Dereck Eury ⋅ Charlottesville, VA U.S. Army, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 24 years served

Thank you all for the wonderful responses. Yes I am supporting a family of 3 (Wife and 2 boys (13 & 11)). Never thought of the phrase the golden handcuffs. Should be something that maybe could be incorporated into training at the transition centers on bases just to forewarn others. Thanks again.

Joel Usher ⋅ Annapolis, MD U.S. Army, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 8 years served

The golden handcuffs are a legit problem man. I went through the same situation from the same job with the same result, as did many of my friends. You didn't specify whether you are supporting a family as well, which changes the calculus greatly, or what your consumer-measured quality of life is (or theirs, if you indeed support a family).

Either way, are you ready to swallow the ego of all those years of leadership and service and start fresh in a new industry, which requires starting near the bottom of the hierarchy?Most vets I know who have the most difficulty refuse to acknowledge the necessity of this, and "hold out for management" in an industry about which they know nothing, trusting the merits of their service. Avoid this, as a couple friends have done, and you'll rocket to the top fast anyhow in your new field, given your background.

One possible (and common) solution is to find a job in the current field you hate that doesn't slaughter your time, there are hundreds of companies that offer 40 hour workweek intel analyst jobs around MD/DC/VA. Then night class the heck out of grad school to catalyze a career change. You can be in the company or at least industry of your dreams within 18 months.

Good luck!

Tim Keefe ⋅ Washington, DC U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 6 years served

My advice would be to find a field that's closely related to what you do now and use that as a bridge to the other field. Unfortunately, as an intel analyst, that consigns you to working for the Fed government either on the civilian or the contractor side. Not much call for that in the private sector, and with continued contraction in the contracting sector, it means less opportunity to move around and take other positions that don't require you to deploy so much.

Consider saving more of your deployment money while away and then couple it with your GI Bill to get some training in something that's highly marketable, like in IT. Get certified in something and then consider either working for a startup or something that won't require a lot of time and hoop-jumping to get where you want to go, which is another path.

One field to look into is data analytics, which is growing. There aren't a lot of credential requirements in the field now, and you could perhaps use your prior intel background to make a transition into business intelligence. You just have to get enough industry experience in something other than what you're doing now to make a transition.

Alexander Hildenbrandt ⋅ Jacksonville, FL STONEWORK Franchising ⋅ 2 years experience

First, I know what you’re talking about many of my friends, prior soldiers and clients have either been in or are in the situation you describe. It only gets harder as you go on. It is a similar scenario to people who have been trapped in corporate America for too long as well, believe it or not. There are similarities to be sure but you guys have it the worst. Nobody knows but those who have been or those who are close to subject.

This is the Vet side of me coming out to play: Go find the best franchise that gives you what you want for a low entry and a good return. Look at home based franchises that have a better program for transitioning veterans because you are literally transitioning all over again. That will give you the best plan to move forward and you can do it as quickly as you find one that fits. This is the franchise broker side of me: I started my own franchise brokerage company after the Army because I found I could do better financially as a business owner than as an employee. I did not have experience in any industry so banks wouldn’t loan me money. I didn’t have a whole lot of money to put in myself and I have never owned a business before. Franchises take care of those things because good franchises interview you like a partner coming into a business because that’s what you are. Franchises train you how to be a business owner for an investment to grow a brand. They support you and become your new team and have a culture all their own. There are even Franchises that appeal and have a large X-Special Operations Soldiers population. I call these kinds of franchises Veteran Habitats. We have the best track record of success and franchises drop hundreds of thousands of dollars to attract veterans to their systems because we make the best franchisees. Work for somebody else and make them rich vs. be trained as a business owner and get into a proven turnkey system fast and break even fast. This is really a no brainer if you qualify.

Use me don’t use me to find a good one, I don't care. I work with allot of clients and a couple are contractors I am bringing home. I make more money than I ever thought I could and fish on the weekends and sometimes during the week with my kids because I can. My mission was always to expose this option. I was an E-5 almost 2 years ago, now I am building a second business and looking to purchase a third. I go to school on the post 9/11 and am Mr. Mom. Figure out which industry you like and take a look at what the business delivers. My very wealthy mentor once told me that “it’s not what the business is, it’s what it gets you.” Go to investopidiea and look up the definition of opertuntiy cost. That might change the way you see some things. Contract if that’s what you like because I sure know a few that will do it until no longer able, but think long term guys. Good luck guys! I still keep contractors in my thoughts.

Best wishes to you all!
Alex, President, Stonework Franchising

George Hernandez ⋅ La Porte, TX International Cooling Tower ⋅ 20 years experience

As a retired vet, I contracted in Iraq, Afghanistan two different times. It was a real bear transitioning back home (it doesn't matter the industry) to the point that I decided to stay away from contracting overseas permanently. Regardless of how tough our economy gets. It's tough enough being a vet and trying to land somewhere starting at the bottom. At some point you and your family will need to decide about how long you want to remain in this situation. Then save up at least 6 months of what it takes to support your family, so when you do head home and implement, many great ideas posted, then you won't be under pressure due to no income. I had to take a $40,000 a year reduction in pay just to integrate myself back, so the savings will make a difference.
I work in HR and recruiting, (no current open positions) but you can send me a note if you need more help in strategizing a plan.

Joe Paschall ⋅ Madison, AL nLogic, LLC ⋅ 26 years experience

I also transitioned out after 20 years experience in intelligence, but with no desire to live in the DC area. One thing I had done earlier was to get an MBA to mitigate my MS in Strategic Intelligence. I also spent a lot of time reading job descriptions to find something related to intelligence but not directly. I transitioned into GIS - which is all over the country and not related to intel and DoD. After a couple of years there and a few more certs (PMP, etc) I made another small transition into IT, which is closely related to GIS yet even father from intel. It is possible but takes a lot of research and legwork.

Barbara Stern ⋅ Boulder, CO Affordable Closets,llc ⋅ 35 years experience

Hello,
I can hear your frustration in your question. Since I have not been in HR and only know people who have worked in this profession, my answer may not be what you're looking for, but here goes.
How would you like your work environment look, outside or inside work?
Are you interested in working with groups of people or on solo projects?
Do you want to travel, work from home or in an office?
How can you transfer your skill set to another industry?
Try and answer these questions and see what your answers are. If you'd like to contact me afterwards, feel free to do so.
Best of Luck,
Regards,
Barbara

John Bowman ⋅ Las Vegas, NV U.S. Navy, Chief Petty Officer ⋅ 20 years served

Dereck,
Thanks for posting this... I'm in the same situation career wise and looking for a way to shed these golden handcuffs. My background is very similar to yours - Intel and also have a family to consider in my job search. I'd be interested to see what happens.

Rachel Guida ⋅ Groveland, MA A.W. Chesterton ⋅ 12 years experience

Dereck, I think you have found yourself in a situation that many non-military individuals also find themselves in. When I was searching for a new job I sat down and thought of all the things I liked about the job I had and created searches on all the job search sites with those keywords. It lead me to a job that on paper, I was not qualified for.

I talked myself out of going for it because I didn't think anyone would give me a chance since I lacked what they wanted on paper, but I knew I could do the job. I passed over it and it came back up a month later and I decided to change my approach. I knew on paper I wasn't a match, so I told them that in the email I sent. I told them that I didn't have the degree they wanted, and I didn't have the manufacturing experience they wanted, but then I told them what I did have and why I could do a great job if they were willing to take a chance on me. I've been with the company for 4 years now and love it. So for the what to do for a job piece, be creative and don't talk yourself out of something you know you can do just because you think you aren't the ideal candidate. They might be crazy enough to give you a shot like my company did with me.

Managing the job search can be really difficult if you are away so often. You could work with recruiting companies (head hunters) and tell them what you want to do so they can give you the options. Think really hard about what you love to do for work and the recruiters can help you think of something you never would have thought of to do.

Good luck in your search, hope you get to find a local job doing something other than contracting soon.

Dereck Eury ⋅ Charlottesville, VA U.S. Army, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 24 years served

Thank you for the response.

I am an Intelligence Analyst 3, or Senior Intelligence Analyst. Currently I work my field as a Senior Counter IED and Insurgent Network Analyst.

I think I need to step back and really take a look at my interest again. I like to coach little league, and I am a great manager.

I am away because of my job. 6 months at a time with no days off in between, so you can imagine when I am home I am pretty much drained.

Thanks again

Dereck

Kate Nolt ⋅ Glen Mills, PA Creighton University ⋅ 15 years experience

Dear Dereck,

Thank you so much for your service! I must admit that I have read your inquiry several times, and keep coming away with the same few questions so I hope you don't mind my answering your inquiry with some questions of my own.

First, what field most closely seems to match your skill base? It seems like you would have a certain set of skills that together may make you quite an asset to a company or organization.

Second, what are your personal interests (over and above your skills)? Do any of your skills relate at all to your personal interests? It is great to have a job that matches your skills, but if you hate it, then it's not worth going to. My guidance for now would be to reflect on these issues, create a list and look for common themes or threads, and then begin a job search.

I am concerned that you indicate that you are never home to do job searches, so either you need a recruiter working on your behalf while you are away (most do not charge a fee to you, but do to your new employer), or you need to find a way to do searches during your spare time. You do not indicate if you are away a lot by choice, as in vacationing with friends for example, or because your contract jobs keep you away (or maybe it's a mixture of both). If I got some clarity, I may be able to assist you a bit more. Feel free to private message me if you would like more assistance.

Best,
Kate L. Nolt, MPH, Ph.D.