I have found employment in the defense contracting industry. Am I stuck in this industry?
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Echoing what others have posted, there isn't really a limit to your future plans due to your past experience. Focus instead of what values and skills you have at your disposal. Marines know a thing or two about loyalty, honor, responsibility, leadership, working under pressure, meeting deadlines, striving for excellence. The list goes on. These qualities are desired in corporate settings, service organizations and non-profits.
A book I recommend for some perspective and reflection is called "Not Your Average Joe" by Dennis Davis. Check it out!
Semper Fi, Brother.
There are all types of jobs out there, why limit yourself to jobs "for people with infantry backgrounds"? The Marines from my old infantry unit stay in touch on Facebook, and that gives me an opportunity to share with you what a lot of them ended up doing over 20 years later. Perhaps you can get a few ideas from some real life examples:
We have a Nobel Peace Prize winner! Working on removing landmines from war torn countries.
Just a handful from our Company stayed in the Corps and are just now retiring.
There are quite a few Teachers.
Several Computer Tech/IT guys.
A lot of guys own small businesses, either professionals like Financial Consulting, Insurance and Real Estate or construction contractors.
We have one CEO of a major international corporation (left the corps as a Lance Corporal!).
Our Company Commander went into the oil and gas industry as a top executive.
A lot of sales professionals. Sales seems to go with the Marine Corps mindset pretty well.
Police and Corrections officers...yes, some, but by no means the majority.
The key here is: Most of us, regardless of rank, ended up in some type of leadership position later in life. Either running their own business, teaching or working their way up in the corporate world. That probably has to do with the tenacity we learned in the infantry.
But, being in the infantry was clearly not a limiting factor with regard to which profession. In retrospect, it wasn't even a factor for many of us.
I felt the same way. I obtained an MBA but admit, I discovered that isn't such a necessity, it helped slightly. What did help was building on my other strengths. You do have your off duty skills, talents, activities, volunteer work, and of course, your military leadership skills. Don't forget to mention all of your additional duties from your military skills, too. I took training within my company (USPS) and moved from HR to sales/marketing. Take training within your company to find something you prefer to do. I found several jobs in management in numerous civilian companies. I keep my eyes open for openings outside the fed. Just a couple ideas. USPS has several openings that lead to leadership. It sounds like you have some awesome leadership skills which many corporations are really searching for. Please feel free to email me if you are interested in ideas for USPS employment. debmiller2000@gmail.com
Todd, thank you for your service. If you haven’t done so I suggest using some of the low-cost/free self-assessment tools available on the Internet to help identify your personal strengths, interests, aptitudes, etc. That knowledge should then help you choose among the many available career options one that is likely to offer the best chances for long-term satisfaction. My April 2013 posting on this website identified self-assessment options available at that time, and others have probably emerged since; “https://acp-advisornet.org/questions/411/what-are-best-tools-veterans-self-assess-their-aptitude-capa”
Good luck and best wishes, Bill Nobles
Lots of Fortune 500 companies are looking for transitioning officers. GE, Pepsi, and USAA come to mind, but there are plenty of others out there. An MBA would help, but isn't necessarily needed. My platoon commander went into real estate, another went into tech and another is in manufacturing. And they are all doing very well. I would take this time to explore something that you actually want to do. If you want to stay in defense, then you have a head start, but its not too late to switch. Neil was right that war pays, but a lot of other industries would also be financially rewarding. Let me know if I can help.
Law Enforcement, at the whim of budget restrictions. Over time, "War" pays. Currently about 2 billion dollars a day. Stay in the industry your in, but reshuffle the deck. Try sales. You have the product knowledge. Try ATK/OA and look at jobs. After the US Civil War, a company bought military gear from the Army at ten cents on the dollar. That same company then sold the same gear back to the Army for the Spanish-American War.... at full list. Sales pays!
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