Beyond One-Size-Fits-All Transitions – A Case for Transition Intel.

COL Mikel J. Burroughs Two common threads that has always remained in the transition process is 1) Solder saying "I made a big mistake, I should have stayed on active duty" and 2) Not realizing the value of joining a reserve unit in or near there hometown. I always thought that the military should have some sort of unpaid 1 yr. leave of absence, that the solder could return to active duty without all the paperwork hassle, if he/she discovers their mistake. As for the value of joining a reserve unit maybe somebody out there has a good way of getting the word out to solders who are just excited to get off active duty.

Great Post Colonel! They have improved over the past decade and many do require earlier and frequent separation/transition training. I know of many who simply do not care or are unable to listen enough at the time it is currently presented. By the time of transition all they want is to go home or "get out of that place"

I took a gander through the TID survey site. You can remove "Military" and substitute "Any major job transition" and pretty much see similar results. That was true for the aircraft industry and the rust belt. The survey is flawed in a significant aspect. Anything that has "Expected" in it is a collective measure of how people feel, not a measure of reality or the norm which means there are unrealistic expectations out there. Overall everything, including getting through the line at Costco, takes longer than expected or desired. So I drifted over to the hard data which pretty much shows the bell curve is sitting near the center. Around half have a college degree. Around half are satisfied with the outcome, half are not. Big hitters on jobs are location and salary, duh! So my big takeaway is as a whole, MILs have a similar transition to other demographics or you ask any group of human beings who've had a similar experience, you get a similar result.

One thing I've noticed in hiring Vets for Civil Service positions was some officers think they're entitled to a higher grade and ENLs who have a skill set in high demand can make more from the get-go. Example is high voltage electrician. So stuff like this means every transition experience is unique with its own set of hurdles including the uncertainty factor; being in the right place at the right time.

One other thing I noticed are a number of Vets who are spun up, need to come down to earth, recognize it, and take a turn with the Conservation Corps to settle down a bit. During their time at it, they work out educational and other goals. I mentored a few through the process and they are doing well. At least they were able to choose their paths vs. meandering wherever.