Is SFL-TAP (formally known as ACAP) a complete waste of time? What changes would fix it?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 08 May 2015 13:43:03 -0400

The author of the below essay is a CSM recently retired after 30 years. While I have found my experience with the Transition Assistance Program at Fort Campbell to be a little different than his, he and I have talked and are in agreement about how much time and resources are wasted by a program that seems to be "checking the congressional mandated block", while not really setting anyone up for success upon transition. While it is focused on his experience, and has his SOF background as a bias, I feel it is an extremely accurate voice from the retiring Army soldier community. What are your thoughts and experience?

The Army’s Transition Assistance Program is not for you
May 7, 2015

I recently retired after 30 years of service in U.S. Army Special Forces and found the Army’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to be incredibly underwhelming. I entered the program wanting to learn a couple of things and decided to give the entire program a chance. I was very disappointed. If you are someone who has any accomplishments in your career and a network of colleagues who have already transitioned, then the Army TAP isn’t for you either. Don’t be fooled by the “Senior-level TAP” either. This training is the same training given to everyone else; the only difference is the rank of the class members.

TAP is not a program to prepare retiring professionals for transition, it is geared toward the single-term, junior enlisted Soldier whose plan is to ETS and return home and live with their parents. If this is you, then by all means use the TAP to focus your transition. As a parent, I can tell you that your parents don’t want you living at home while you figure out what’s next. Do that while you are still on active duty! If you find yourself in anything but this category, TAP will frustrate you, but not much else.

Your attendance in TAP is mandatory. Making something mandatory does not make it important or worthwhile, but somehow this point is lost in the Army. Generally, when the Army makes something mandatory, it’s because nobody would participate if it were optional. Think about it. How many of you came away from any mandatory training in the Army thinking, “that really made my day?” Did you ever get anything out of your safety briefings before long weekends, or the annual Anti-terrorism or information awareness refresher training? No? Well the TAP will be very much like that. Here is a rundown of what you can expect:

The 5-day Transition University: This covers a multitude of information in a very short time. You will get the Transition Overview, MOS Crosswalk, Financial Planning Seminar, VA briefings 1 & 2, and the 3-day Department of Labor workshop. Again, all of this training is mandatory and it seems that signing in at the beginning of class is the most important part. Someone is counting.

Transition Overview: The program claims this course is designed to prepare service members financially and emotionally, but its delivery is juvenile at best. It starts out by getting you to think differently, more like a civilian. They tell you this during a mandatory “death by PowerPoint” presentation just like all the other military training you’ve sat through, brilliant. They also attempt to get you to think about your transition and…wait for it, talk about your feelings. Honestly, if I needed therapy, I know the route to get that. This was completely a waste of my time.

MOS Cross-walk: This is supposed to help you identify skills, education and experiences gained in the Army and then “cross-walk” them to civilian opportunities. Perhaps I would have learned something if I came from a technical background, but for a 30-year SOF guy, it was a wash. I already have a good idea of my background and experiences and where they will and wont apply to the civilian workforce. Again, your personal professional network is much better suited to advise you from their experience in transition.

Financial Planning: Remember the training you set up for your Soldiers who had problems with managing their money or over drafting their checking accounts? That’s your transition financial management training, and its mandatory. You are asked to fill out a budget and disclose some personal financial information during this training and “share” it with one of the counselors. There is nothing wrong with the lessons in this class, but at 46 years old and having a checking account since I was 9, it did not apply to me. If you have successfully managed your money, a family budget, and/or managed large operating budgets for your units this class isn’t for you either.

Department of Veterans Affairs 1 & 2: These are the only beneficial classes offered by this program and I recommend that you attend these briefing as many times as you feel necessary to absorb the material. I’ve attended them twice. Disabled veterans who really care about you and your transition deliver this full day of training and make themselves available to answer your questions.

Department of Labor Workshop: I really expected a lot out of this and the counselors make it sound like it’s your one stop shop for preparing your resume, beginning networking, and finding your post military career. That’s not the case. The instructor spent 30 minutes discussing which days of the newspaper to subscribe to so that you would get the newly posted classified ads containing employment. I didn’t meet anyone in the class who was interested in searching for employment in the local newspaper classifieds. He also wanted us to spend a full hour walking around and talking about ourselves to the others in the class, something my dad used to have me do in church when I was about 12. I left after the 2nd day and we never did get into anything that resembled a resume. Good thing I already had a completed resume when I showed up. Speaking of that, it was a requirement to submit my resume to my assigned counselor, a 20-something military dependent with a Masters Degree. This was the second time I had done this; the first time I received no response. Her response this time was that she didn’t have time review my resume that week, but I could make an appointment with her to go over it later in the month. Her overtly displayed apathy toward my transition reinforced that the Transition Assistance Program wasn’t for me.

Individual Transition Plan Review: This is a one-on-one review of your transition plan with one of the young counselors. You must declare that you are seeking employment, going back to school, or planning to start your own business. It’s a formality, but like the other steps it’s also mandatory. They review which of the classes you attended (by the recorded sign-in sheets), and give you a “go” or “no-go” for your individual plan. Despite already having a few job offers, and being enrolled in a Master’s degree program, my counselor gave me a “no-go” because I refused to disclose my personal budget to one of the counselors. The result was that I had to go find a Captain (any Captain) half my age to sign my packet before I could clear and sign out of the Army. Typically, a Command Sergeant Major (CSM) advises and seeks approval for actions from Colonels and General Officers with an in-depth knowledge the situation. However, in this case, the TAP staff chose to treat accomplished CSM as if I were one of the first-term, junior enlisted Soldiers that the program is really designed for.

Transition assistance is important for service members who are ending their service and I think the Army has really missed the mark. Making TAP mandatory is evidence of that. The absence of career professional Soldiers serving as mentors to transitioning service members is another strike as the counselors I interacted with were very young and had never experienced the process themselves. There are many organizations that are actively helping service members make the critical decisions in their transition. One quality transition program I’ve found is the Syracuse University Veterans Career Transition Program, (VCTP) which has a goal of not only teaching you industry specific language, but also will pay for you to get certifications that qualify you for employment. Check them out if you are struggling with figuring out what’s next.

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made May 8 at 2015 1:46 PM

SGM Matthew Quick — Fri, 08 May 2015 13:46:48 -0400

Seems you get out of it what YOU put into it...like many other Army programs.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 8 at 2015 1:51 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 08 May 2015 13:51:06 -0400

Interesting article. I just recently started my process. I will be going thru FT Campbell. I'm assuming that Campbell has a good program set up?

Response by SPC Nate Lamphier made May 8 at 2015 2:44 PM

SPC Nate Lamphier — Fri, 08 May 2015 14:44:19 -0400

When I went through it I'm not going to lie, the financial planning, the resume writing etc etc were not geared towards me. I say that because I was 28 when I enlisted and had already been through all this stuff whether that was in college or when I was applying for my first teaching positions. However, if someone has been in the Army for years and does not have that experience on the civilian side, I thought Fort Riley did an excellent job of having people ready to assist Soldiers transitioning and needing that guidance.

Response by MAJ Jim Steven made May 8 at 2015 3:01 PM

MAJ Jim Steven — Fri, 08 May 2015 15:01:02 -0400

I sat in some of it, because I had some free time right after deployment... that and from the reading I have done, would say this...
They need to think about recognizing the difference between those that have no education, no plan, no financial management skills (people who truly need the babysitting), and those senior NCO's / officers who have a degree, been earning a paycheck for 20 years and will for the rest of their life, and been in charge of stuff.
While they do let you identify whether you are going trades, college, or entrepenuer...maybe make it like a buffet...I need help with resume, not budget. I would like another eggroll, no more wonton soup!!

Response by MAJ James Woods made May 8 at 2015 4:09 PM

MAJ James Woods — Fri, 08 May 2015 16:09:26 -0400

Whether it's ACAP or TAP or SFL, you only get out of the program things that pertain to your situation and background. As a retired Armor officer, MOS crosswalk is a waste of time. Be nice if the program focus on the basics: veteran benefits, spouse benefits, and resume writing class. That's it. And all that can be done in 2-3 days.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 8 at 2015 4:25 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 08 May 2015 16:25:24 -0400

It's better than nothing and not a complete waste of time, however it needs improvement.

I'd like to see the services come up with a few hundred civilian career fields and then have successful people in those fields define what it takes to be successful in that field. That way the TAP could plot where a soldier is on a career map and what's necessary to become successful in that field. It would also be helpful if regional TAPs would study the marketplace and identify which fields were in demand in what areas. That way a soldier returning to his home state could figure out how to best align their interests and aptitudes to the local market... and figure out what they need to do to become successful in that field.

When I retired, ACAP did help me write up a resume (that was helpful) and show me want adds from around the country (also helpful), what they couldn't do was provide any expert advice on where I should go to do what I want to do or what certifications I needed to get my foot in the door.

Response by 1LT Robert Barnes made May 20 at 2015 2:50 PM

1LT Robert Barnes — Wed, 20 May 2015 14:50:28 -0400

I went through it, found the resume writing part decent. The rest was just sitting in classes. The VA benefits portion was very poorly done in the instruction part, but the did help me submit my claim which was appreciated as at the time filing a claim was very overwhelming. I agree, they should have more targeted classes. I entered with significant education and history of civilian jobs, so the basics were a waste. I also wish the job finding portion actually helped finding a job. I had more assistance going through the local city services for that. I think the program has good potential, but like many other services fails to live up to its potential.

Response by CW3 Eric W. S. made Aug 18 at 2015 2:39 PM

CW3 Eric W. S. — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 14:39:22 -0400

It ABSOLUTELY is a complete waste of time, unless you are a first-termer that is ETSing. It is not designed for anyone retiring. I would split the program, one for anyone that has not served beyond the 10 year mark, and one program for anyone retiring. Tailor them to meet the needs of the target audience, not just a blanket solution for everyone.

Response by SPC Brady Allen made Jan 3 at 2018 7:49 PM

SPC Brady Allen — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 19:49:56 -0500

I must agree with SFC Private RallyPoint Member . I think it is an effective program for specific individuals with specific goals. But unfortunately, TAP does not take a questioner of what specific needs are to covered in one class.
Personally, I thought the resume class was very informative and effective. It was taught by a contractor from the Department of Labor and was a week long. They taught you the basics and literally showed you what looked good and did not looked good. They spent an hour helping you set up LinkedIn and informed everybody about special veteran deals for different websites. Now I will agree with SGM Matthew Quick on this point, you get out what you put in. There were those soldiers that literally showed up, got on facebook all day and left. To them, I am sure they are suffering the consequences of their inattentiveness.
So this area was good, but on the contrary, I tried to ask questions about transitioning and living in Germany. While they continually asked the class for people who were doing an in country ETS, it was only to hand out pamphlet's. So while I got a-lot out of the course, I am now living on the economy trying to learn how to type an effective CV and Letter of Motivation for University Entrance Applications. I am searching up information on different evaluations I have to complete to have my education from the US evaluated, because apparently the US education system is MUCH lower than in Germany.
So, while the number may be small, my thought is to improve the overseas job and education portion of the course. My experience really has me sharing this information, so this way Soldiers are better informed and have researched resources. SFC Private RallyPoint Member thanks for sharing your post.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2018 1:52 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 13:52:15 -0400

Sitting in the Kuwait desert and doing the same stupid shit. Totally agree with the CSM. Waste of my time. I am older, house paid for, car paid for, kids grown and out of the house and in the National Guard, so am returning to same job I had before. None of this shit applies to me.

Response by SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM made Aug 1 at 2019 10:11 AM

SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 10:11:45 -0400

YES, this was a disappointment! Also, many units still limit soldiers participation based on their units level of activity!