What advice would you give to someone transitioning from active duty combat arms to a civilian career as a mechanical engineer?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 10:46:02 -0400

I plan to serve either four or five years on active duty after obtaining my bachelors. I have a passion to continue serving in combat arms and would like to branch armor or infantry; however, I sense that transitioning from a combat unit to working as a Mechanical Engineer will be difficult. I am a little worried I will not be as proficient in the intellectual skills necessary to fulfill this role. Does anyone have any advice on the transition from active duty to the civilian life? Thanks in advance.

Response by SFC Christopher Taggart made Sep 1 at 2019 11:28 AM

SFC Christopher Taggart — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 11:28:39 -0400

What is your Bachelor degree going to be in? Mechanical Engineering?

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Sep 1 at 2019 11:30 AM

Lt Col Charlie Brown — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 11:30:09 -0400

Suggestions?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 1 at 2019 12:37 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:37:48 -0400

The Army hires a lot of Engineers to work on Army systems. Your experience in the Army would directly transfer to your work.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:39 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:39:09 -0400

If I'm gonna be really honest with you, which is, I suppose, what you want, you're gonna need to give me a whole lot more, OK? I follow what you're asking...I've been exactly where you wanna go, on the electrical side...the thing is, you have a fundamental misconception which, if you're gonna fix it, you're gonna need to do a really serious rethink, for real...I worked 11 yrs as a research EE, though God knows I worked with countless MEs, aeros, civils, everything technical that walks, crawls, talks and flies, I assure you...the stuff I did was really serious, really high level, so I've done projects of the sort I'm supposing you want to be part of...now, having said all that, you need to tell me exactly, precisely, just what coursework you've taken thus far, both STEM, as well as non-STEM...and by exactly, I mean taking the time to actually tell me the actual course titles, whether you've done an assocs thus far, how much of a bach you've done at all, how you want to go, ROTC, SMP, Green to Gold, whether you'd consider staying in at all beyond the period you'd mentioned (which I'd very strongly suggest you consider, if you want serious such research)...also, exactly what types of projects you wanna be part of, how much comp sci (CS) you've done, NOT just IT, I'm speaking of numerical modeling, using current state-of-the-art comp aided engrg (CAE) software...I can point you to packages suitable as examples, I'm talking MATLAB, SCILAB, OCTAVE, I'm speaking of Python, Ruby on Rails, that level...I need to know exactly which processor languages you know, HTML, XML, Java, and yeah, BASIC FORTRAN, COBOL, PASCAL, even though those might seem like dinosaur-era irrelevancies to you, as well, for myriad reasons. Another thing: The notion of you being purely a mech/aero type is total fantasy...you can't be, you won't be...all mech/aero types, ALL, need a SERIOUS level of EE, doesn't matter whether you're doing numerical aerodynamics, thermo, heat transfer, all of that...further, there are specific groups you're gonna need to join, that I'll send you, so you know which ones are the REAL ones you need to be part of...that means finding the chapters, student or regular, going to the meetings...I need to know what grad-level thoughts you've had...the notion of you working with solely an assocs or bach as an aero/mech, trust me, ie total la-la land, complete fantasy...you need, minimum, as masters, the content will be directly relevant to your work...further, how much physics have you actually done, or think you'd need to do? Youll need TWO years BASIC as well as MODERN physics, look at Halliday and Resnick for classical physics, Beiser for modern physics, up through, and incl, quantum mechanics (QM), statistical mechanics, particle physics, solid state physics...if I were you, I'd seriously think about materials science, as it's a major modern topic now, and FAR, WAY more interdisciplinary than classical mech/aero...you're also gonna likely need multiple masters, I needed three, EE, physics, and pure/applied math, before I even REMOTELY thought myself even HALFWAY competent...I never got to publish, though God knows I tried...you're gonna be expected to, so trust that I know what I'm talking about, been there, done that (BTDT)...then, too, you're gonna need serious chem, NOT just inorganic, but organic, with lab techniques, esp spectroscopy...read heavily on the Navier-Stokes equations, they're the Maxwell equations of the aero/mech world...however, and let me emphasize this, IF you're seeking to be involved with aircraft at all, to try to avoid exposure to avionics would be absurd, totally ridiculous to even try...if I were you, I'd figure on taking no more than 12 credits a semester, and for God's sake, dropping and repeating coursework, if a school would let you, if you're headed for a C...to get a serious chance at a teaching, research, or grad assistantship (TA/RA/GA), or a fellowship, you'll need, absolute minimum, a 3.0, preferably a minimum of 3.2 to 3.6 or higher...then, you DON'T work for a company...read what I said, OK? DON'T...stay in the school, if you can manage it, if family or other stuff don't get in the way...you wanna do externships or internships, fine...however, if you can get under a faculty with a grant to do an RA, or teach for one as a TA, that'd be the best way, GAs tend to be purely admin, and an utter waste of your time and effort, other than paying the tuition...if you do a TA/RA/GA, you're gonna have to pay taxes on the grad tuition, that's been that way for yrs...I can't begin to tell you how many, incl myself, worked, rather than stayed in to do a masters, and, also, yeah, a PhD or ScD (look up the difference), to try to get to the top of the intellectual food chain first, BEFORE working full-time...working at a company, or in a svc, is exactly the same, on a day-to-day level...you're worked till you're exhausted, expected to work overtime at a company, esp if money is thrown at you to do so, it was with me, it would be with you...when I worked on active as an EE, I wound up in TOTALLY the wrong field, under the WRONG people, for ALL the wrong reasons, because I was impulsive, rushed to get in WAY too soon, and didn't have clue one what I was talking about...I was screamed at virtually incessantly, by both civil servants, as well as active duty alike...I knew what they were having me work on, I knew it was very, very serious, and there was zero way I could get out of it...so, before you go heading off trying to do what you're seeking, give me grades, GPAs, course titles, specific technical interests, do a really thorough, serious, detailed biosketch...there's NOTHING you're gonna tell me about technically I haven't heard, ZERO, I've taken it all, passed it all, I promise you...so, the more you tell me, the more I can suggest for you...however, trust me, I've been exactly where you wanna go, you're more fortunate being prior enlisted...I'm assuming you want warrant or commissioned, I gather...I need to know if it'd have to be Army, would you be willing to go intersvc...and, being mech/aero inclined, you should look at flight test engrg (FTE), there's a Wikipedia site on it, and NOT just test pilot...NOT...look at flight test navigator/WSO, as well, if you're inclined toward flight itself...sitting at a desk doing EE, mech, aero, civil, it gets real boring, real quick, the bloom wears off the rose real fast, trust me, I know...believe me, there's a FAR difference between HAVING a thing, and WANTING a thing...and, also, another very true adage, "Be careful what you wish for, you might actually get it," OK? Lemme send the other sites I typically send to those with the kind of career/educ questions you're asking, so you have a halfway decent idea where to look, who to ask, and know at least something of what you're REALLY seeking to do, OK? And I didn't say all that to discourage you...I did it to try to educate you, honest, so trust that I know EXACTLY what I'm talking about, and read what I send you, join what I suggest, so far as possible, OK?

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:39 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:39:35 -0400

http://www.aiaa.org

Join them....

www.aiaa.org

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:40 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:40:15 -0400

http://www.ieee.org

And them, esp their aerospace electronics society (AES), among others of their groups....

IEEE - The world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology...

Copyright 2019 IEEE – All rights reserved. Use of this website signifies your agreement to theIEEE Terms and Conditions.A not-for-profit organization, IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technologyfor the benefit of humanity.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:40 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:40:27 -0400

http://www.same.org

Them, too...

www.same.org

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:41 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:41:13 -0400

http://www.mors.org

Read about this...ops research is all too frequently overlooked by those with engrg interests, it's extremely germane to all you're seeking to do, promise, OK?

Military Operations Research Society

Bronze BAE Systems CANA Advisors George Mason Volgenau School of Engineering Guidehouse Gurobi Optimization Hartley Consulting Improbable Innovative Decisions JDSAT JMP KaDSci

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:41 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:41:26 -0400

http://www.afcea.org

Then this.....

www.afcea.org

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:41 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:41:34 -0400

http://www.crows.org

And this....

www.crows.org

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:41 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:41:46 -0400

http://www.asme.org

Also this....

www.asme.org

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:41 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:41:58 -0400

http://www.acm.org

And them....

Association for Computing Machinery

ACM, the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, delivers resources that advance computing as a science and a profession. ACM provides the computing field's premier Digital Library and serves its members and the computing profession with leading-edge publications, conferences, and career resources.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:42 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:42:21 -0400

http://www.usni.org

Them too...esp their proceedings....

United States Naval Institute

The U.S. Naval Institute provides an independent forum for those who seek to advance and strengthen the naval profession.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:42 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:42:37 -0400

http://www.navyleague.org

Them as well....

www.navyleague.org

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:42 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:42:51 -0400

http://www.ausa.org

This you'll likely have seen....

Association of the United States Army

Voice for the Army – Support for the Soldier

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:43 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:43:00 -0400

http://www.afa.org

And them....

Home

The Air Force Association is the premier professional military association dedicated to dominant air, space, and cyber power, and a strong national defense.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:43 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:43:29 -0400

https://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=wikipedia%20flight%20test%20engineer&s_it=loki-tb-sb

Read these....

wikipedia%20flight%20test%20engineer - AOL Search Results

Overview. The flight test engineer generally has overall responsibility for the planning of a specific flight test phase, which includes preparing the test plans in conjunction with other analytical and/or systems engineers, overseeing the buildup of the aircraft to the proper configuration, working with the flight test instrumentation engineer to ensure the sensors and recording systems are ...

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:44 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:44:45 -0400

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_test_engineer

This is REALLY hard to get...one of the best EEs I worked under was civil svc, he got picked as an alternate, got disgusted, and got out...and he was among the very best I ever was with, promise....

Flight test engineer - Wikipedia

The flight test engineer generally has overall responsibility for the planning of a specific flight test phase, which includes preparing the test plans in conjunction with other analytical and/or systems engineers, overseeing the buildup of the aircraft to the proper configuration, working with the flight test instrumentation engineer to ensure the sensors and recording systems are installed for required data parameters, and preparing the...

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:45 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:45:51 -0400

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Force_Institute_of_Technology

I tried to get this, I couldn't, all svcs can apply, senior enlisted (not junior, so far as I know), warrant and commissioned from all svcs can, definitely....

Air Force Institute of Technology - Wikipedia

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education for the United States Armed Forces and is part of the United States Air Force. It is located in Ohio at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton. AFIT is a component of the Air University and Air Education and Training Command.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:46 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:46:43 -0400

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Postgraduate_School

I had an O-6 recommend from my unit CO, I still couldn't get this, though God knows I tried....

Naval Postgraduate School - Wikipedia

The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It grants master’s degrees, doctoral degrees, and certificates. Established in 1909, the school also offers research fellowship opportunities at the postdoctoral level through the National Academies’ National Research Council research associateship program.[3]

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:47 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:47:00 -0400

I trust I'm making my point?

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:49 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:49:27 -0400

https://www.aaas.org/

Join this....

AAAS Home | American Association for the Advancement of Science

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:50 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:50:01 -0400

http://www.aps.org

This too....

www.aps.org

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:50 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:50:26 -0400

https://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=wikipedia%20materials%20science&s_it=loki-tb-sb

Read these....

wikipedia%20materials%20science - AOL Search Results

Materials science is a highly active area of research. Together with materials science departments, physics, chemistry, and many engineering departments are involved in materials research. Materials research covers a broad range of topics – the following non-exhaustive list highlights a few important research areas.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:52 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:52:22 -0400

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materials_science

Like I said, I'd VERY seriously reconsider going this way, were I you, honest, incl masters and doctoral...you'll find it WAY broader, WAY more able to let you move into other areas...mech/aero can get real narrow, honest...you want current, you want modern, this is it, NOT that, plus, you can still go in the mech/aero direction THROUGH this, if you'd want, OK?

Materials science - Wikipedia

The interdisciplinary field of materials science, also commonly termed materials science and engineering is the design and discovery of new materials, particularly solids. The intellectual origins of materials science stem from the Enlightenment, when researchers began to use analytical thinking from chemistry, physics, and engineering to understand ancient, phenomenological observations in metallurgy and mineralogy.[1][2] Materials science...

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:52 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:52:52 -0400

https://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=wikipedia%20navier%20stokes&s_it=loki-tb-sb

Read these....

wikipedia%20navier%20stokes - AOL Search Results

In physics, the Navier–Stokes equations (/ n æ v ˈ j eɪ s t oʊ k s /), named after Claude-Louis Navier and George Gabriel Stokes, describe the motion of viscous fluid substances.. These balance equations arise from applying Isaac Newton's second law to fluid motion, together with the assumption that the stress in the fluid is the sum of a diffusing viscous term (proportional to the ...

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:53 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:53:38 -0400

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navier_Stokes_equations

Esp this....

Navier–Stokes equations - Wikipedia

In physics, the Navier–Stokes equations (/nævˈjeɪ stoʊks/), named after Claude-Louis Navier and George Gabriel Stokes, describe the motion of viscous fluid substances.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:54 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:54:32 -0400

http://www.scilab.org

This is free...learn it, there's a paperback out on it, get it, devour it....

Home Page | www.scilab.org

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:54 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:54:55 -0400

http://www.octave.org

Same with this, though I haven't seen any texts on it yet....

GNU Octave

GNU Octave is a programming language for scientific computing.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:55 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:55:09 -0400

http://www.sourceforge.org

Learn about this....

SourceForge - Download, Develop and Publish Free Open Source Software

Free, secure and fast downloads from the largest Open Source applications and software directory - SourceForge.net

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:56 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:56:16 -0400

https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab.html

Get a student license version if you're in school, the home license version is a couple of hundred bucks...ALL serious scientists use this...ALL....

MATLAB - MathWorks

The official home of MATLAB software. MATLAB is the easiest and most productive software environment for engineers and scientists. Try, buy, and learn MATLAB.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:57 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:57:29 -0400

https://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/software/dataplot/

This is a cool, little-known package from NIST, it can be tricky to load and get to go, however, it's well worth it, I've known about it for yrs....

Dataplot Homepage

Dataplot is a free, public-domain, multi-platform (Unix, Linux, PC-DOS, Windows NT, etc.) software system for scientific visualization, statistical analysis, and non-linear modeling. The target Dataplot user is the researcher and analyst engaged in the characterization, modeling, visualization, analysis, monitoring, and optimization of scientific and engineering processes. The original version was released by James J. Filliben in 1978 with...

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:58 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:58:06 -0400

https://imagej.nih.gov/ij/

This is free, the best image-processing package I've ever seen....

ImageJ

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 12:59 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:59:18 -0400

https://imagej.net/ImageJ2

This is a more advanced version, it and the other one were intended for clinical imaging, however, they've been adapted to numerous other fields, plus, they're open source as well, you can modify them all you want....

ImageJ2

To ensure backwards compatibility, ImageJ2 has been designed to fully integrate into the existing ImageJ user interface. This allows users to keep using ImageJ in familiar ways, while providing the ability to migrate toward more powerful new features as needed.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Sep 1 at 2019 1:17 PM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 13:17:47 -0400

Your RP profile has little information to help me in forming an answer, so I'll have to stick to generalities. I see you're in the Guard. I'm assuming from that fact that you have worked in the private sector for some period of time. Here's my advice:
-Companies in the private sector are mostly motivated by profits. Your contribution to making those profits, directly or indirectly, greatly influences your compensation and continued employment. The Army, however, pays the same in each grade and time in service, regardless of achievements. Your performance in the military influences your promotions and survival.
-Being on time and ready to work is a given in the military. Not so much in civilian industry. As an engineer, you may be inclined to know the rules and follow the rules, pay close attention to detail, and look for solutions to problems. People without military training and engineering education will not look at the world the way you probably will. You'll have to get used to people often being late and sometimes not fully ready to work. If you're a supervisor, you can communicate to them your displeasure with this type of performance. Some may take you seriously.
-Next is work ethic. As a military person you're accustomed to working toward a goal and not quitting until the job is done and done right. The larger civilian world doesn't always work this way. Many employees are simply working for the weekend. They endure their jobs because they need to eat, pay rent, send their kids to college, etc. Their real passion is somewhere else. They generally know the labor laws and rules and will often work over 8 hours per day only if there's overtime pay or other compensation involved.
-There is a direct link between performance and compensation. As I mentioned above, your performance directly influences your compensation in the private sector. Raises, bonuses, and other perks go to the top performers. It also is a large factor in continued employment. Conversely, it takes relatively little time to fire a private sector employee compared to a military or civilian government employee.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 1 at 2019 1:19 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 13:19:31 -0400

Here's minimum what you'll need, OK? First yr, standard physics, with FULL calc, both halves, differential and integral, AS WELL AS std inorganic 1st-yr chem, WITH LABS FOR ALL, OK? Second yr, differential eqns, then vector calc, which is typ calc 3 in most schools, also full modern physics WITH LAB, a WHOLE 2nd yrs, NOT HALF, OK? Third yr, linear/matrix algebra, complex variables, control systems...at some point, 2nd or 3rd yr, engrg mechanics (all schools use Beer and Johnston, trust me, the big blue Bible), as well as strength of materials...then, too, math methods in physics, using Boas or Arfken, Boas is easier, Arfken is rougher, though they're undergrad texts, they can be used as grad texts, however, they'll keep you going learning enough math physics technique...you'll need coursework on lasers, as well as electro-optics...you'll esp need numerical methods and/or approximation techniques...you'll also want signal processing, for data acquisition from wind tunnels, which are still used, I assure you...then, too, a good deal of chaotic nonlinear dynamics, catastrophe theory, differential geometry, point-set topology, modern algebra of groups, rings, and fields, function theory...you'll also want a good deal of particle physics, electromagnetics using Johnk (EE) or Jackson (physics), and statistical physics (which is just about the single hardest area in physics)...that's why I'm suggesting materials science for you, you'll get a WAY more current, diverse background, than doing straight mech/aero...look up also chassical dynamics using Goldstein, quantum mechanics using Anderson and/or Merzbacher...you want the REAL thing? Trust me, I'm GIVING you the REAL thing, honest, OK? And if you can do more chem, that'd also be good, incl analytic chem, organic, spectroscopy and ind instrumentation, incl mass spectrometry, IR, UV, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques, all of which are used in destructive as well as nondestructive testing (NDT)...if you can manage some ultrasonics along the way, that'd also be a big help, it's highly germane, esp for such testing approaches for structures, OK? There's way more, however, that'll give you at least a rudimentary clue, OK?

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Sep 1 at 2019 2:03 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 14:03:35 -0400

Do a decision matrix.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Sep 1 at 2019 8:06 PM

CAPT Kevin B. — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 20:06:50 -0400

If your long term is the ME, then I'd recommend you optimize becoming that. It's just not the school. It's passing the FE, four to six years of supervised engineering work, and then passing the PE. There's also how you want to do the AD. ENL or OFF? You can get supervision time credit if you are say CoE and do credible work. If you don't, then your PE ticket is pushed out. So your transition can either be as an ENL having to do entry level work with a FE ticket for years, or go commissioned and do the time to take your PE, then transition. Or, you can go longer and have Uncle Sam pick up your Masters ticket. Realistically, you get more focused engineering preparation directly working for an engineering firm right out of school. Getting a PE on the MIL side and then punching out typically doesn't give you the amount of hands on design experience. Most MIL PEs I knew getting out as an O-3 typically didn't do well in design because the CIV kids that worked since college run circles around them. More exMIL PEs wind up in construction management and project management because they lack hard technical design skills. Depending on how you do it will be a bigger tell on transition issues.

Most schools now have the FE as a graduation requirement. If you don't use it, you go stale. It isn't an intellectual thing, it's losing technical skill knowledge because you aren't racking up engineering experience.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Sep 1 at 2019 9:42 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 21:42:59 -0400

SGT Private RallyPoint Member couple things.
1. Start building a professional network, this is how you get work, start with people you went to school with.
2. Study for and pass the FE exam so you can start working on your PE license. Any engineering work you do, get the reference and experience documented. See the NCEES site or the state you'll work/license in. Your hurdle will be design experience.
3. Figure out the area you want to work in and get certifications in that area like LEED. Stay current in the field while you are on AD.
4. Much of Engineering is about solving problems and making stuff happen. Culturally this is to your advantage. A project manager at our local utility company was a Cav scout and we got along great. I was a customer stakeholder. Bring that mission first attitude.
5. Civilian organizations are more "civilized". Few have had to crap in a hole, share a tooth pick with a battle, shoot at someone etc. watch your language or you'll be a HR frequent flyer. If people have a problem with you, they won't generally take it up with you... HR again.
6. People will become interested in your back story. Don't tell the same stories over and over.
7. Join professional organizations like American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The member publications will help keep you up in the field. Go to local chapter meetings to build network..
8. See if the DPW on post will let you assist with a project in some capacity in you off time.
9. If you are thinking about commissioning try and branch engineer so you can build PE experience time.

I transitioned and went back to civil engineering, via engineering management doing facilities maintenance. There were some really rough days and weeks, but as an entry level engineer you'll be ok. Keep a good attitude.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 2 at 2019 3:11 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 02 Sep 2019 03:11:40 -0400

Study Hard, believe in yourself, your God & your country, work your ass off and pay attention to those with experience, but question if necessary, and there's nothing you cannot achieve! If you have the honor of family to have your back, love, honor and cherish those ties, for they will always be a source of your strength. Oh, AND DON'T THINK COMBAT ARMS DOESN'T REQUIRE INTELLECT! I for one highly respect and thank you for your service, and you should NEVER doubt your abilities - you set your own limits!