1. The military has imparted more experience and responsibility than the vast majority of your cohort will have....use your experience wisely. Many MBA programs have become product portfolios, recruiting younger candidates and offering a wider range of programs. Traditionally, a MBA candidate would have 3-5 years of professional experience, but this is no longer the case. Do not be surprised if more of your peers are straight out of undergraduate programs with little to no professional experience other than a string of internships. Be prepared to step up in project groups to fill the organizational gaps.

2. There is never a straight line when it comes to networking. This may sound corny, but networking is a contact sport. It's about creating quality contacts and the only way to do so is to go out and meet a lot of people. Not all contacts may be top quality, but there is something to learn from everyone you meet. Interpersonal communication skills are key throughout organizations as you are selling something no matter what your function might be (i.e. ideas, methods, courses of actions, plans). Reasoning and clear concise communications are important.

3. Academics aren't everything. I attended a very rigorous academic program that provided very in-depth modeling and finance coursework. Many jobs, even in finance, will not require half of that. I used to call it a divide until I graduated; but it is truly a chasm as there is a huge difference between the academic study and practice of finance. Be aware of this and strike the right balance during your program. There are still plenty of people with 3.5+ GPAs out there still looking for full-time work almost 1 year out.

4. If you've been in service for a while, get used to Human Resources and recruiters playing the age game. This is illegal, but so are a lot of things that still go on. Be prepared to see the eyes roll, doing the mental math after they ask "when did you complete your undergraduate degree?" This is difficult, especially if you are interviewing for the first time outside of the service.

5. LinkedIn is a great way to find people, generate ideas and to expand your resume. Will you get hired because of it? Maybe, maybe not. It is great to expound on your resume and present new information that may not be able to fit on a 1 page resume.

6. Job postings are full of clues; focus on the skills that you can gain outside of your program (i.e. computing certificates, statistics program proficiency, etc) cost effective and position oriented. I look at them every day for ideas about future career opportunities. New skills take time to master; the day of transition, last day of terminal leave, day you're on the chopping block, etc is NOT the time to find out that your skill set needs a refresh. It will take 8-10 months to get the requisite training. Just like you may have heard before, don't get caught fighting the last war.

7. Stop using term "institutionalized" in a negative light, in fact, stop using it altogether. I have met individuals who have been in industry, many times at the same firms for 20-25 years, an they have never used the term. Why should coming from the service be any different? Using this term conveys the sense that you cannot or will not adapt to change.

8. The 'survival of the fittest' talk is most just talk. This sounds really scary but we would be living in a different world if only the most competent rose to the top. An NCO once told me that in the service you "rise to the level of your own incompetence" and " screw up, move up." You will definitely see this again. The tendency is to use bold statements when things are going well and then blame negative circumstances on "intangibles". The private sector is not as "high-speed" as people would have you think.

9. Large firms/ companies are more like the military than you think. Organizations are hierarchies; people, departments, functions, etc. There are evaluations, chains of command, direct reports, and probably all of the other things that you may recognize. Big difference is the development aspect. Hang on to your NCOERs/ OERs, you will be surprised when your cohort peers mention that they have never been rated, ranked, coached with that level of detail within their organizations.

10. Never, ever degrade the experience that the military provided. There is a tendency to view the "military world" vs "Real World" divide as an issue. In many cases, the military was more of the "real world" than anything that you will come into contact with in any MBA program or after. Depending on your branch and function, you have already pushed yourself longer, and harder, managed more people, controlled more assets, taken greater risks, reported to higher management, etc than you will during and a program and during your subsequent transition.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments, concerns, further details, etc. Hope this was helpful!