10
10
0
I'm currently at 13 years active duty and in the middle of the worst career slump I've ever experienced. My morale has never been lower. I am never excited to get up and go to work. It is a combination of things that has brought me to this point. The Army in general, my superiors making bad decisions, mundane task after mundane task that has nothing to do with actually fighting a war taking up every valuable moment Soldiers could be using for training during the day (i.e. SERE 101), the list goes on. I need to push through this! I know others out there like me have dealt with this before, looking for those others to share their experiences and how they overcame them and drove on with their career.
Help
Motivation
Military Career
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 46
10
10
0
First and foremost stay in and fight threw it. A mid-career slump is normal for everyone. Unfortunately yours is coming along with the double negative of a draw-down and a civilian world that is facing the longest recession in America's history. Look around you, the entire world is in an emotional slump at this point in time. Leaving the comfort of a world that you know for a civilian career at this point would be a mistake for most people. That is, unless someone walks up and offers you a once in a lifetime job. Everything is cyclical, in a relatively short period of time, the DoD will be back to begging (paying bonus's) for people to re-enlist, you will be over your current slump, the worlds economy will be rebounding, and you will be able to retire in a much better place, both emotionally, and economically. Remember that the security of a retirement check with basic healthcare for the rest of your life is well worth putting up with your current difficulties. I've known so many people who got out at the 12 to 16 year mark and regretted it for the rest of their lives. In the meantime, be the NCO who thinks things through and does the right thing. Remember that you can't change the big things that you are not responsible for (i.e. superiors making bad decisions, being delegated mundane tasks that taking time away from important tasks, etc). Also, take time to work on preparing yourself for the eventual day you will retire or separate (education and certifications, family, decide where you want to live, and what you want to do). But most importantly, only pull the cord when you are ready and on your terms.
(10)
(0)
7
7
0
Might be a little late, but let me ask you a couple questions:
1. How old are you ? (you'll see why I'm asking in a minute)
2. Ever think of Drill Sergeant Academy?
Getting that hat and badge is a HUGE career accelerant - like worth 60 points on the promotion worksheet. With no more deployments going around, medals hard to get, and PME schools getting canned left and right, DS and Recruiting are the only realistic ways to rejuvenate a "stalled" career.
While being a Drill is sort of a young man's game - it's only the physical part. The mental part (i.e. role model presentations and other academics) are a function of maturity. If you're young and have maturity, that's great, but many aren't. That's where being older comes in. Personal story - I went through the Academy at 40 and competed passably against people literally half my age. It CAN be done.
Question is -- how bad do you want that next stripe? How you answer makes all the difference in the world.
1. How old are you ? (you'll see why I'm asking in a minute)
2. Ever think of Drill Sergeant Academy?
Getting that hat and badge is a HUGE career accelerant - like worth 60 points on the promotion worksheet. With no more deployments going around, medals hard to get, and PME schools getting canned left and right, DS and Recruiting are the only realistic ways to rejuvenate a "stalled" career.
While being a Drill is sort of a young man's game - it's only the physical part. The mental part (i.e. role model presentations and other academics) are a function of maturity. If you're young and have maturity, that's great, but many aren't. That's where being older comes in. Personal story - I went through the Academy at 40 and competed passably against people literally half my age. It CAN be done.
Question is -- how bad do you want that next stripe? How you answer makes all the difference in the world.
(7)
(0)
1SG Michael Blount
CW2 Michael Berthiaume - Excellent idea, sir. That option hadn't crossed my feeble mind.
(1)
(0)
SSG (Join to see)
As a medic, I was completely burnt out while at my 9-10 yr mark in Campbell, decided flight medic sounded good and have never been happier. Good new duty station and a job that has rejuvenated my career and myself, and I was very close to home at Campbell as well. Look for a specialty or unique option within your career field, maybe Warrant, as previously stated, could be just the thing you need. Also, don't look at WO or even O as leaving the leading of Soldiers behind, look at it as a different and positive way to impact those Soldiers. Everything can be put into perspective
(0)
(0)
MSG Gregg Winn
I was late bloomer in the military, and was riffed out in the Clinton drawdown back in the 90s. In the Reserves at my 20 year mark, I got the opportunity to go Instructor, and never looked back. Truly, with that, I craved my deployments, annual training, and drills. The classroom became my cathedral.
(0)
(0)
1SG Michael Blount
MSG Gregg Winn - welcome to the Brotherhood of Late Bloomers! We should start our own website - lol
(0)
(0)
3
3
0
CW4 (Join to see)
CW3 (Join to see), with all do respect, I don't believe an indivual should try to become a Warrant Officer because of a career slump or because you can't get promoted. Becoming a Warrant Officer is a lifestyle change for people who want to become technical experts and leaders strong enough to adapt to change and charge forward towards the 2025 operational concept. The change might breath life back into your Military soul but you have to want to be a Warrant Officer for the right reasons, not because you are chasing the dream of being motivated to serve once again. CW5 Charlie Poulton CW3 (Join to see) CW5 Sam R. Baker am I off base with this response?
(1)
(0)
CW5 Sam R. Baker
Spot on Trevor, becoming a warrant is not the fix for a slump. Regenerating one's motivation regardless of rank, duty or position is more than one of those three. Warrants have slumps also in daily life. We are all human.
(1)
(0)
CW3 (Join to see)
CW4 (Join to see) CW5 Sam R. Baker Gentlemen, my response was solely based off of what I read. SFC (Join to see) never said he hated his job, he simply stated he hated where he is in his career. From briefly glancing at his profile he is a 13 series serving in an S2 NCOIC billet. It was not my intent to make it seem as if being a Warrant Officer was a copout due to a career slump; however it could be the refocusing that he needs to break out of that slump. Without speculating maybe being a technical expert in his field is what will make him motivated again.
(1)
(0)
CW4 (Join to see)
CW3 (Join to see) I understand where you are coming from. I just have had too many SSG's and SFC's come to me wantinf to become Warrant Officers because they can't get promoted or because they hate their units. Those are the wrong answers.
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google