Getting out of the military is inevitable -- what are you working on now to help you succeed when you do?

CPT Christopher Coker — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:00:55 -0500

Response by SrA Edward Vong made Nov 6 at 2017 10:03 AM

SrA Edward Vong — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:03:52 -0500

As my career field did not have much of a civilian counterpart, I focused on my education and skill set to help me after separation.

Response by AA Joseph Moody made Nov 6 at 2017 10:15 AM

AA Joseph Moody — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:15:07 -0500

If I had to offer advice to my younger self, it would have been more cultural enrichment activities, later in life I ended up doing the art thingie and I'm enjoying it quite a bit and I've found that there is a market for well crafted 3d assets (today), but I think that anything to give your future self options is something that needs to be looked into.

<Edit>
If you are looking to get into game development I am going to tell you this point blank. Go to school for an education in programming and avoid (or at least vet the hell out of) any game dev school , make sure you pick up your C's, Lua, and anything in the networking side of things will only help, and take some formal or informal instruction on cinematography, photography, and I would suggest some traditional art classes where you learn the fundamentals such as anatomy and color theory. As for learning your 3d software and game engines...meh you can do that on youtube, just set up an art station account to use as a portfolio page when you are ready.

Response by SGT David T. made Nov 6 at 2017 10:20 AM

SGT David T. — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:20:10 -0500

Had I known then what I know now, I would have done some things differently. Here are few things I ran into.
1. Save, save, save. I only had $13K when I got out and that didn't last long. Basically it was just enough to get established and not much beyond that.
2. Education. I would have done more college classes when I was in. So after I got out, I had to work a bit harder to get my degree.
3. Civilianize myself. The civilian world doesn't work at all like the military. I would have started sooner at adjusting my speech to be more in line with how civilians talk.
4. No one cares. No one cares that you were in the military. No one cares how many troops you led. No one cares how many times you deployed. Employers only care about what value you can provide them in the here and now.
5. Manage your expectations. If you were an E-5 there is a high probability that you will not walk into a 6 or 7 figure executive job right away. Like I said in # 4 no one cares. So you have to be willing to take an entry level position and work your way up. You might have been really good at being in the military, but that doesn't mean you can be a good civilian employee.

I can go on about this topic, but I don't want to make a wall of text this morning lol.

Response by LTC Eugene Chu made Nov 6 at 2017 10:33 AM

LTC Eugene Chu — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:33:51 -0500

Research schools for life after service.

There are many reputable schools that want to enroll and educate veterans, but there are also some predatory schools that offer substandard education for GI Bill money. Community colleges can be good for those looking at vocational training after service. Public and non-profit private universities (ranked in US News & World Report, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, etc.) are good for those looking at traditional STEM or liberal arts careers.

Response by SSG Ernest Gonzales made Nov 6 at 2017 10:49 AM

SSG Ernest Gonzales — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:49:50 -0500

When i got out as an MP, I thought hey go be a cop...its going to be the same. NOT!!! AS someone already said, they don't care what you did in the military. After a few years in law enforcement, I hung up the badge for a real estate license. I learned that you are your own boss in real estate and make your own schedule. I designed a similar daily activity schedule to that of my military and became very successful. Being a self motivator and wanting more for your family was important so that was my goal.

Response by Maj Marty Hogan made Nov 6 at 2017 12:11 PM

Maj Marty Hogan — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 12:11:41 -0500

Buying fishing gear

Response by LTC John Mohor made Nov 6 at 2017 10:53 PM

LTC John Mohor — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 22:53:37 -0500

Just remember that first or for that matter the first couple of jobs after service won't be the final job you ride to retirement. I finally ended up in building material sales after their first four years in the food industry(first job working no at a poultry processing plant). Learn what you like/ want to do and keep striving. Own your own business four weeks paid vacation maybe decades away. Research. Wanna teach you won't get rich but summers off want a pay raise more formal schooling and advanced degrees.