What information does someone who is fixing to retire really need before they hit the civilian world ?

I retired in 2009, the biggest thing I wasn't prepared for was the culture shock.  It's been my experience that civilians do not care about each other and will jump over each other to stab you in the back so they can look good for their superiors.  All the things I was taught and valued in the Army, like taking responsibility, seeking responsibility, duty, even integrity and honesty mean very little to many I have worked with.  Getting ahead in the civilian world can be very difficult as they view our leadership skills as inferior, although we know they are in fact superior.  Many managers look down on the capabilities of us as they have never served themselves and do not understand what we are capable of.  I have found it extremely difficult and frustrating to break that ideology.  Once you begin to break through the culture shock, civilian life isn't all that bad.

This type of thing goes beyond those of you that are retiring.  Every service man and woman needs to ask the right questions, take the correct steps and complete certain tasks in order to ensure a successful transition out of the military, regardless if you did 4 years or 34 years of service.

Great discussion topic.  As NCOs, we need to network better prior to retirement in order to better prepare for the civilian sector.  Officers do it very well, so should we.