them to go for it. I know it can feel overwhelming—starting school in your 30s like I did, surrounded by students with different experiences, can trigger imposter syndrome. But I always remind myself: I’ve dealt with way tougher situations in the military. I’ve thrived under pressure before, and so can anyone else making this transition. The skills we develop in service—problem solving, discipline, resilience—apply here, too. Grad school is just another challenge, and it’s one with a huge payoff.

I’ve literally led a team going after high-level terrorist leaders just like you see in the movies, but I still dealt with imposter syndrome sometimes.

At the end of the day, you’ve already proven you can overcome challenges. This is just one more, and it could be the one that opens the most doors.

I attended a Preview Day at the Middlebury Institute and was sold. What stood out to me were the professors and their incredible network of connections. They say success often depends on who you know. You can find quality programs in many places, but MIIS offers something beyond that: access to an international network with a range of experiences.

A Shift in Perspective

When I started in the military, I was super on fire to be fighting terrorism. But when you think about it from a big picture standpoint, these are not movie villains. Many had a brother or uncle that was killed, so from their standpoint, an invading force had come into the country and killed their relatives.

I was leading a team going after high-level Taliban operatives—the same kind of guys that jumped on the school bus and shot Malala Yousafzai, a 14-year-old girl advocating for girls to be able to go to school. Even as I felt my work was necessary, I started to wonder whether it would leave a lasting impact. Even if this person we took away from the battlefield was terrible and ruthless, that’s still somebody’s brother, somebody’s father, somebody’s husband. 

I got to thinking that if we want to actually rid the world of this evil, we’ve got to attack it at the root instead of just fighting. Building up infrastructure, education, approaching it from a more positive standpoint and alleviating some of these root causes would be a better approach. For the past several decades it’s just been fighting and guns and bombs with seemingly no end. If what I was doing wasn’t really the most effective way to accomplish that goal of making the world a better place, maybe I needed to try something different. That’s when I decided it was time for the next chapter.

Leveraging Middlebury’s Network for a New Career

My time at the Institute helped me pivot into a new career in financial crime analysis, which I never imagined I’d be doing. With my military background, I thought antiterrorism work would be my path. But I was exposed to so much more. I even specialized in financial crime management, where we focus on fraud and money-laundering typologies. It’s like putting together a puzzle—finding connections where they aren’t obvious. That’s exactly the kind of analytical work I did in the military, so it felt like a natural transition.

The language skills I developed at DLI gave me a real edge. In financial crime, you often deal with documents or subjects from different regions. When cases take you into the Middle East, being able to apply Arabic in real-time sets me apart. There are excellent analysts in my field, but when Arabic documents show up, I become the go-to person. It’s a great example of how you can carry those skills into your civilian career.

The opportunities through MIIS didn’t stop with academics. I did a semester abroad in Jordan, where the program required us to speak only Arabic. That immersion experience really sharpened my skills. Programs like this are rare, and they prepare you for situations you won’t find in many other places.

I currently work as compliance execution director at FinClusive. The founder, Amit Sharma, is an alum who reached out to Professor Moyara Ruehsen, who connected me.

After 9/11, new laws were created to prevent money from reaching terrorist organizations and other bad actors. However, the strict new regulations sometimes lead banks to exclude certain customers they deem “risky,” often resulting in discrimination based on ethnic or religious backgrounds. FinClusive is a bridge. We offer technology and personnel to help businesses meet their compliance obligations. We also work to advance financial inclusion (hence the name) by helping legitimate businesses, particularly those unfairly profiled, that have trouble accessing banking services. Although I never expected to end up in financial crimes work, my military background and analytical skills proved a perfect fit.