What's your best advice to others transitioning from military to private-sector work?
Oh, that's a tough question to answer, as I am still trying to figure it out after 14 years.
... now imagine a five minute gap here as I ponder ...
The best advice that I do NOT follow is to de-program, or erase, all things learned in the military; to go back to the mindset you had BEFORE boot camp. Or as Yoda says, "You must unlearn what you have learned." However, I'm quite proud of my service, and I'm quite proud of the man I became while in the military. I also like my "attention to detail" abilities. ... So, while it seems logical to re-assimilate to civilian mindsets, it's just not for me.
... more pondering for a more viable answer ...
My first job after the Navy was as a defense contractor collecting logistical data for combat systems on aircraft carriers. As I was a Data Systems Technician (DS) in the Navy, I knew the equipment in combat systems quite well. So, that made it easy to go from military to civilian. Plus, many of my co-workers were prior Navy as well, with a few Air Force types in there. I did notice that non-veterans didn't last long in our division. So, there is definitely a cultural difference.
... more pondering ...
I guess, in the end, it's best to find ways to associate and socialize with other veterans, i.e. VFW or various websites intended for veterans' support. Also, I would recommend going back to school and getting your degree as soon as possible. This is another forum to get acclimated to civilians in a non-cutthroat setting. Plus, most of the younglings like to hear the sea stories.
Thank you for the question. I hope I helped, at least in small measure.
First realize that the a lot of the working world has taken a posture pill. A lot just sit back and say "not my job". Others just go through the motions and really don't care as all they want is the paycheck. Still others want to micro manage as they feel that helps them feel more important. There are a lot out there that focus on everything except the mission.
Second face the fact that employers have been stuck with the crowd. Some shift through piles of applicants and resumes without finding anyone who is mature, can really work unsupervised, accepts responsibility for their production, understands a simple chain of command or really care about anything except the weekly check.
Third there is a wave of people out here who believe that just because their grandfather made $60 an hour they should be able to as well. I have a friend who will not open his tool box for less then $50. Yet it is hard to find working individuals who are realistic because their calendar/schedule is packed with work.
Now with all that in front of you you need to stand on your own personal values. You are mission oriented and can work towards a goal individually or as a team. When you are scheduled to be at work you will be there on time and ready. You will communicate as you run into problems, search for results/answers and keep your supervisors aware of your progress.
You have extremely high levels of attention to detail and accountability. DO NOT let the common attitudes out there distract you. You have a lot more to offer then others in line. Any employer that understands that will move you higher in line for consideration.
Adjusting from military life can be a challenge. But do not relax so much that the true assets you have and proven experience are not the focus. Stay close to your support (VA, and other organization that recognizes/assists veterans) and you should be alright. Remember adjustment is an ongoing mission so it will take time. But the mechanics of employment, accountability and productivity are already in place.
I am also a veteran. It was a pleasure serving before you. And, I extend my hand with a warm smile, looking you straight in the eye and thank you for your service as well.
by Liam Hallam 12 years ago
What's the best advice you could give to a Hubpages newbie?As a newbie on here I'd like to see what simple advice people could give
by Victoria Lynn 12 years ago
What is the best advice you're ever received from an older, wiser person?
by Wayne Brown 12 years ago
What is your best advice for a happy marriage?
by Cindy Vine 13 years ago
What's the best advice to give a child when they leave home?
by LailaK 12 years ago
What is the best advice you can give me right now about life?
by Akwasi Maru 7 years ago
What is the best advice your parents gave you?
Copyright © 2024 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. HubPages® is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.
Copyright © 2024 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective owners.
As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.
For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy
Show DetailsNecessary | |
---|---|
HubPages Device ID | This is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons. |
Login | This is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service. |
Google Recaptcha | This is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy) |
Akismet | This is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Google Analytics | This is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Traffic Pixel | This is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized. |
Amazon Web Services | This is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy) |
Cloudflare | This is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Hosted Libraries | Javascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy) |
Features | |
---|---|
Google Custom Search | This is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Maps | Some articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Charts | This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy) |
Google AdSense Host API | This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Google YouTube | Some articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Vimeo | Some articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Paypal | This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Login | You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Maven | This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy) |
Marketing | |
---|---|
Google AdSense | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Google DoubleClick | Google provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Index Exchange | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Sovrn | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Ads | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Unified Ad Marketplace | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
AppNexus | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Openx | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Rubicon Project | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
TripleLift | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Say Media | We partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy) |
Remarketing Pixels | We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites. |
Conversion Tracking Pixels | We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service. |
Statistics | |
---|---|
Author Google Analytics | This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy) |
Comscore | ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Tracking Pixel | Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy) |
Clicksco | This is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy) |