Sandy Lawrence ⋅ Saint Petersburg, FL Monster Smarts ⋅ 40 years experience

Dane - thank you for your service. You are making all the right steps with networking, and solidifying your location. You might want to filter and focus a bit more. As my Transitioning Military books offer, make sure you have time to perform your assessments in five areas: timing, environment, skills, personal, and marketplace. This insight and feedback will help filter and focus on what you want to do next. Also, remember that in order to pursue your next best move, consider that your job journey is not a ladder, but more of a jungle gym. Remember, your next best move might be a lateral or even step down from what you currently do or make in salary - in order to make the transition effective.
Reach out if you have any other questions at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shlawrence/. Good luck!!

Bob Molluro ⋅ Wilmington, DE Benchmark Consulting Services ltd. ⋅ 30 years experience

Think of your quest as a journey that will take time. Every time you speak with someone try to find people who can help. What you are looking for is the right person who can get you an interview with the person who has a need for your skills. You can never guess who that person will be. A quick story. My son in law was the top sales person in the US when his French based company decided to eliminate all US jobs. He followed my advice and six months later was having lunch and stuck up a conversation. The man he spoke to said ,"I know a billionaire who could sue a guy like you and he set up the interview. Since I train people on how to become "Killer Interviewers" , I spent one hour to go over the process. He got the job and five years later makes over $500K annually. If you get to the point where you have an interview I would be happy to train you Pro Bono. Just send me an email to ramco1@verizon.net. Good luck.

Grant Lewis ⋅ Virginia Beach, VA U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander ⋅ 20 years served

I expect that nuclear trained sailors are still prized in the commercial nuclear industry. Power plants should not have affected by current conditions. Use your background to your best advantage by checking on the nuclear utilities in Illinois.

John Volpe ⋅ Seaford, NY Robbins-Gioia ⋅ 18 years experience

Dane:

Given our current environment I suspect it will be very challenging for anyone transitioning out of the military. You may want to consider extending your enlistment for a year or so- if this is a viable option. By next year the employment situation should be vastly improved. Since this suggestion probably does not coincide with your plans, I‘d first recommend trying to focus on companies that you may have interacted with during your enlistment. If your network does not include “tech reps” from these companies, I’d suggest spending the remaining time in the Navy cultivating relationships with various civilian representatives from Defense contractors.

My sense is that the Defense Industry has not been impacted to the same degree as other industries which is why they should be a potential source of employment. The downside of course is that to pursue this option you would probably have to also consider opportunities outside of central Illinois. Having spent five years away from home I suspect relocating to another part of the country is not a realistic option .

It sounds like you are doing what you can to expand your network which is a sensible strategy . If you haven’t already done so, I’d also suggest checking with the local chamber of commerce to get a sense of employment possibilities and networking opportunities. I’d also recommend using your educational benefits at a college or technical school on a full or part time basis, assuming institutions are planning to open during the fall semester. My guess, based on your experience, is that you will probably be well suited to working in an engineering or technical capacity.

Best of luck

John

Amit Chaudhary ⋅ San Jose, CA Doordash, Silicon Valley Software Company ⋅ 20 years experience

Dear Dane,

I might come across as brutally honest that is a vague question. One needs to know, what job or set of roles are you looking for and what are you skillset and experience? Only then one should think of advising on anything

Anthony Cortazzo ⋅ King Of Prussia, PA Lockheed Martin ⋅ 8 years experience

Hi Dane - your network is what ultimately what is most beneficial to your pursuit. The more people you connect with, the greater your odds. You should be actively messaging folks with a message strategy where you do not flat out ask for a job. Your goal is to briefly tell them who you are, that you saw them on linkedin, their experience impressed you and you were wondering if they had time to briefly provide any tips/insight. You build rapport with your contacts to the point where you feel comfortable asking them to point you in the right direction of opportunities. Also network with all people you know and may know someone in your desired field. Feel free to message me for more info.