An open letter to those eventually transitioning (so... that'd be everyone :-)).

2014-03-12T14:42:52-04:00

Shipmates, I would like to take a few minutes of your time to tell you of my experiences after leaving our Navy. I do this in hopes that you will read, learn and perhaps not follow in my footsteps. Some of this you've heard before in different briefings (TAPS, Standdowns, career fairs, etc…). The difference here, I plan on being very specific, something I feel was missing from the aforementioned venues. I retired recently, September 30th last year, to be specific. When I left our Navy, I immediately began flooding the civilian job market with a myriad of resumes, scouring job boards and utilizing every employment resource I could find. I feel it’s pertinent to let you in on what I've learned from that. Employers are looking for EDUCATED and CERTIFIED people. EDUCATED! I don't mean just “A” and “C” school training. I don't mean specific NEC (or MOS, depending on your branch of service) training. Bachelor’s degrees at a minimum. Choose the field you want to follow, but you had better see it through to a Bachelor’s level of completion. An Associate’s isn't going to cut it. CERTIFIED! If you wish to gain employment in your current line of work, get the civilian certification! USMAP (your Journeyman certification) pays huge dividends for something so easy to do. If you wish to stay in aviation, get your A&P license and your FCC license (with appropriate endorsements). If you wish to stay in a leadership position, the big one I've seen in the civilian sector (along with a Bachelor’s of Science in Management) is Lean Six Sigma. Everyone out here is using it, in all fields, and it pays huge salaries. I have never met a stupid Sailor. Each one of us brings something specific and intelligent to the table to help our Navy meet its mission. We go through and graduate from some of the toughest trade schools in the world. The problem is, that doesn't equate to civilian qualifications. Take the time to go through the civilian equivalent training to make yourself marketable. Why am I telling you all this? I didn't do ANY of it. I left our Navy without finishing my degree, no USMAP Journeyman, no certifications showing the civilian world that I knew what I was doing, and could be relied upon to do it. I was a good Sailor and a good leader. I know this, not because my Evaluations say so, but because my Sailors said so. I had in my head that I knew I needed to do this, but I could still get a great job because I was a 20 year Senior Chief with a ton of real life, relevant experience. Although that did peak a few employers interest and opened the door for interviews with some outstanding companies, it always boiled down to qualifications that they could wrap their mind around. For the record, I have found good employment. I’m grateful, and I got lucky. In closing, I don’t care of you do 4 years or 30 years in our Navy, if you're an Airman or the MCPON, the end of service comes to us all. Set yourself up now for success. You depend on it, your family depends on it. If it’s your intention to retire, you should know by now that the retirement check isn't going to pay all the bills, and even that “door greeter at Walmart” job has 20 people lined up before you to get it. Take care of your Sailors, but take the time to take care of yourself as well. Very Respectfully, Albert Lee Smith ATCS (ret)

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 16 at 2014 1:22 PM

2014-03-16T13:22:45-04:00

Great post!

Response by MSG Jose Colon made May 9 at 2014 10:29 PM

2014-05-09T22:29:23-04:00

Amen brother.

I could add:

a. Learn to speak English before leaving the military (civilians don't speak acronyms).

b. Learn to write (communication is important, and is not made off whatever passes for words while texting).

c. Understand the real value that you bring to the table and learn to explain it in 2 minutes or less, and yes, without acronyms.

d. Even though you might be the god of war himself, what you did while deployed or in the military is great and all, but doesn't amount to beans if it you do not know how it makes you the perfect candidate for the job and cannot explain it either.

e. We did our job in combat so our Nation could continue to be free. But, that does not grant us any special waivers for qualifications.

And yes, I did serve for 27 years and was deployed a few times, and yes, I did had a close encounter with the Taliban.

We all paid the price, some more than others.

Lets continue to serve society as military or as civilians.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 20 at 2014 8:47 AM

2014-05-20T08:47:28-04:00

Albert,

This is a great post. One thing I would like to add is: if you choose to pursue a college education, choose a degree which is valuable for an employers. Aviation degrees can be valuable to an employer, so can Computer Science, Accounting, etc. Criminal Justice degrees, Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, etc, on the other hand are not valuable for employers.

Response by SSG Mike Angelo made May 25 at 2014 10:40 PM

2014-05-25T22:40:54-04:00

Yup...go get that degree, certification, and/or license. Civilians do not understand or know how to respond or take you if you cannot be readable to them. Even veterans of a different generation may be non responsive to your learned language, habits and/or behavior.

Perception....there is no short term solution. You came from an institution that has its own rules to live by. Those same rules may not apply in the civilian world.

You enter the civilian world, your journey is long term to acculturate and make the best possible fit.

If you cannot work for anybody, go get a small business loan and set up ur own shop or small business; virtual/online or physical storefront.

Response by Capt Whitney Davis made Mar 13 at 2015 12:26 PM

2015-03-13T12:26:13-04:00

SCPO Albert Lee Smith, great points and well stated. I would like to add this: start the process 12-18 months before you're EAS. Obviously, if you want a degree (and you should) you need to start earlier, but there are a number of steps you have to take to be competitive and they take time.

You need to figure out what you want to do. This seems simple, but most of us have no idea what various industries are like. The vast majority joined straight out of high school or college. Take some time and do some research. Contact your local Chamber of Commerce, some have programs in which individuals from various industries will let you shadow them for a day or two.

Once you figure out what you want to do; find out what certifications are most important to that industry. There are specific certifications for each field (for example, as the Senior Chief pointed out: Lean Six Sigma is very important to management in manufacturing and services), and they all take time and money to complete. It's best to have them when you separate.

Now that you know what you want to do and have the tools to do it, write a resume. Then re-write it. And re-write it. And re-write it ... Have someone not in the military read it and then re-write it again. I cannot stress how important a good resume is. It will not land you a job on its own, but a bad one will certainly keep you from doing so. Unless you were running a division and have a doctorate, keep your resume to 1 page. You don't need to share everything you've done, just hit the wave tops of the most impressive actions and be ready to answer questions. When you have it perfect, you're still not done. Make sure that you tailor that resume to every employer you send it to.

Finally, practice interviews. Practice phone interviews. Practice your "elevator pitch." This skill, and it is a learned skill, will land you a job. You need to be able to quickly and clearly express why you are needed for a particular job. Google the STAR method and use it, I found it to be very helpful.

After all of that, attack the job market as you would any assigned mission. I guarantee there will be setbacks, but keep pushing and you'll find a good job. Companies do want veterans, but they want them on their terms. It's your job to figure out what those terms are, to make sure you're within them, and to express how you are so.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 17 at 2015 2:09 PM

2015-03-17T14:09:13-04:00

I agree pick your field then get the certifications even if you are just working on them. Also even once you are out continue to advance those certifications and education. There are a lot of online program from real universities that you can work and get your degree at the same time. In addition to the Lean training mentioned in the post Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI) is also a widely recognized certification used in multiple fields.

I also agree with the post on learning how to speak without using Military Acronyms but be ready for a whole new set of Acronyms as you transition into a new field especially IT.

Lastly look into https://www.edx.org/ short of going to one college and getting a degree this is the quickest/cheapest (free) way to grow your body of knowledge starting today, now, I mean like right now why wait.

edX

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Response by SSgt June Worden made Mar 17 at 2015 2:58 PM

2015-03-17T14:58:12-04:00

Outstanding words of advice. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge!