US Coast Guard SRDC Panel REJECTED Me (Bottom 13%) – Now I’m All-In on SaaS to Survive

I applied to the US Coast Guard's 2025 Selected Reserve Direct Commission (SRDC) program to extend my runway as a bootstrapped SaaS founder living in the (expensive) US.

After 300+ volunteer hours in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, a “Shining Star” nomination, a challenging but successful panel interview with three O-3/O-4 officers, and a packet I thought was bulletproof…

I ranked in the BOTTOM 13% of all applicants. 😔

This is an absolute low point for me. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pissed off, but now I'm redirecting that into making my SaaS project a success. I literally have no other option!

This is the raw, unfiltered truth the #BuildInPublic crowd rarely shows:

How inflation is eating indie hackers alive in the US
Why I won’t relocate to Southeast Asia like everyone else
The military reservist “infinite runway” hack (and why it failed me)
My new reality: part-time dev gig + bleeding savings → ALL-IN on SaaS

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:49 - Realities of SaaS-bro lifestyle
03:37 - Why join the military reserves?
5:14 - What is the Coast Guard Auxiliary?
7:52 - My CG Aux Experience, Applying & Process
15:53 - SRDC Panel Results
17:22 - The Aftermath
18:55 - SaaS Project Launch Dates
20:11 - Should you join the military reserves?
21:12 - Where I want to be, a year from now
22:16 - Ending

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#SaaS #IndieHacker #BuildInPublic #CoastGuard #uscg #SRDC #MilitaryReservist #Bootstrapped