Disabled Voc Rehab: Find an Advocate

I too am a Disabled Veteran. I retired in 1998. Due to unclear information that I received during DTAP (Disabled Transition Assistance Program).

I assumed that I was not qualified for Voc Rehab. After several years and several jobs. I went to my local VA office to seek continued benefits for my handicapped son. This is where a diligent and caring representative asked me why had I never applied for Voc Rehab benefits.

She started the process for me and within four months I'm going to attend one of the top 10 state colleges in the nation. I'm not going to tell you that it was all that easy. I had a myriad of paperwork, several testing sessions and interviews that I had to attend. But it was well worth the efforts! My best advice is to set your sites on your goal, commit to achieving it, seek assistance where needed. And most importantly, find someone who advocate for you!

(Submitted by Jory Authement)

Be Wary of Promises

Be careful of what you wish for. Do not underestimate the power of a good education. If you didn't manage to get a diploma while on active duty, make it your first goal by taking advantage of the GI Bill and scholorships

I was offered a great job in Northern Michgan before I retired from the military. I bought a house and settled down. Then the bottom dropped out and I was stuck with a house I could barely afford and because Northern Michigan is not a hotbed for employment had to take low paying jobs. Two years later I was "rescued" by an employer who knew the value of a good military man. For the next eight years I traveled to 48 of our 50 states working and living on the road (I have yet to visit Hawii and Maine). This included three years in Manhattan. While I enjoyed traveling, being seperated from my family was difficult. I am now employed by a contractor who works for the Department of Defense.

I learned to be wary of promises. When I took that job in Northern Michigan I had no idea I could possibly lose my job. Civillians get fired for unknown reasons; it's simply governed by the power of money. Not having a Bacholer's degree kept me from applying for higher paying jobs and I was forced to take low paying jobs. Attend TAPS and keep your resume down to one page. Always wear a suit/dress to your job interview. Be a memeber of the look-sharp, be-sharp group. Be willing to relocate. Be proud of your military training and if you graduated from any of the PME schools, say so.

The one thing that got me the most was realizing its okay to walk outside without your cover in civillian life.

(Submitted by Mr. Jeff Morrell)

Get Extra Pay and Benefits from Your Employer

Transitioning is very stressful, what with worrying about future employment, a suitable wardrobe for the civilian sector, etc. Make sure your resume is up-to-date and written in the format most widely used (you will be surprised how many different formats there are).

If possible seek part-time employment in your intended career field and with your prospective employer. This will give you valuable experience with the employer and will be the tell-all on whether you can survive there in a full-time capacity. Many employers pay you to go to school, so if you plan to use your GI Bill use that saved money as a means to gain additional pay or benefits from your future employer.

(Submitted by Clinton Foster)

Find Other Veterans

I registered for college while stationed in Okinawa in 2003. I ended up deploying to Thailand just before leaving active duty so my ability to start coordinating and researching my future "duty station" in the 1st Civ Div was affected.

(1st Civ Div is where civilians live for those of you not familiar with Marine terminology.) I had one month after leaving active duty in August 2003 before the fall semester started at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Not wanting to live in the barracks, err, dorms, I opted to rent a one-bedroom apartment close to campus. My landlord was a scumbag and I was paying dearly for the location. I didn't feel like I fit in with the rest of my classmates (most of whom were five or six years younger than me) and I certainly didn't feel like they could relate to my experiences. So I felt a little awkward socializing with my new peers after class. There was not a place on campus where I could go to find another veteran, someone who I could relate to.

During my second and third years at "The U," an Army Ranger veteran named Andy Davis and another student, Tony Richter, started a non-profit group called Comfort For Courage (C4C) which started with care-package drives and shipping them over to our troops overseas and moved on to start a student group for veterans. That group is now known as the Veterans Transition Center (VTC) and is now in its third year and is already a huge success. I became involved as a member and then moved on to a leadership position within the group. It helped me to be a part of a group again, especially a group of veterans.

Whether or not you are going to school or if you decide to start working, I think it is important to find at least one other person who knows what you've been through, and usually that means finding a veteran. If you can find a group of veterans to hang out with, you should be well on your way to a successful transition.

(Submitted by Aaron Ledebuhr)

Finish Your Education as Soon as You Can

It was coming up on time to retire after 17 years of service. I had a little less than three years to go when I finally realized that I would not be staying in the Air Force until they threw dirt on me. I did a little checking and found out that guys who had a college degree did much better than guys who did not. Now, I had heard this was true but I didn't really believe it. I thought that if you were really good at what you did, that a good job would find you. While it would be very nice if that were true, that is not the way it works.

My next stop was the Base Education Office. I wanted to find out how I could complete my CCAF degree and hoped that I had not wasted too much time. It turned out that there was this wonderful thing called the College Level Examination Program. (CLEP) All I had to do was take a series of tests and I earned my AA. It was pretty easy because I had taken promotion tests for years and I already had more than half the required courses because of military training. I did have to take a couple of standard classes ,too, but that also played into part two of my plan.

With the CCAF done, my next question was, "What's the quickest way to get a BA degree?" The nice lady told me about Columbia College and something called a BA in Independent Studies. It was basically a program that accepted whatever upper-level course was available. I decided that was the ticket because I had so little time.

I took upper-level classes in history, English, psychology, sociology and business. Unfortunately, I did not finish my degree before I retired, it took me another two months.

It all paid off, though. I landed my first civillian, professional level job shortly before I retired. Because of the education and my military job experience I doubled my military salary. I then tried to help a friend o f mine get a job at my company. He outranked me but had not pursued education the way I had. He did get the job, based on his military experience and electronics knowledge. But, he also earned $10K less than I did for the same work.

Lesson learned: Get your education before you seperate.

Second lesson: If I had not screwed around all those years and earned my degree in Electrical Engineering instead of Independent Studies, I would have made $25K per year more than my buddy.

Finish your education as soon as you can!

Do it while you're still on active duty, if possible!

(Submitted by Mark Jacobs)

Transition to Teaching

I've always known I would be a teacher. Through my school years, college and then a Navy career, I not only had a love of learning but a greater love of sharing what I had learned with others. I decided that upon retirement from active duty, I would find a way to serve in a classroom. I had been a scoutmaster, Sunday school teacher and now I wanted to be a high school social studies teacher.

I had heard of the Troops to Teachers Program but at the Transition Assistance Program Brief, it seemed to be a good fit. The best part was the mentorship and counseling on how to become certified, how to become known to the education community in a new area, and finally how to help others. The TTT Program does provide for a monetary bonus, which is appreciated, but the best part was knowing there was someone else out there to assist.

For those looking to become teachers, take a look at the Troops to Teachers website: www.proudtoserveagain.com. Completing the registration can get the ball rolling. I have been teaching now for five years and know that like any transition, it's full of uncertainty but also with hope and opportunity. I made the right decision. Consider it too...

(Submitted by Capt. Gary Lovgren)

Your Leadership Skills are Valuable

After retiring in 2003 I decided that I wanted to try something completely different. I wanted to find out what my talent and skill set would be worth in the open market, and did not want to work for a government contractor.

I applied for a job as a warehouse manager and was hired by a small third party logistics company. They hired me knowing that I had no experience in this field. They were willing to take a chance based on the leadership and management experience aquired during my time in the service.

Also the price was right...I took a $20,000 pay cut compared to my salary while on active duty. For the next three years I sacrificed and learned the ins and outs of the logistics industry. It was like going to boot camp all over again minus the pushups.

After three years I decided to move on to other opportunities and was hired by a larger company to be a mid level manager. I worked hard and was noticed by senior management. Within two months I re ceived my first promotion and pay raise. Six months later I received another promotion and pay raise.

Earlier this year I was promoted again to assistant vice president and run a 500,000 square-foot distribution center. I manage 150 employees and have direct responsibility for profit and loss. The advice I would like to share with all of you who transition to the civilian market is to never under estimate the market value of your military experience and training.

Be particularly eager to sell your leadership and management skills to all potential employers. Don't be afraid to venture into uncharted career paths. The potential rewards for superior performance are much greater than you can imagine if you're willing to work hard, study and have the can do spirit. Yes, there is a lot of luck involved but we create our own luck by being smart, working hard and taking risks.

(Submitted by Bryan Sweeney)

Once You Get Out, Don't Look Back

My best suggestion: Don't waste another day waiting to plan for your transition. It pays to stick it out and retire if you are close. Nothing better than getting a monthly check that will cover basic living expenses. If you think your retirement check will cover all your bills, think again.

I capitalized on my education at Uncle Sam's expense, all the way to getting an MBA. Don't think you have time? If a pararescueman can make the time and priority in our high OPS tempo deployment world, anyone can.

Make sure you document-document-document every injury and disease you've encountered while serving. You are entitled to VA benefits if you qualify. It is a painful process, but worth the effort. Attend the TAP program to receive valuable information. Write an awesome resume, leave out military jargon and acronyms, keep it short concise and professional.

There are several websites that will help you convert your skill-sets to civilian terminology. Have lots of people edit it and for God's sake don't have typos. Spend the money and buya suit for an interview. Be proud you served during your interview, but no war stories.

Research your Google prospective employers and the company’s financials. When you call for an interview, ask questions: Do you like the company? Who will interview me? How is the room set up? Arrive early, take a deep breath and show confidence, not arrogance.

If you are smart, you will do dress rehearsal mock interviews. I did an interview with my current company as practice for another interview. I went in relaxed and ended up getting a job offer on the spot from the chairman of the company.

You don't have to get a job in your unique skill-sets, the military made you responsible, punctual, and a leader. There are several companies targeting ex-military. Network for job openings, attend job fairs. I was lucky to transition into a mid six figure job. What helped me is no fear of taking a risk, being willing to relocate and looking forward to the transition with excitement.

I moved from Florida to Manhattan, that was a huge risk and transition. It has been a great experience. Once out don't look back, press on it is your time to be compensated for your hard work and not be limited by your pay grade.

(Submitted by Greg Lowdermilk)