John Parker, MBA, MSIS ⋅ Vacaville, CA U.S. Air Force, Senior Airman ⋅ 4 years served

Syracuse University has a Veterans Career Transition program. It's all online and you get free access to study material and they will pay for your first certification exam attempt. I personally do better in on campus settings but I'm going to give it a shot since I need CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+ certifications.

Jeff Sanders ⋅ Deland, FL USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service ⋅ 20 years experience

Mark, the best source I have found is a close group of fellow veterans. For me that includes Facebook closed groups such as 101st Airborne and 320th Field Artillery. The 101st has over 11,000 members. Lots of Vets post problems, and other Vets post lots of good advice, and resources for different problems. My best advice: don't try to "become a civilian". You never will. Took me a long time to figure that out. Learn how to be a Veteran in today's civilian world. Employers value your commitment and service, so don't try to set it aside. Too many Veterans try that route and flounder because they never do really fit in. I have found that "brother to brother" networking is the best. Although I am certainly not discounting other organizations.

Mark Hannah ⋅ Incline Village, NV Hannah Business Intelligence Solutions, Inc. ⋅ 22 years experience

Just filed the 501c3 paperwork for a one-stop shop non-profit to fill this gap which cover all other disadvantaged Americans too, called "Think Vision Architecture". The board consists of seasoned management consultants, local to Silicon Valley, whom have experience innovating solutions for Fortune 500 firms and clearly know the opportunity to "career coach" exists to make matches with employers -add local cities and corporations will flip the lion-share of the bill. There are multiple overlapping or redundant veteran services which only cause confusion and burn out Veterans- I've personally had to slice through the fog of transitioning. Sir, there is a path through the labyrinth which I personally succeeded as well as a few others. Note the services I intend to provide will also cover military spouses, children, etc (being a military brat myself). There are three roadmaps veterans take: Academic, Manual Labor, Knowledge Worker; all have landmines to overcome to get to the destination. Major problem is all three are a dense forest as most government employees in a position to assist have little or no experience in Corporate, etc. The great thing about this forum is its typically evident folks are Walking their Talk unlike 90% of non-profit and government staff making money by selling a broke compass per se. I personally am leading the effort to seamlessly align MOSs into mapped career fields or providing roadmaps to change professions. Heres the elephant in the room, veterans on departure who go into Manual Labor jobs compete with illegal immigrant cheap labor and those who take on $80k in student loan debt, graduate and start distributing resumes compete with H1B cheap labor. Note H1B spouses on H4 are "legal" cheap labor, hence a paycut and loss of benefits doesn't make the grass greener. My organization is attempting to circumvent the bottlenecks, provide the career and training of hard skill-sets which will be documented as in-demand...the best advice is to inform your troops to pursue certifications (Six Sigma, CyberSecurity, PMP, CBAP, Programming Languages, etc.) as those bullet points proving applicable experience with the certs will market them ahead of foreign cheap labor and those coming out of college. Best, they can independent consult as a contractor which will definitely convert to Full-time as crystal clear Veterans truly are the most valuable asset. Cheers, Mark Hannah

Laura Carmack ⋅ Rockville, MD SAPNS2 (NS2 Serves) ⋅ 25 years experience

Please look at www.ns2serves.org - we have a training program for those Veterans 0-3 years out of the service. Next class starts in march - apply now.

Melvin Sorcher ⋅ Westport, CT Sorcher Associates Inc. ⋅ 40 years experience

A colleague of mine is just finishing a book on making significant life transitions, e.g., repatriating, returning to civilian life, changing careers, etc. I've seen a draft and I expect it will be a fine book. He may be able to provide you with some helpful information. Contact him at his email (uco@ucomail.com) and tell him that I suggested that he might be able to be helpful.

Kristin Garcia ⋅ Norman, OK The University of Oklahoma, Tom Love Innovation Hub ⋅ 15 years experience

Hello Mark, In 2014 my company was started to support transitioning veterans with translation their experience into civilian skills. Our next phase will be placement. We have a variety of information located in our blog from our veterans on what worked for them and I can help to point you in the best direction. Our goal is to help with your resume, so please feel free to reach out. http://blog.guide-on.com/

Mark Green ⋅ Orlando, FL U.S. Army, Lieutenant Colonel ⋅ 32 years served

I have reviewed the great responses about Government, non-profit and other programs. Although I appreciate all of the responses, not one person has answered the question with any real answer of if anyone has a full program. Not one response fully answered "Is there any program that helps you look at your entire situation that includes the entire process of transition" I'm glad it cannot be answered. It is validating my suspicion that my question shows a need for it.

Anthony Millsap ⋅ Spanaway, WA U.S. Army, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 12 years served

Places like VETS2PM and hirepurpose as well as hire heroes USA just to name a few. Also the VCTP through Syracuse is another great opportunity.

Daryl Harrison ⋅ Thurston, NE Harrison WOC Services ⋅ 25 years experience

Douglas brings up a very good point. Be careful where you decide to retire geographically at the start. Don't isolate yourself or distance yourself. It is easy to find yourself in the middle of the forest, cornfield, or bayou and have left many of the networks that can support you. This is also easy to do on a sociological/intellectual plane. A Lt. Colonel may have grown accustomed to intellectual stimulation through socialization given the built in social structure of his or her military branch. Don't take it for granted that level of socialization exists everywhere. Cutting the politics out of life may seem attractive. But, it does have it's positive points. My point can best be exemplified by someone that left a rural setting for college, went into the military, saw the world, and then moved back home in the middle of a cornfield where internet connectivity is still a dial-up and all your old buddies have to talk about are the glory days of yore.

Transitioning comes in stages, don't close doors of opportunity or assistance you have yet to learn how to recognize.

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

Google VSO (Veteran Service Organizations) in your local area. You will find they all offer a variety of transition, employment services, and training. I'm sure you'll find what you need.
Secondly a resource for resume examples and videos can be found at www

Douglas Williams ⋅ Las Vegas, NV U.S. Air Force, Master Sergeant ⋅ 20 years served

Mark,

In my experience, there rarely exists a "one-stop shop" that will provide each service member everything they need or desire as they begin their transition. Available resources and services also vary depending on the city, state, and region.

I would recommend that you first begin researching the location you plan to stay at. There are some national non-profits such as Goodwill, Easter Seals, and the USO that may offer resources in your area or could at least provide you with more information. You may also be able to connect with Veteran Service Organizations at local career fairs or veteran events. In your case, I would also consider reaching out to the MOAA (Military Officers Association of America).

The VA, state agencies, and local Department of Labor offices are also good places to call or visit.

It's very likely there is a wide range of resources available for you, but you will have to be proactive on your part to find those resources and determine what areas you need support in, and what areas you don't as communication can sometimes be quite fragmented within Veteran Services/Non-profit communities.

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

Mark, This particular venue does seem focused on the short term "I need a job" issue. However, there are many groups on LinkedIn that will provide more in line with what you are looking for. I recommend trying the Veteran Mentor Network group on LinkedIn - I am one of the managers of that group. You will find many threads discussing every topic you mention.