You're Worth Every Penny

After 20 years of service in the Army as both enlisted and a Warrant Officer, I retired to start my career in the civilian work sector. I have been succesfully employed for six years now. Here are some of my first-hand experiences to pass along.

Additional duties in the military can make your resume. I was not an IT professional in the military by career field, but I volunteered for such additional duties in that area in almost every command I was apart of. My resume focused on these duties and very little on the electronic maintenance positions I filled. While in service, I completed my BS in Computer Information Systems. If you don't get a degree, ensure you that you earn private-sector certifications if available in your area of interest. If you’re an electrician in the Army, ensure you get civilian certifications or licenses before you leave the military. This is critical if you want to find a position with competitive pay and not an entry-level position.

Regardless of experience, most employers’ hands are tied if you don't have a degree or certifications. You may have been a Senior NCO managing 150 troops, but in the civilian sector most managers have a college degree. The experience and level of responsibility that most receive while in the service is unmatched in the civilian sector -- couple that with a college degree and you will stand out among your competition. Next, take the military lingo out of your resume such as,"Stationed at 123rd, ACR," "NCOIC," “platoon sergeant”; "Master Gunner"; "ANOC"; "MOS." Don’t make a laundry list all your military medals, training certificates, etc.

Put everything in civilian terms. Instead of “Served as Platoon Sergeant in the 59th Transportation Company, 3rd ID,” state, “Managed a division of 60 employees responsible for providing the logistical support of more than 3 million dollars annually worth of equipment and supplies to more than 4,000 customers….”

You must assume that many HR employees and civilian managers don't understand military terms, positions, rank, training, units, etc. and can't translate that into what they are seeking. You must efficiently translate it for them in your resume. Ensure you do some research and get comfortable with the civilian terms associated with your career field. During interviews you want to be able to understand the questions and not get hung up on some of the terms that are being used.

Last bit of advice: Have confidence that you are worth every penny you are asking for. Do not sell yourself short, and do not use your military pay as a basis for what you should earn. In many cases, you may have been significantly under paid for the level of responsibility, education, and experience you had while in the military.

Good Luck,
Kurt (US Army Retired)
Hoooah!

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Should I stay in or get out? I have served in the Navy for 13 years and recently re-enlisted for another three years. I was afraid to separate.

I am a licensed, registered dental hygienist (hospital corpsman), enlisted. The Navy would not give me a commission. I could earn about $30,000 -- $40,000 more as a civilian. But, everyone I ask about getting out tells me I should stay in for the retirement.

I feel I can make it as a cilvilian, but I have not received any encouragement. Has anyone had similar experiences?

Any advice?

(Submitted by P. Anderson)

I Am and Always Will Be a Warrior

I was on the front line during the invasion of Fallujah,Iraq in 2004. I got out with a Purple Heart and a lot of other medals, and when I got back to the States I tried to become a bank teller -- it was not happening.  I then joined Blackwater for more than a year and decided to start my own company.

I became addicted to drugs and became an alcoholic. I ran my life into the ground for two years.

Then, I woke up and went for a run on the beach in California. I became a Marine again by raising my lifestyle standards to what they were in they were in the service.

I am now on top of my game and no one can stop me just like those bad guys in Iraq. I am and always will be a warrior.

(Submitted by Mr. Wolfgang Ward)

Don't Work in a Poultry Plant, Unless You Have To

After high school (1981), I enlisted in the Air Force because there was little employment in my hometown of Ohio and because I didn't want to go to college. I was sick of school. I wasn't sure what specialty I wanted to go into so I found a Intell. job that sounded interesting.

After three years, eight months,and 29 days overseas I got out of the Air Force and found out that Intell. jobs are not that easy to find on the outside. Since I didn't have any civilian skills that were usable -- not to many people hire Morse Code Operators these days -- I took a job as a Security Guard at a new and used car lot and also a a psychiatric hospital.

I've had several jobs since then (pizza delivery, electrician's helper, production worker at a poultry plant, steel press operator, and most recently working in a freezer warehouse).

The moral of the story is that maybe it would be worth you while to think seriously about college after high school or the service, or find a good transitional job that you can use in the civilian world when you get out. Finally,don't ever work in a poultry plant...unless theres no other work.

(Submitted by Mr. J. Harrison)