How to figure out what you want to be when you grow up, er, transition out of the military

A lot of veterans are unsure what direction to take once they are facing their military transition. They don’t know what they want to do, or even can do, once they get out. There can be many reasons. It may be because their career field isn’t applicable to the civilian world—I was a C-130 Navigator, so continuing along that path really wasn’t an option for me. It may be that they hate the career field they had in the military and want to do something different. Or it could even be that career field they want on the outside is not available in the part of the world they intend to settle down in.

I want to offer a technique to the people facing this transition. That technique is networking. Other people will be the best resource you will have in order to find out what civilians do to pay their bills, what career field you might be interested in, and whether you have or can readily acquire the skills necessary to join that career field.

So how and where do you go about this ‘networking’ to find the answer to what you want to do on the outside? Start with the civilians around you—friends who are on the outside, civilian neighbors, and family. When you know what everyone close to you does and how they like it, start branching out.

The next great place is your local Chamber of Commerce. It’s full of business owners and sales reps for the companies in your community and the immediate area surrounding you. Listen to the variety of jobs that are out there! By and large, the people that you meet at Chamber events (many events will be free and might even treat you to complimentary coffee or drinks) are passionate about what they do. Ask them how long they’ve been in their field, how they like it, if they would recommend it, what a typical day is like, and even possibly how much it pays (but be careful how you broach this subject).

There is also a worldwide business networking organization called BNI, Business Networking International. Much like a Chamber, it is full of passionate business owners, employees and sales reps who are happy to tell you all about their jobs. Just do a search online to find your local chapters and ask a member if you can be their guest. They will scream YES (and might even hug you), because they are encouraged to bring guests. You’re doing them a favor by asking to be their guest. Be prepared to talk a little about yourself and even what opportunities you are searching for. Members of those groups will often crowdsource great candidates for open positions within their companies at those very meetings.

Now about the geography question… If you don’t want to stay in the community of your final duty location, you have probably picked your new home because you have ties to that community—your hometown, your spouse’s hometown, etc. Start pressing that network for opportunities, go visit their Chamber or other networking groups in that community, and make connections on RallyPoint or on LinkedIn with folks who live and work there. That’s even easier if you have an idea of what you want to do or a company you’d like to work for already. Just reach out to people in that career field in that town or in that dream company.

I’ve heard it said that 80% of jobs are never posted. So where do companies get their employees 80% of the time? From the networks of their employees, families, and friends.

Happy Networking!