Get Focused!

My transition from the Navy to the civilian world went pretty smoothly.  I left as an O-3 in San Diego in 1997 after eight years on active duty.  I worked for three years after college before joining up so I was relatively comfortable with the prospect of interviewing for a job, but it was tougher than I thought it would be.

At first I talked to recruiters that specialize in placing JO's.  Right away it was evident that not all recruiters are created equal.  I geared up to do my own searching and networking in parallel with the efforts of recruiters.  After a lot of soul-searching (what do I want to be when I grow up?  I still haven't figured out an answer to that one) and talking with others that had made the leap, I zeroed in on business consulting as a target job.

 

It's amazing how much more effective I was at uncovering opportunities once I chose an area of focus.  I was able to build a pipeline of potential employers.  Building a pipeline and working it through is a process that is applicable to many jobs, especially sales -- and getting a job is really selling yourself.  There was an added side benefit -- it felt really good to say "no thanks" to opportunities that didn't fit what I was focusing on instead being on the receiving end.

 

Consulting turned out to be a really good bridge to what I really wanted to do, get an MBA.  Many schools frown on applicants who are using them to transition to something else, and military-to-civilian is definitely a transition.  They'd rather take an applicant that wants to use them as a springboard along their already-chosen path.

 

Looking back, transitioning to the civilian world was a daunting task but once I had some focus I was able to break it down into discrete tasks, make a plan, and execute it.  It turned out to be a lot like planning and executing a mission, something the military prepares us for very well.

(Submitted by Harry Hirschman)