Posted on Oct 29, 2014
What was your first job out of the military? Was it MOS related? Did you move on to something else?
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Transitioning from military life to civilian life has its challenges. Whether you planned your separation and had time to consider your next step, or were RIF'd and had to scramble for an answer, the question is the same: What's next?
I ETS'd in 1993 as a 63T, BFV Systems Mechanic; leaving was my choice. It took me a few months to get my feet on the ground. Thankfully, since I had planned, I had saved a nice nest egg and was in no immediate financial hardship when I got out. I ended up becoming a GM of a quick lube joint (you know, the places you go to get your oil changed), where I was supremely over qualified.
But it paid the bills nicely, and allowed me a certain flexibility of schedule to pursue stage two of my plan. I spent about 6 years doing the GM gig, but then decided to go back to school using the GI bill. Long story short, that diploma I earned got my foot in the door of a new career in Telecommunications.
For the past (almost) 15 years, I've been blessed enough to have had continuous employment in an industry that has blasted off in terms of growth and innovation. I've been able to provide for my family in ways I had only previously dreamed of, and have been challenged almost every day to keep up with the constant change.
My service in the Army was a transformational time for me. I'm proud of what I did while I was in. I'm also thankful of the training I got while serving; it provided me that bridge I needed to get from where I was, to where I am now.
If I hadn't had my MOS skills to put on a résumé and blow every other applicant for the job out of the water, things may have turned out very differently for me.
How did you fare when you separated from service? Did you use your MOS skills to land your civilian job? If you did, did you continue in that field or did you do like I did, and use it as a springboard to a new career?
I ETS'd in 1993 as a 63T, BFV Systems Mechanic; leaving was my choice. It took me a few months to get my feet on the ground. Thankfully, since I had planned, I had saved a nice nest egg and was in no immediate financial hardship when I got out. I ended up becoming a GM of a quick lube joint (you know, the places you go to get your oil changed), where I was supremely over qualified.
But it paid the bills nicely, and allowed me a certain flexibility of schedule to pursue stage two of my plan. I spent about 6 years doing the GM gig, but then decided to go back to school using the GI bill. Long story short, that diploma I earned got my foot in the door of a new career in Telecommunications.
For the past (almost) 15 years, I've been blessed enough to have had continuous employment in an industry that has blasted off in terms of growth and innovation. I've been able to provide for my family in ways I had only previously dreamed of, and have been challenged almost every day to keep up with the constant change.
My service in the Army was a transformational time for me. I'm proud of what I did while I was in. I'm also thankful of the training I got while serving; it provided me that bridge I needed to get from where I was, to where I am now.
If I hadn't had my MOS skills to put on a résumé and blow every other applicant for the job out of the water, things may have turned out very differently for me.
How did you fare when you separated from service? Did you use your MOS skills to land your civilian job? If you did, did you continue in that field or did you do like I did, and use it as a springboard to a new career?
GI Bill
MOS
Edited 10 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 4
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I want to know this too. My AFSC/MOS there are slim pickings in the area I am at and want to stay at (wife has career and family reasons) and that's fine there are slim pickings as I want nothing to do with it unless I had to...
I'm lucky to have a nice nest egg and car almost paid off but just curious...
I'm lucky to have a nice nest egg and car almost paid off but just curious...
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I was offered a position as a marine electronics technician down in Florida (name and location withheld) a few months before I ETS'ed back in 1996. It was based on a combination my electronics experience (35R) and my FCC licenses, along with my knowledge of knowing the different marine electronic equipment and how to operate them (88K). Little did I know that I was in for a rude awakening.
I was a rather naive thinking that a civilian job like that would be much easier than being in the military- WRONG! It's bad when the service manager is known throughout the company as "The Slave Driver". I learned a lot, but I was miserable because I knew no one in Florida- plus I was traveling all of the time- kind of hard to make friends that way.
Later, I was put in the doghouse by "The Slave Driver" because I was seeing about relocating at the company's North East office. Unfortunately that did not happen, so I quit and moved back up North.
Years later, I'm still doing the same thing, but with a different company. I'm even back to working on the Army boats again. I may be in the sandbox, but I'm much happier than my first post-military job, 19 years ago.
I was a rather naive thinking that a civilian job like that would be much easier than being in the military- WRONG! It's bad when the service manager is known throughout the company as "The Slave Driver". I learned a lot, but I was miserable because I knew no one in Florida- plus I was traveling all of the time- kind of hard to make friends that way.
Later, I was put in the doghouse by "The Slave Driver" because I was seeing about relocating at the company's North East office. Unfortunately that did not happen, so I quit and moved back up North.
Years later, I'm still doing the same thing, but with a different company. I'm even back to working on the Army boats again. I may be in the sandbox, but I'm much happier than my first post-military job, 19 years ago.
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I retired in July 2010 as a 92y (Supply) which is the field I stayed in basicly doing the same exact thing minus jumping moving or deploying and making less for it but learned better financial control and am better off.
I started the long resume process that previous January. My goal was to get into the federal system as quickly as possible since at the time the cutbacks werent in play, good benifits among other things. That and with no skills on paper other than artillery, airborne and supply, I knew I was going to need work quickly to keep food on the table for the family. Its not what you can do that counts but what can be proven on paper.Went through USA Jobs and was self appointing by late march early april before I started terminal leave. I also applied for a logistics contractor job dealing with RFI but didnt get it. That interview was in May. I did my first federal interview in may as well for a supply tech slot at the infantry center. Was notified in early june that I got the job. I had to wait till August to start, in the meantime i went through the CPAC riggermaroll. My official retirement date was 1 July and I started as a fed on Aufust 2nd which was quick and practicly un heard of to start thst fast after retireing. For about a month, I had to do day labor jobs while waiting to start due to the active duty checks stopped coming. It was fine since i knew i had a job waiting for me in a month.
After doing supply for 20 years (16 active, 4 DA Civilian) Im planning on going to school and become a pharmacy tech or PT Tech. Better job prospects, less chance of being bumped, converted or released in these cutbacks and make more so more can be put on the table. Supply got me in the door but its time to move on to bigger and better things.
My 2 Bits.
I started the long resume process that previous January. My goal was to get into the federal system as quickly as possible since at the time the cutbacks werent in play, good benifits among other things. That and with no skills on paper other than artillery, airborne and supply, I knew I was going to need work quickly to keep food on the table for the family. Its not what you can do that counts but what can be proven on paper.Went through USA Jobs and was self appointing by late march early april before I started terminal leave. I also applied for a logistics contractor job dealing with RFI but didnt get it. That interview was in May. I did my first federal interview in may as well for a supply tech slot at the infantry center. Was notified in early june that I got the job. I had to wait till August to start, in the meantime i went through the CPAC riggermaroll. My official retirement date was 1 July and I started as a fed on Aufust 2nd which was quick and practicly un heard of to start thst fast after retireing. For about a month, I had to do day labor jobs while waiting to start due to the active duty checks stopped coming. It was fine since i knew i had a job waiting for me in a month.
After doing supply for 20 years (16 active, 4 DA Civilian) Im planning on going to school and become a pharmacy tech or PT Tech. Better job prospects, less chance of being bumped, converted or released in these cutbacks and make more so more can be put on the table. Supply got me in the door but its time to move on to bigger and better things.
My 2 Bits.
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