When Sgt. Sarah Serrano ended active duty with the U.S. Marines in 2009, she returned to Los Angeles to pursue her civilian dreams of acting and writing. Serrano threw herself into networking, but as she told The Huffington Post, "One year and zero professional connections later, I realized why so many burn out quickly." The military doesn't prepare veterans for an industry that trades in elbow-rubbing and name-dropping, while vets find themselves typecast -- as providers of security and law enforcement. "I cannot tell you how many times police departments have tried to recruit me," Serrano said.