12/11/2019 0 Comments There is No Magic Bullet!Let’s be honest, we all want it to be easier. That applies to anything. Heck, as pilot, we had a checklist to make things easier. That is why the military has standard operating procedures, checklists, battle drills, etc. That is why manufacturing applies lean principles. The list goes on and on. Find ways to simplify things.
Then comes the military transition. Most of us search and search for the clear path into a new career. Some say network, so we go to every event, post and comment on social media. Others say focus on your resume, so you format and re-format and work your bullets over and over. Others say interview preparation is the key. Some say use headhunters, yet others say do it on your own. Go get a degree, get a certification, develop your soft skills, develop your hard skills…The point is, there is no one way to military transition into a new career. You have to focus on yourself and learn who you are, what your interests and priorities are, what works for you, what doesn’t work for you, what your goals are, what your skills are, who your network is and how you can grow it and so on. The point is, there is no checklist, no SOP, because one size doesn’t fit all, and that is a good thing, that is probably a factor in why you are leaving the military. See, there is no clear path, no HRC saying if you want to be a Brigade commander than these are the positions and steps to take. Not only that, there are other factors outside of career that play a role. Community, volunteer, brand/product, location, family, increased education, side hustles, etc. Therefore, there can be no checklist to every possible scenario, because they are infinite. So it circles back to yourself, for once! What do you want? Where are you now? Where do you want to be? And how do you get there? Are there forks in the road to pivot a different direction? All things to consider and a reason why to start your transition early. See, leaving the military is a checklist, but starting a new career is not. Let the military tell you when to be where and who needs to sign and take the time to focus on yourself as early as possible in your career, because the day will come that you will leave the military. You must own it! Again, look it not why you are leaving, but what you want to do. Why do you want to do it? What are you interested in? Are you qualified? Take the time to watch my vlog on planning your transition: (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvp4Kv3-70rjKCvgY9h2yaw/videos?view_as=subscriber) It should provide you and opportunity to stop, think, and start to develop a transition plan. Now this is certainly not a one size fits all, but it will work for the masses. Be open to advice, get out there and network, work and re-work your resume, but make sure you are not dwelling on the past and that you are focusing on yourself. The why am I leaving? What am qualified to do? What do I want to do? And do I need to acquire more skills? Maybe you don’t have the skills and it will take you two years to acquire them on the side and that is fine. Then you consider can I afford to take two years with no pay to acquire them, or do I work on the side and turn into four years maybe? So, maybe you take a job in a warehouse as an area manager for a few years because you have the skills for that position, and it allows you the time to grow on the side for what you want to do. Hey, this isn’t the military, there is nothing wrong with that, because there is no right or wrong answer…there is no magic bullet!
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