Please upgrade your web browser

These pages are built with modern web browsers in mind, and are not optimized for Internet Explorer 8 or below. Please try using another web browser, such as Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 10, Internet Explorer 11, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari.

Transitioning from Military to the Civillian work force

Military to Civilian Transition

I will always start by saying that my views and opinions are only one of many. I hope that my experiences will help other military members successfully transition to the civilian work force.

I was greatly disappointed with the transition program I went through as I was leaving the Air Force. I found that much of the information was inaccurate and there was little representation from civilian employers. Most of the presenters were DoD civilians and ex-military. While they understood transitioning from military to DoD, their advice and perspective was not representative of civilian work.

Entering into terminal leave, I took a few weeks to simply decompress. However, I was nervous, eager, and excited to start a new career. The best bit of advice I was given was, "Now you're out, your job is to find a job," meaning I spent 4-6 hours almost everyday looking for work in one way or another.

Something that is very critical to understand is that a job is like a relationship, meaning the employer and employee both need to get what they need from the relationship. You should take that approach into every interview. Interviews are two way conversations where both sides should be looking to answer the questions they need to make a decision.

Following that logic, research companies, careers, and pay in order to be well informed. For salary comparison I used Glassdoor.com. Research potential companies, understand what they do and how your skills will support their business. The civilian world is about making profits, so understand how your skills will translate into making specific companies profits.

Understand what you want from a new career. If you don't want to work shifts, don't apply for a job that requires shift work. Too many times folks want to just apply to anything to get a foot in the door. Just remember there are positive and negatives to that approach.

Finally, understand that you may have to start at the bottom. You have great skills and experience, but I would much rather promote from my team and hire lower levels than hire a new manager right from the start. That isn't saying that there are not management positions, but you limit your opportunities.

If you have comments or feedback about any article, please email your thoughts to info@acp-advisornet.org.

About the Author

Write an Article

We welcome articles on any subject that might help our veterans. Articles are especially useful in place of frequently similar responses, and can be linked in your replies.

Add an article