Posted on Jan 12, 2015
Career Sacrifice: The Things We Give Up To Avoid Mediocrity
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Greetings fellow warriors! I hope I will be able to impart some knowledge and initiate some meaningful and rewarding conversations around our profession of arms. Although I have some joint experience, most of my commentary will center on the Army Reserves. The subject of this article came to mind with the receipt of an email from LG Talley, USARC CG, regarding the recovery of unsatisfactory participants (unsats) from troop program units. This missive doesn’t really have much to do with unsats, but more about the conversation regarding the memo from the Chief of the Army Reserves (CAR).
I have spoken with many active duty and retired military personnel regarding their overall experiences of service. Among them, I have heard many stories of how a person’s civilian career has suffered because of their involvement with the Army Reserves. I have personally experienced it in some form or another, probably not as severely as others, but an impact nonetheless. It affects people differently. You may think that your company supports your service, and they may even think they do, until you start to get promoted in the Reserves or are mobilized.
In my case, when my first deployment came, my company said all the right things. They gave me the company policies, they told me that my job would be waiting when I got back, they even paid me during the first two months I was gone. The issues only surfaced upon my return. When I got back, my peers had all been promoted and been given offices, yet I was an afterthought. Later when my company was acquired, I was no longer thought of as the Director who had led production support for 10 years and had enacted good and meaningful change, but was simply the guy who had recently returned from deployment, completing “odd” jobs until a place was found for him. I was not even on the list of employees to be transitioned to the new organization. I did eventually, through networking, find a position within the new company. However, it had not been acquired through the sanctioned transition process, therefore I was bypassed for an advancement. Eventually, a year deployment had turned into a three-year stagnation of my civilian career.
This is not an anecdotal story. I once talked with an officer who worked for a law firm, and while his military career was stellar, achieving the rank of Colonel, he could not advance within his firm. They even told him he needed to make a choice — he could achieve success in his civilian career or in his military career, but not both.
I know what you’re thinking: “We have the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act! We have ESGR! They can’t do that.” I beg to differ, because they still do it. In fact, they do it every day, and they do it creatively. It makes people think long and hard about their continuation in the military. In the example of the Colonel who was given a choice, he had already gotten past the point of no return, so he stayed. Usually, it is at the O3 level when an officer decides, and at the E6 level where an NCO decides whether they have had enough. Coincidentally, these are also the grades for which the Army Reserve is most in need. It is also at this point in a Soldier’s career when the Reserve system asks much more than one weekend a month and two weeks a year - most of which is unpaid, unscheduled, and falls at some of the most inopportune times. Imagine, you have worked your way up only to work your tail off for less than minimum wage once all the hours are factored in. If you question this rationale, ask any Battalion Commander or Command Sergeant Major to show you the hours he/she puts in.
This is my experience and that of those I have worked with. Now, I’d like to hear from you. What are your experiences? What does your employer think of you not being able to work over the weekend on a big system implementation, because you have battle assembly? What if your company has scheduled an important town hall meeting, but you can’t go because annual training is scheduled, or you have to leave a meeting because your Brigade Commander is at a conference and needs to know the latest influenza inoculation statistics? What can be done to make it better on both ends of the spectrum? Or do we need to settle for a mediocre civilian career in order to serve our country?
I have spoken with many active duty and retired military personnel regarding their overall experiences of service. Among them, I have heard many stories of how a person’s civilian career has suffered because of their involvement with the Army Reserves. I have personally experienced it in some form or another, probably not as severely as others, but an impact nonetheless. It affects people differently. You may think that your company supports your service, and they may even think they do, until you start to get promoted in the Reserves or are mobilized.
In my case, when my first deployment came, my company said all the right things. They gave me the company policies, they told me that my job would be waiting when I got back, they even paid me during the first two months I was gone. The issues only surfaced upon my return. When I got back, my peers had all been promoted and been given offices, yet I was an afterthought. Later when my company was acquired, I was no longer thought of as the Director who had led production support for 10 years and had enacted good and meaningful change, but was simply the guy who had recently returned from deployment, completing “odd” jobs until a place was found for him. I was not even on the list of employees to be transitioned to the new organization. I did eventually, through networking, find a position within the new company. However, it had not been acquired through the sanctioned transition process, therefore I was bypassed for an advancement. Eventually, a year deployment had turned into a three-year stagnation of my civilian career.
This is not an anecdotal story. I once talked with an officer who worked for a law firm, and while his military career was stellar, achieving the rank of Colonel, he could not advance within his firm. They even told him he needed to make a choice — he could achieve success in his civilian career or in his military career, but not both.
I know what you’re thinking: “We have the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act! We have ESGR! They can’t do that.” I beg to differ, because they still do it. In fact, they do it every day, and they do it creatively. It makes people think long and hard about their continuation in the military. In the example of the Colonel who was given a choice, he had already gotten past the point of no return, so he stayed. Usually, it is at the O3 level when an officer decides, and at the E6 level where an NCO decides whether they have had enough. Coincidentally, these are also the grades for which the Army Reserve is most in need. It is also at this point in a Soldier’s career when the Reserve system asks much more than one weekend a month and two weeks a year - most of which is unpaid, unscheduled, and falls at some of the most inopportune times. Imagine, you have worked your way up only to work your tail off for less than minimum wage once all the hours are factored in. If you question this rationale, ask any Battalion Commander or Command Sergeant Major to show you the hours he/she puts in.
This is my experience and that of those I have worked with. Now, I’d like to hear from you. What are your experiences? What does your employer think of you not being able to work over the weekend on a big system implementation, because you have battle assembly? What if your company has scheduled an important town hall meeting, but you can’t go because annual training is scheduled, or you have to leave a meeting because your Brigade Commander is at a conference and needs to know the latest influenza inoculation statistics? What can be done to make it better on both ends of the spectrum? Or do we need to settle for a mediocre civilian career in order to serve our country?
Army Reserve
Civilian Career
Military Career
Command Post
Edited 8 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 24
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CSM David Heidke It is absolutely an accurate statement that one career or the other may suffer. Even working for the government, I have experienced that (from a former Ranger no less).
Really makes you feel good when your boss in a meeting with the entire staff tells you that "you need to decide if you are playing Air Force or Marine or whatever the f#ck or if you are going to work here". You really get a good feeling.
Then (job was secure), when you are putting in for jobs within the agency, and you don't get them, transitional assignments come out and you don't get them, important duties pass you by, you wonder if that is the cause....that feeling is hard to lose.
Flip side is that new boss comes in, former military as well, and while you are deployed, you put in for a promotion, and get it (while deployed), makes you sort of forget the first boss who did not understand what is up, and really appreciate a boss who does get it.
I understand the difficulty of the employer with military employees, it does cause hardship. But our Nation does need the Reserves and Guard, does need those who will walk away from everything they love and put it all on the line for their Nation. Those folks (and I am one) need to know that their job is there when they come home. And you are correct in that there comes a point when decisions must be made about the "worth" of a dual career. It is not one weekend a month anymore, not by a longshot. But, it is worth it.
The best thing that I have found, is to be completely transparent with both my civilian and military employers about what is going on, from both perspectives. Having a boss that truly supports military is fantastic, and I hope to keep it that way. As soon as I hear grumblings about something on either side, I let the other know.
The truly hard part is that both bosses want you to feel that their issues to be the important ones.....and you have to figure out how to make them know that you do feel that way.
Really makes you feel good when your boss in a meeting with the entire staff tells you that "you need to decide if you are playing Air Force or Marine or whatever the f#ck or if you are going to work here". You really get a good feeling.
Then (job was secure), when you are putting in for jobs within the agency, and you don't get them, transitional assignments come out and you don't get them, important duties pass you by, you wonder if that is the cause....that feeling is hard to lose.
Flip side is that new boss comes in, former military as well, and while you are deployed, you put in for a promotion, and get it (while deployed), makes you sort of forget the first boss who did not understand what is up, and really appreciate a boss who does get it.
I understand the difficulty of the employer with military employees, it does cause hardship. But our Nation does need the Reserves and Guard, does need those who will walk away from everything they love and put it all on the line for their Nation. Those folks (and I am one) need to know that their job is there when they come home. And you are correct in that there comes a point when decisions must be made about the "worth" of a dual career. It is not one weekend a month anymore, not by a longshot. But, it is worth it.
The best thing that I have found, is to be completely transparent with both my civilian and military employers about what is going on, from both perspectives. Having a boss that truly supports military is fantastic, and I hope to keep it that way. As soon as I hear grumblings about something on either side, I let the other know.
The truly hard part is that both bosses want you to feel that their issues to be the important ones.....and you have to figure out how to make them know that you do feel that way.
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CPT Pedro Meza
I was a Special Education teacher that during my deployments resigned my teaching position so that a Special Education teacher could be hired to take my spot instead of having a temp teacher; my students deserved it.
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LTC (Join to see)
I wish this were not true. I have even recently been asked by my Active Duty boss about and conditions of employment that he might use to force my hand about my Reserve duty. SMH
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MSG (Join to see)
although went on a job interview and my reserve service was brought up, of course i did'nt get the job and i knew it from the look on the hr reps face, guardian glass, went next door to my current employer for over 10 years
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I was recently released early from a temporary position a week before reporting for my Annual Training. I knew my employer was being pressured by the client to reduce the number of workers on the project, and while it was never said out loud, I was left with the impression that I was selected due to the fact that I was going to be gone for 2 weeks. As a result, I was left unemployed after returning from AT. While most employers talk a good game, I can't help but wonder how many opportunities I have lost because they were uneasy about my military obligations. I have had my own soldiers put their civilian jobs over their military jobs simply because of the poor job market and not wanting to risk losing their civilian positions. I feel that a strengthening of the SSRA is needed, so that younger soldiers can feel a bit more secure.
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After 13 years of similar treatment, I've finally found an employer for whom "supporting the troops" is much more than lip service: Booz Allen Hamilton.
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