Do you value your military experience over your civilian experience?

SPC Margaret Higgins — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 17:42:57 -0400

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 8 at 2017 5:46 PM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 17:46:02 -0400

I value both. I joined the military first which led to my civilian career honestly. However, now I find my experiences in my military assisting my civilian career (in terms of skill). So for me, they have gone hand-in-hand.

Response by 1stSgt Troy Seals made Jul 8 at 2017 5:49 PM

1stSgt Troy Seals — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 17:49:28 -0400

Wouldn't have my civilian experience without my military experience.

Response by PO2 Marty Sharpe made Jul 8 at 2017 6:23 PM

PO2 Marty Sharpe — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 18:23:01 -0400

Yes any old day of the week.

Response by SSgt Luke Hunt made Jul 8 at 2017 6:41 PM

SSgt Luke Hunt — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 18:41:10 -0400

By a very wide margin...One of the main reasons is because you work with people that stick to one career for a long time regardless of pay..In the civilian world, many co workers will develop an animosity toward you if you keep getting a higher performance review because you are more determined to succeed than they are and your work ethic is better

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made Jul 8 at 2017 6:41 PM

SSG Edward Tilton — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 18:41:20 -0400

What is a civilian experience? I was a Police Officer for 28 years and in the Army for another 10. I've carried a gun for someone my entire life

Response by LtCol Robert Quinter made Jul 8 at 2017 6:57 PM

LtCol Robert Quinter — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 18:57:01 -0400

The military experience instilled all the work habits in me that allowed me some success as a civilian. There was a closeness with the people in the military that has never happened in civilian life, but I don't believe that civilian work generally generates the closeness inherent with working closely with people like you do in the military. If I was limited to one or the other I'd choose the military hands down.

Response by SSgt Gary Andrews made Jul 8 at 2017 7:03 PM

SSgt Gary Andrews — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 19:03:05 -0400

My military experience came first, and prepared me for anything and everything the civilian world would toss at me. That being said......I learned and gained a lot from both.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 8 at 2017 7:43 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 19:43:53 -0400

Not really, they've both been valuable. My military experience helped me immensely when I left the military for a couple of years. On the other hand, I believe the time I spent as a civilian made me a better Officer when I decided to come back in. I think the combination of experiences has made me a more well rounded leader and person in general.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 8 at 2017 8:58 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 20:58:27 -0400

I honestly don't believe I would have the determination and tools to be dedicated in my civilian life if it wasn't for the Army. I almost have to value it more than any of my civilian experience.

Response by CPO Robert (Mac) McGovern made Jul 8 at 2017 8:59 PM

CPO Robert (Mac) McGovern — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 20:59:26 -0400

The military educated me, civilian took advantage of that education, I benefited from both.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 8 at 2017 9:33 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 21:33:17 -0400

I love the Army as much as I love being a civilian. I will say that if I got out I would immediately wish I didn't. There's something about the comradeship you gain in the military that you won't gain on the outside. For instance, the jokes you make, the amount people swear, the military lifestyle in which someone who's never in would understand. I value them both but military so far has been better than civilian. But I really only had to years of being a civilian before joining.

Response by MSgt Jason McClish made Jul 8 at 2017 9:33 PM

MSgt Jason McClish — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 21:33:34 -0400

Yes, because my military experiences have lasted 17 years and I've learned a lot. Whereas my civilian experiences were more focused on education in school, then working a bit shortly before joining the Air Force.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 8 at 2017 10:13 PM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 22:13:03 -0400

Honelstly, I cant stand working in the civilian world . It's so different . So yes , I value my military experience way more . There is just more structure and stricter ways of dealing with things . I wish they would just understand sometimes . Managers (some but not all) in this soft industry do not understand the real meaning of leadership

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jul 8 at 2017 10:31 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 22:31:29 -0400

Yes. I frequently rely on it.

Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Jul 8 at 2017 11:23 PM

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 23:23:47 -0400

Since the military was my first "job" out of high school it obviously made a big impact. Add to that the red meat experience of BCT, AIT and Jump school .. thinking you are the most high speed, low drag individual on the face of the earth. Riding into battle sitting in the door of a huey... "humping 20 klicks" ... eating Ham and Lima Beans ... being shot at and missed .. being shot at and hit. How can this possibly compare with being an Systems Architect talking to people that have to deal with the "dog eat dog" world of Marketing?

Response by PVT Mark Brown made Jul 9 at 2017 12:00 AM

PVT Mark Brown — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 00:00:02 -0400

I was two years out of high school, going to community college with no real direction in my life. No discipline either for that matter. Whichever way the wind blew. I would go. Finally things were getting pretty hot in Vietnam and the draft was breathing down my neck. Even though I had a student deferment I knew that would not last as my GPA was not high enough. I guess it was time face the inevitable. Visiting my local recruiter convinced me that enlisting and more or less choosing my own destiny was the better way to go. Well, right off the bat in basic training and then for the next almost three years I grew up big time. I learned more in those few months than I have in the 40 some years since. The biggest thing that happened was I had to grow up and I finally became a man. I look back and would do it all over again, no questions asked. To me, military service is the greatest opportunity for growth offered by this country and we, as beneficiaries of freedom owe a debt which military service repays. During my entire life whenever the subject of military service came up, I would be 100% in favor of everyone being required to do at least 24 months. Our country would be quite different. I gained a sense of responsibility, maturity and knowledge that are available nowhere else.

Response by SGT Patrick Wells made Jul 9 at 2017 12:25 AM

SGT Patrick Wells — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 00:25:44 -0400

I honestly am not to sure how to answer this. I spent 2 years after high school working in the automotive repair field. I joined the Army in 76. I learned a lot of different life changing things. I served in aircraft maintenance/ repair. again more learning , maturing, and travel. In 80 I reentered the civilian world back to the automotive repair field. A lot of what I learned carried over and most of the discipline. I have now been a civilian worker for 37 years and The Army discipline is still there in me and missed a lot of days in my coworkers. I would not give up my military experience for anything and it did have a huge impact on my civilian life. but to value it 4 years Military over 37 years of civilian . would be hard to say for sure. There have been things I got to experience because I was AD Army that I would never have experienced as a civilian . But there are things I have experienced because I was a civilian that I would not have been able to as an AD military. Since it took all that to make me who I am I would say I have a high value both .

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 9 at 2017 2:41 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 02:41:49 -0400

If anything, joining the military later in life in my early thirties actually helped me later in my life. After losing my job unfairly at an insurance company in 1993, I decided to join the Army National Guard ,in early 1994, toa get a new fresh start and maybe change careers. I never was into joining the active-duty or even considering ROTC during my college Years. Ended up going through basic training at age 31 and my experience from high school cross-country enabled me to be a decent Runner in the 2-mile Run. I learned discipline and that is never too old to be a soldier and I became a commissioned officer a couple years later at 33 years 9 months. Since then, it has kept me in shape and I have always been a person that deals with reading and watching international news. I never expected to be mobilized three different times and to be in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is maybe mentally tougher and I've learned to cope with stress on my job because of the resiliency that I learned being in the military. 24 years later, I'm still in the Army Reserve. The skill sets from my civilian career help my military career and vice versa. I sort of have the best of both worlds because I'm a Reserve officer yet I've completed the same command and general staff officer course Common Core that many active duty officers have to take because the 9-month Fort Leavenworth class is only available for a small minority. Being a Reserve officer and working 50 hours a week in my civilian job has proven to me that I can burn both ends against the middle and still get a 298 on my APFT.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jul 9 at 2017 4:19 AM

Capt Seid Waddell — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 04:19:50 -0400

Yes.

Response by CWO3 Dennis M. made Jul 9 at 2017 10:23 AM

CWO3 Dennis M. — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 10:23:23 -0400

Absolutely! Within 3 months of my retirement from 23 years service, I was recruited by the Sheriff's Department in the county I settled in. I served in that department as the Chief Deputy (Capt) for 11 years, and later served 7 years as the High Sheriff. Would not have happened without the Military service!

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 9 at 2017 9:42 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 21:42:22 -0400

Honestly military

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 10 at 2017 9:42 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 09:42:26 -0400

To me they go hand in hand. I was in the IT field for 15 years before enlisting in the Army. The Army taught me several other skills and built on the IT skills I had with leadership and management skills. I chose to go into IT in the Army because it was a passion of mine and I knew I was good at it. Being great in my field allowed me to advance and be recognized for my skills quickly in the Army which opened assignments and experience for me that I would never have had anywhere else. After active duty, my follow on jobs in IT had a new dimension that didn't exist before I was in the military. Even as a reservist I am still training in leading edge knowledge and skills in Cyber.

Response by MSgt John McGowan made Jul 10 at 2017 12:06 PM

MSgt John McGowan — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 12:06:26 -0400

SPC. I never looked at it that way. My military was filled with about the same as all do. Low pay, long hours and world's away from family. Job experience great. Job satisfaction great. Civilian job experience got long with no moves. Satisfaction, better pay, shorter hours and getting paid for every hour you are there. About equal in overall satisfaction. Valuable for both keeps me in food and shelter.

Response by GySgt Ron DeBoer made Jul 12 at 2017 2:17 PM

GySgt Ron DeBoer — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 14:17:26 -0400

I believe they go hand in hand. I learned more in my 12.5 years as a Marine than I ever thought possible yet there are still lessons and experiences I have learned from only civilian life. They complete and complement each other I feel.

Response by SPC Les Garis made Jul 18 at 2017 6:59 AM

SPC Les Garis — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 06:59:08 -0400

Yes I do...taught me alot

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 16 at 2021 1:08 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 13:08:22 -0400

It's funny, as my civilian job reaches the extreme level of bureaucracy my military career was at its 30 year completion, my civilian peers are finally understanding and appreciative of my method and instruction on handling the "Good Idea Faries" appointed over us!!

Response by SPC Lyle Montgomery made Nov 25 at 2021 11:16 AM

SPC Lyle Montgomery — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 11:16:26 -0500

NO but I do value my military experienc. I have had a great civilian experience as a Union Millwright for over 30 years. Now I'm retired but enjowed my chosen field of work. When I got out of the Army in 1969 WE Vietnam combat vets were treated like shit. Were called baby killers an drugies. It was a time when we didn't brag about our war experience. It wasn't bad here in Nebraska but during that time we didn't talk much about our war experience. Now some of the Gulf war vets have the same problem. I respect all who have worn the uniform whichever branch they were in. I most definately value my military experience.