How difficult was your transition to the civilian workforce and explain why it was easier or more difficult than expected?
Responses from Navy veterans (regardless of rank, education, years of service, specialty, age or gender)
1 |
As expected |
Had been provided offers from 3 letter agency but they had unexpected hiring freezes, creating concerns about continuing to leave military without job offer |
2 |
More difficult |
It took me many years to recognize my skills inventory, both life skills (empathy, work ethic, logic) and military-acquired skills (leadership, mission focus, teamwork, attention to detail, aerospace technology), and to maximize those skills in my civilian work. |
3 |
As expected |
I had planned this for in excess of three years. There were some scary moments, but nothing unexpected. |
4 |
More difficult |
Due to the shift in the economy, a lot of the jobs that I was banking on slowly disappeared. |
5 |
More difficult |
Be prepared for failure, i.e. not getting interviews, offers or even responses in some cases. You must be aggressive ... nobody sits around and "gets a call" to come work for them. Use your network and don't be bashful about calling in a favor or two. |
6 |
More difficult |
During my enlistment as a Hospital Corpsman, I was told that I could work in any hospital once I finished my service. This was later found to be incorrect as the military experience did not translate into civilian certification. I was declined employment as most hospitals due to a lack of any form of civilian certification. |
7 |
Easier |
I saw no difficulties - just kept a great attitude and displayed a hard work ethic. |
8 |
More difficult |
I simply was not prepared, and my expectations were nondescript, which meant my strategy and actions were the same. |
9 |
As expected |
No difficulty. |
10 |
More difficult |
Nobody cared what I did in the military, and nobody cared what skills were recorded on my VMET. |
11 |
Easier |
I was very positive and resolute in my decision to transition back in to civilian life, so I looked forward to it all. |
12 |
As expected |
My transition was not to difficult because I stayed in contact with a lot of people that I met in and out of the Service. |
13 |
More difficult |
Plan for the worst case possible! It most likely will be. |
14 |
As expected |
I know it would be hard and it was |
15 |
More difficult |
I was uneducated, had no benefits, no assistance. I started failing as soon as I left the service. |
16 |
More difficult |
I feel employers hire more based on network (knowing someone) versus skills. |
17 |
More difficult |
I was winging it, so focused on elders in the workplace to teach me. |
18 |
As expected |
I assumed that everything would be different and it was. But after I graduated from college and got my first real job things fell into place. |
19 |
More difficult |
Was not prepared for the change. |
20 |
As expected |
I was discharged and the economy hadn't changed much. Moving back to where I came from with no marketable skills from the military and a 4 year old college degree had not bettered my situation. |
21 |
More difficult |
I am a career switcher who I have applied for several jobs - some in my field of experience and some in my degree field. A few of them have been forwarded to the hiring managers, but I have not received a request for an interview. It's rather disheartening and can seem quite degrading at times. |
22 |
Easier |
The courses that I took in high school gave me several options aside from my military training. I stayed at my first job for about 2 years and decided to go to a Tech College to get my Airframes and Power plants Certification and an Associates Degree. I wound up working for xyz company. No regrets. |
23 |
More difficult |
It talks longer than you would believe to get a job.... a Career! Plan for the worst, hope for the best. |
24 |
More difficult |
You're not really prepared until certain things happen. It takes time to realize that you are not active duty anymore. |
25 |
As expected |
Civilian life completely different. I was home every evening. My military job would not transfer over |
26 |
Easier |
The first job I had out of the military was a high-paying sales position (commission). It was better than what I expected because of the money, but the hours were harsh (80+/week). After leaving that job, sales was the only thing I knew and the only real skill I had, so I had a hard time finding any other way to make an income. I then started my own business, started selling, and now train others how to do the same. |
27 |
More difficult |
It's adapting to a new way of life. It takes time and patience. |
28 |
As expected |
I spent time before hand preparing myself. |
29 |
As expected |
I had a position waiting for me with a large company that moved me across the US. I had gotten out once before, so started preparing a year out. |
30 |
As expected |
I do not consider myself fully transitioned after over a year and on my second federal job. I have given up on acclimating to civilian life and prefer to focus on finding a federal organization where my mindset and skills are viewed positively. I expected the VA to be, but it is run by civilians at my organization and we could not find common ground. My current DoD centric organization is going much better and I am hopeful for my future. |
31 |
More difficult |
Actually, i was too militaristic or too eager to get hired. Would have been easier had i just relaxed, became more patient...things don't happen overnight |
32 |
As expected |
It was just another move, just different in that now there was a different expectation, going to a new career. |
33 |
More difficult |
The social aspects for me and several others I knew from active duty. Our work skills and habits were good and fit with our employer's needs but interactions with other employees were, in many instances, disruptive to the office. |
34 |
More difficult |
Started with all the wrong ideas and information... some implanted due to incompetence of others, much due to my own lack of foreknowledge and not networking until after I left the service. |
35 |
More difficult |
When you are on active duty, most people work together to accomplish something important. In the civilian sector it seemed like most people cared only about themselves and the goal was about making money which is important but not at the cost of employee safety. |
36 |
More difficult |
I did not attend to the TAP course due to distance and expense. I learned everything on my own with extremely little help from anyone. Do I regret not going. Nope. Probably would have helped. |
37 |
More difficult |
Relocating and housing issues, unemployed for over a year |
38 |
As expected |
It was easy in that I knew what had to be done so I did it, but what I had to do wasn't easy. You'll be a rookie all over again (it sucks) but it won't last as long as you think. |
39 |
As expected |
Employers believe veterans are only "fit" for some employment opportunities and therefore marginalize or automatically select veterans "out" than "in" to those opportunities. |
40 |
More difficult |
My circumstance was a little different than most. I grew up as a "military brat" and knew no other life from the time I was born to the time I retired, than a military one. My biggest challenge was to learn to accept and deal with the civilian mind that has never experienced military life and eventually learn to relate to them. This still requires an effort on my part on a daily basis and I have gotten pretty good at it. |
41 |
More difficult |
I made the assumption that my 20 year career was a benefit. Maybe I didn't look in the right places but I found people couldn't care less about my service. In some cases it hurt my prospects. |
42 |
Easier |
I was given the job I had before going into the military. They welcomed me back into the company. |
43 |
Easier |
Working as a civilian at my first job was pretty easy. Worst problem was a lack of upward mobility in the timeframe I desired so I had to leave for greener pastures. |
44 |
As expected |
The experience of transition is and for some can be a grief process. This event has many stages, not just collecting benefits and education. Transition means you leave some experiences and people behind as you move forward. Transition means that when I start my new job no one may care that I am a Veteran or my boss may be 10 years my junior. How will I overcome all obstacles to guarantee my success is the million dollar question. |
45 |
More difficult |
I was in a management position and had to work harder to establish authority. You don't wear a rank in the civilian world and unless you are very high up you don't get called sir or ma'am. People don't have to listen to you and your boss won't support you if they don't trust you so you have to work extra hard to gain trust of your direct reports and bosses and establish your rank so to speak. |
46 |
Easier |
Going to a Federal contractor facilitated the transition. There were other military retirees in the workforce. |
47 |
More difficult |
Though I worked for a fairly structured large private company (with a lot of veterans), it wasn't the same type of environment as my helicopter carrier. For that matter, when I was transferred from the carrier to the Supervisor of Shipbuilding San Diego (last active duty assignment), I needed to interact with with a significant number of DON federal civilian employees. I had to learn to ask questions, make suggestions, and be more collaborative as contrasted to the very direct approach required of a combat ship. Further, transitioning from a combat ship changes the demographic which you're dealing with. Instead of 19-early 20 something males (even CPOs were not older than the late-30s), you'll need to interact with a much older population. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding had primarily males in the late-30s to early-50s. |
48 |
Easier |
The job came looking for me as soon as I was available because I unknowingly on someone's short list. |
49 |
As expected |
This should not come as a shock to anyone but the job market is competitive. It was about what I expected and even with a graduate degree, I still had to fish for my job. Nobody is going to hand you a job or line up to hire you because you are a veteran. You might get an advantage over a civilian but you still need to fill out applications and do your homework. The toughest part was the first year because you went for working all the time to not working at all. I would say save up a year's worth of annual salary you expect to make at your first job (in your last few years of the military). |
50 |
As expected |
Most with whom I worked were also ex-military at first; made it easier. |
51 |
More difficult |
My experience as a Military Officer was greeted with both respect and disdain. My attitude of can do tends to hurt me relationaly with my co-workers because my training has put me in a category above where they are. It hurts when an employer has told me that my crew is afraid to fly with me because my decision making process does not align with what is current in the industry. |
52 |
More difficult |
organizations do not understand vets |
53 |
More difficult |
My transition wasn't a great deal more difficult than expected but it took longer than I was planning. From submitting my resume, getting the interview, and hearing back from potential employers can take a great deal of time and in some cases 2 months or more. |
54 |
As expected |
The most difficult part was getting used to working on the clock. |
55 |
As expected |
I went straight into school and a different career field, it took a long time to figure out who I was outside the military and I'm glad I could do that within an academic environment rather than a professional one. |
56 |
More difficult |
It's difficult going from interview to interview knowing they don't care about anything you've done in the past. It's difficult to look for jobs that are scattered around the country and find any job where you can get an interview. It is difficult to have to move to different area around the country to get into an area that may have a job. It is very difficult to make it through just the application process when you don't have any past supervisors or any personal references that knew what you did years before. |
57 |
As expected |
It takes a lot of work! It is a full time job, and you need to realize that. Just completing an online application can sometimes take over an hour or longer. Also, every industry is different and you need to learn the differences. My first interview was with a higher education institution. My interview was 7 hours long! No joke, it was the longest day ever! But I found out later that this is kind of the norm for higher education jobs, they really want to ensure you are a good match and will be a good representative for the institution. By the way, I did not get an offer.....after 7 hours, no offer....talk about frustrating! K-12 is another unique area and expect a long interview process for that as well. |
58 |
As expected |
It was difficult only because I expect the best from myself, and I didn't feel like I was doing everything I could to land a great job until some time after being out. I had about 3-4 jobs before finally finding one I loved and paid well. Also it is difficult to reflect because everyone back home has no clue about anything you talk about. The bonds that's are formed in the military are special and try to never forget the people you served with. |
59 |
Easier |
Examined my personal interests and basic personal and job related skills! |
60 |
As expected |
Colleagues did not have the same drive or passion for success like I experienced while in the Navy. |
61 |
More difficult |
You need a Peace of Paper these days to land you a good job "Yes" from a collage, The only thing we may have over a peace of paper is experience and how to manage equipment people, and a problem solver. other wise it was hard getting your foot in the door but once you get it in run with it. |
62 |
As expected |
After 22 years in the Navy I was definitely institutionalized and I had to wrap my brain around the fact no employer cared about what I did in the military. Employers only want to know how I can use my education and past experiences and performance to help them make money now. Once I looked at it that way, creating a resume and attending interviews was easy. |
63 |
More difficult |
The computerized HR process makes it almost impossible to get an interview for a position unless you have an advocate "on the inside" |
64 |
More difficult |
Lots of racism and unfair practices |
65 |
More difficult |
Took longer than I expected, but still met timeline without gap. |
66 |
More difficult |
I was alone. That surely made transistioning harder. I didn't know how to keep up my former military contacts, and the home area I returned to didn't seem to recognize that I was a veteran. |
67 |
More difficult |
I retired 18-months ago and am still searching for employment. |
68 |
Easier |
I was basically hired before I left active duty. |
69 |
More difficult |
Didn't understand the whole process. |
70 |
Easier |
I had a great deal of anxiety and had little idea of what to do, despite the transition course I took. It ended up being a former colleague who told me about a job at her company that she recommended me for. I had not seen or heard from this colleague if a number of years and we were not close even when we worked together, but she was a VERY strong supporter and did everything she could to help me with my job search. I interviewed for that job and while very competitive, I was not selected for the position. But the COMPANY told another organization about me (a small nonprofit) and I interviewed with them and got the job. Can't believe how happy I am today. This is a much better fit than the original position. Been here 3.5 years. Great company, great mission, and a fantastic group of people to work with. Very well worth the wait and the effort. |
71 |
As expected |
It was challenging but then I was prepared for a difficult process |
72 |
As expected |
Need education and awareness to all veterans and civilians. Need communication to all who served no matter what capacity (i.e, active duty/reserves). Reservists have pulled their weight especially after 9/11/2001. |
73 |
More difficult |
Getting a job was easy, learning the new culture was very hard |
74 |
As expected |
I was optimistic, but not expecting anything to fall in my lap. Good posture to have. |
75 |
More difficult |
I thought I would get a good job much faster. |
76 |
As expected |
I had four years of college pursuing my Bachelors to help buffer my transition. I highly recommend it if college (Bachelors or Masters) for those immediately separating. |
77 |
Easier |
I was hired by one of my former mentors for well-above the normal starting salary for an exiting service member. The company was very veteran-friendly, and worked around my discharge schedule. Heck, I didn't even have an approved retirement date when I received my job offer. |
78 |
More difficult |
I thought that employers would want to hire a proven retired veteran, I was wrong. If you don't have degree to back up your experience then you are not what the civilian world is looking for. |
79 |
As expected |
I was prepared for the difficulty that I would experience during the transition. |
80 |
Easier |
I had multiple job offers before I really started looking, so it was easier than I expected. |
81 |
More difficult |
You never know until you actually go through it. |
82 |
More difficult |
I went from a ton of responsibility where I was charge of a large command to not responsibly for anyone except myself. I had to retrain my thinking and it took me a couple of years to do so. |
83 |
Easier |
The loss of the military family feeling. |
84 |
More difficult |
As I stated above. I think too much emphasis was placed on how to dress and those types of things. More should have been placed on VA Disability and Health Benefits. VA Education. Joint Service Transcripts access. VONAPP, EBENIFITS, Professional, non profit veteran's organizations who can help. |
85 |
As expected |
I had made a point to be aware of the transition process as much as possible. transition was not only about employment but it was about becoming aware of other benefits as a veteran - GI Bill - Medical... |
86 |
More difficult |
Thought my skill set would translate well for a defense contractor, but it did not. |
87 |
More difficult |
location limited... |
88 |
More difficult |
Age |
89 |
More difficult |
Had no clue what to expect, nor how to go about the search. |
90 |
Easier |
Getting an MBA was extremely useful. |
91 |
More difficult |
Hard part was the effect moving again had on my family. I was around more, but we moved to an area with no other military services, facilities, clubs or families. My wife missed that and it was a bit stressful to make new connections in a strange community. |
92 |
More difficult |
I believed the skills I developed in the military would be apparent to future employers. It was not. I had to learn how to speak to civilians about the skills that I have developed. |
93 |
As expected |
Not sure what to expect when I first transitioned, only that I had to continue to remind myself that I was no longer the person in charge. It took about 6 months, but I eventually got around to saying "I recommend we do it this way" vice "we will do it this way". |
94 |
As expected |
I went to business school to get my MBA. |
95 |
More difficult |
Such a different culture, even in DoD job. |
96 |
More difficult |
I am still unemployed |
97 |
As expected |
I knew several people who had already transitioned, so I sort of knew what to expect as I started it. |
98 |
More difficult |
Getting into school was easy, it's getting a job is what's difficult. |
99 |
Easier |
The TAP course I attended and my friends/contacts set me up well to execute the transition process. |
100 |
Easier |
Basically, I planned ahead and did research. |
Getting out of the Navy is Hard
101 |
More difficult |
I expected more companies to want prior military employees. For whatever reason, I assumed that retiring meant a lot to a lot of companies but what I found was my skill set was much broader in the civilian community than int he military. Had the military followed the civilian community as far as certifications are concerned, the job hunt would ave been easier. The military needs to work with civilians and follow many of their available certifications for it's military members. |
102 |
Easier |
I had a family member who had contacts within the company which hired me. |
103 |
More difficult |
My chosen location was lower than I thought for employment. Pay was low and no benefits available. |
104 |
As expected |
Prepare along the way |
105 |
More difficult |
The amount of time required to develop a personal budget, research companies and positions, practice interview skills, develop a civilian wardrobe and figure out business style, prepare a resume, and apply for positions in addition to performing your regular duties can be exhausting, exacerbated by only having 3 month preparation. |
106 |
More difficult |
My military experience was not valued in the civilian sector at all so I had to work very hard to find an opportunity where that was valued. |
107 |
More difficult |
generally never any feedback to resume submissions to positions advertised openly |
108 |
More difficult |
As I stated earlier i had planned a branch swap to go from active duty Navy to active duty Army and was forced to separate first. Once i did I found out the Army stopped Blue to Green program and stopped taking prior service to active. I went into Reserves and through Army Basic and my unit would not work with me while attending a law enforcement academy. |
109 |
Easier |
I was an officer and took advantage of the resources around me to plan my exit. |
110 |
More difficult |
No one seemed to care about my experience. |
111 |
More difficult |
No one seemed to care about my experience. |
112 |
More difficult |
In 5 years i had 5-6 positions. Never was terminated, i just quit do to stress, unresolved military mental health issues and inability to work congruently with civilian coworkers. |
113 |
As expected |
I was prepared. |
114 |
More difficult |
I have a technical masters degree, over 8 years of program management experience, and 15 years of military experience. I thought companies would want my experience. I never heard back from 90% of companies. I was then forced to work with a friend at a non-profit for little money, then pick up a part time job to supplement. |
115 |
More difficult |
I basically did not have a clue about how to go about it. I lucked into a couple of early jobs before finally sitting down and doing the work to figure out what I would be good at and happy at doing. |
116 |
More difficult |
I had planned to take a few weeks off, land a job and start working a few weeks left of terminal to allow for an overlap of pay. That didn't go as planned. Having basically no income for the month of April, I had to make some poor decisions, just to be able to get through the month. |
117 |
More difficult |
I underestimated the seasonality of hiring actions. If I had it to do over again, I would have transitioned in March instead of November. |
118 |
As expected |
I knew it would be difficult, and it was. My biggest surprise is how long it took. Although I obtained both my BA and MA, it took six years for me to land my "dream job." (I worked other jobs in those six years, but was not happy. I finally am after six years after getting out. |
119 |
More difficult |
My transition was more difficult than I expected because there was a lot of emotional strain during this period. I got a job right away, so professionally yes I was very successful. However, leaving an entire culture and family behind, it was much more painful than I had imagined it would be. Plus, you don't have a transition mentor. I always wonder who I should go talk to post transition about career choices, and there's never a clear answer. |
120 |
More difficult |
I felt the Navy kept me at Sea (unnecessarily) until the last possible moment and then kicked me to the curb |
121 |
As expected |
I learned about the process and I fully understood the competitive field. |
122 |
More difficult |
I did not have a Plan B like I should have. |
123 |
Easier |
State department of labors and federal agencies offered a lot of guidance and employment support to Veterans. |
124 |
More difficult |
I was most dismayed by the gap in pay I experienced in my transition. That and adjusting to the civilian work culture was exceptionally difficult. I wish I had someone I could have talked to about that, but I didn't know anyone and certainly didn't have any veteran peers nearby that could sympathize with me. A peer group to share my experiences would have been nice, but they were exceptionally hard to find at the time of my transition. |
125 |
More difficult |
Hard but with mentoring was successful |
126 |
As expected |
I wouldn't say it was easier than I expected, it's sort of like getting into college: there's a lot of work, you have to be really organized, and the effort you put forth is usually going to be proportional to your results. |
127 |
As expected |
Actual transition not hard ...but I occasionally surprised myself when I realized I was looking for collar devices, reaching for my cover at the mall, or impatiently tapping my toe waiting for colleagues to stop what they were doing to address my needs. Hmmm, not wearing khaki anymore ...and none of these people would care even if I was :-) |
128 |
More difficult |
Less offers from industry than anticipated |
129 |
More difficult |
I was not prepared. No resume writing skills. Not prepared for civilian sector not giving any consideration to my 20 years of experience and no college degree. |
130 |
More difficult |
Job market was bad. Competition with kids that had masters degrees would always trump my 20 years military. |
131 |
More difficult |
Difficult to explain, in short, be prepared to prove self |
132 |
More difficult |
I was use to working in a job field, I was expected to do the skill I learned in college, then other non related skills. |
133 |
More difficult |
What I perceive to be difficult about my military-to-civilian transition is primarily internal. In retrospect, I think I put a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself, especially looking back now. Why? I think the vets coming out now have a much tougher row to hoe. |
134 |
More difficult |
No one cares what you can do or did it the military, it is not the same job on the outside even if it is. |
135 |
More difficult |
Job opportunities were not available |
136 |
More difficult |
Having ptsd issues. |
137 |
Easier |
I never actually initiated a job search. The company had me on their short list in anticipation of my retirement. |
138 |
More difficult |
I had assumptions that civilian people were of the same mindset when it came to work ethic, accomplishing tasks, and having a structured work environment. |
139 |
More difficult |
It was difficult discerning where to begin and who could be relied upon. I knew I was conditioned as a soldier but was not aware as to how much intertwined my personality is with my service. I also did not expect the lack of values that many outside of the military display (e.g., lack of integrity, etc.). |
140 |
Easier |
Self induced stress from the large amount of information provided....without even having a taste of what is was like. |
141 |
More difficult |
I think the military overdoes it with telling their people how valuable they are going to be. in my experience, being in the military hurts your chances in that first job, but once you get past that it can help. |
142 |
Easier |
Maybe its just right timing, and continue looking for jobs at USAJOBS, and you can sense what are they looking for |
143 |
More difficult |
I have no network and know no one in a position to help gain employment. |
144 |
More difficult |
There was no "sponsor" at my new job to help me and my family to get situated with the local area, to learn the rules specific to owning and registering a vehicle, the fastest way to get to where I needed to go, or advise regarding housing...etc, etc, etc. |
145 |
More difficult |
Transferring back to the states from overseas duty station. No way to look for a job. |
146 |
More difficult |
My 21 years in the military consisted of three different career fields, one enlisted and two as an officer. Jack of all trades, master of none. Nothing really fit my resume - I was under or over qualified. |
147 |
More difficult |
I had no idea it would take so long. To find a quality career, I had to finish college. That took four years. |
148 |
Easier |
I decided to take a job based on the mission of the organization instead of the financial rewards that were possible. As a result, I decided to take a job that I was more than qualified for. Because of this, I was hired on my first interview at a location that I greatly desired. This occured within two weeks of going on leave after my retirement ceremony. |
149 |
As expected |
After having a successful military career, it was hard to settle on what I wanted to do next. |
150 |
As expected |
It was fine. I would have liked more information about how the IRR works though. |
151 |
More difficult |
Culture |
152 |
As expected |
I knew that my transition would be fast and furious, and it was. I had orders to separate within 60 days and completed all elements successfully, but it was tough. That said, I knew that the time invested during those two months would pay off if I was diligent, and that proved true in all respects. I had a job lined up, new place secured in a new city, moving services arranged, and completed all transition requirements in time while pursuing a master's degree. It's doable, but takes a lot of 18 hour days. The payoff was huge. |
153 |
As expected |
I knew a year prior to my retirement and started with the network I developed over my career. |
154 |
More difficult |
Unemployed for 18 months. |
155 |
More difficult |
I retired as a 30 year O6 and found that my age was always a concern for the new employer. I couldn't seem to get over the age hump for so many of them. They looked at me as a short term employee and not worth the training requirements. |
156 |
As expected |
It was tough but expected. |
157 |
More difficult |
Networking is difficult but reaps the most rewards |
158 |
Easier |
Your own fears make the process much harder. |
159 |
More difficult |
I was young and naive and didn't realize that society didn't owe me a job and couldn't conceive (initially) that people wouldn't be jumping at the chance to hire me. |
160 |
Easier |
I simply applied to a job I wanted and was hired that day! |
161 |
More difficult |
I thought I was going to work at one place, but they were taking too long to get me an interview. In the process of waiting for (Fortune 500 company) I got approached at about a job at (Fortune 500 company). So timing was the difficulty. |
162 |
As expected |
I went directly from the military to an institution of higher education (professional school) which provided a buffer to the normal transition anxieties. |
163 |
More difficult |
I just earned my MBA and I have been waiting for 3+ weeks for a call back from a company. |
164 |
More difficult |
My last duty assignment was in California and I wanted to return to the East Coast so it was very difficult to get companies to take me seriously. I started looking a lot earlier then most companies were willing to wait. |
165 |
More difficult |
Employers didn't know the skill sets of veterans |
166 |
Easier |
I had no trouble making the transition. |
167 |
More difficult |
I got an undergraduate degree in a field not related to my military experience. I wanted to find work in my collegiate field, but I had trouble doing that because I had no experience. I had to tailor my search and find a job that could combine both fields. |
168 |
More difficult |
Loss of comeraderie. |
169 |
More difficult |
I was too use to walking into a room or an area and be given a certain amount of respect because of my rank. Not that it was my rank, but having more to do with, I must know what I am talking about because of my rank. In my first civilian job it was a difficult adjustment to not have my rank to fall back on. |
170 |
More difficult |
I was very optimistic that after going through my transition process I had found a job I would enjoy and do well at. I was naive, since every new job I had in the Navy had started as being very challenging, so why should this be different. |
171 |
Easier |
I was hired by the 2nd place I applied to. |
172 |
More difficult |
I did not know how to explain my job and the market I was in was so heavy with people getting out and they did not know what companies to apply for for my MOS |
173 |
More difficult |
I had aspirations of going into a very technical field (tax accounting). I had plenty of education to support those goals but had no clue how that industry works in terms of establishing a successful career. |
174 |
Easier |
Because of networking with a friend who identified the opportunity for me and introduced me to the hiring manager, I interviewed and landed the job before I left active duty, allowing me to actually start work while I was still on terminal leave. |
175 |
Easier |
No problems. |
176 |
As expected |
Few jobs truly exist based on your MOS. Or you're simply over qualified for their position. |
177 |
As expected |
I moved to a location where I wanted to live and had to find a job that fit my skill set. This was a challenge. |
178 |
As expected |
I applied for a government job at a lower paygrade to get my foot in the door so I could prove my full potential in hopes to be promoted and I was promoted from a GS 7 to a GS 12 within three years. |
179 |
As expected |
Some parts were easy like attention to detail and getting things done. Other parts like HR were much harder. |
180 |
As expected |
I felt my transition to actually be relatively easy compared to what I was anticipating. |
181 |
Easier |
I was very lucky in that I found gainful employment while still on Terminal Leave. |
182 |
As expected |
There were areas where it was much easier than I thought it would be-being on time, prepared, and equally as smart as others. There were other areas where it was very difficult--a much more liberal (philosophical) climate, value of being on time and ready was diminished, truth was not always a big deal for others, courtesy was minimized. |
183 |
More difficult |
One of the biggest challenges was completing online applications. For one thing, not having lived in my home town for over seven years while it expanded, I felt like I was in a foreign place. I didn't know where to go and found myself doing job searches completely online. Some job applications ask you to list your last supervisor and their phone number. How do you do that in an online application? What number do you put? What name do you put? The online applications do not give you the chance to put "see military transition form DD-214." You have to type a phone number or they don't let you continue. Also, if your job specialty was specific (like, I was a weather forecaster) , and that type of job is not available in your location, you rely on functional skills. I felt like employers were looking for people with exact experience, and that was nearly impossible for me. I was never a records keeper, nor did I work in a school (though I volunteered and taught weather lessons to students, something I put on my resume), so when I did get a call back, employers would say, "We found a candidate with more relevant experience." It was just highly frustrating. |
184 |
More difficult |
I retired from the military and had a Master's degree. I thought it would be easy to get a descent paying job. It was not the case. I'm still trying to get into my preferred industry. |
185 |
As expected |
Found a decent job after about 3 months |
186 |
More difficult |
I was frustrated and disappointed in the lack of professionalism and lackadaisical attitude in accomplishing tasks. |
187 |
As expected |
I expected it to be difficult and it was. But not impossible. The key is networking. You also must be willing to move. If you aren't flexible, then you limit many opportunities. Think long and hard about why you are leaving the military. You won't find the camaraderie in civilian world that you had in the military. You also won't find faster career growth or more job security. The pay and benefits are likely better. If you like the military, stay. |
188 |
Easier |
It was very smooth. |
189 |
More difficult |
The jobs available did not look as appealing as the work I did in the military. |
190 |
More difficult |
Job selection and pay. |
191 |
More difficult |
I was given one TAP and really wished that the TAPs were all combined into one so nothing is left out how to write a resume, your veteran benefits are and how to contact to get them, reserves and education benefits. You need the information about the state that you may relocate into - if you are leaving and not retiring how you qualify for unemployment as you look for work; the 90 days to register to vote or get past documents like vehicle and driver licensing to the state where you are not to live in. |
192 |
Easier |
It was very different than I expected. It was enjoyable in that it stretched me and afforded me a welcome opportunity to put myself first...ask me what I wanted rather than what was needed. I was a top performer in my active duty role but didn't find it deeply gratifying. Had nothing to do with pay, promotion or deployment. Accordingly in my transition I did not blindly evaluate opportunity based on those factors. |
193 |
As expected |
The first transition was to graduate school and it was pretty much what I expected. At the end of graduate school I anticipated it would be challenging to secure a university engineering professor position at a location that was attractive to my family. |
194 |
More difficult |
As an 04/05 I had no real skills the civilians wanted. |
195 |
More difficult |
New set of people skills required |
196 |
As expected |
i knew before i transitioned from the Navy what i needed to do to be successful and i put the steps in motion |
197 |
As expected |
I networked prior to separating, as a result I was able to tap into my network and get a job almost immediately after my terminal leave started. |
198 |
More difficult |
I expected to be able to find an appropriate job more easily than I did. A lot of people like to talk about supporting veterans but it doesn't always translate to the employment landscape. Particularly if you move to a city that does not have a large military presence. |
199 |
As expected |
Preparation for me was key and made my transition as smooth as possible |
200 |
More difficult |
No one would hire me initially in Hawaii, even with a degree. |
Challenges Transitioning from the Navy
201 |
Easier |
I had a pretty good plan to begin with, and stuck to it. I might not have has the best job after leaving the military, but I gave myself time to adjust and it really wasn't bad. I was able to enroll for my bachelors shortly after separation, and used my GI Bill which was a huge help financially. It paid all the way through my MBA. No regrets! |
202 |
As expected |
I fully believe the level difficulty is directly related to the limiting parameters and restrictions which are self impose (e.g., only willing to move to a certain location, certain pay range, etc.). |
203 |
More difficult |
No one prepared me for the emotional loss of identity or how to rebuild my self after military conditioning |
204 |
Easier |
After a short period of time with civil service, I was hired by a growing telecommunications company by a retired CWO-4 that preferred military vets. |
205 |
More difficult |
Bringing home less income was the hardest part. |
206 |
As expected |
I was told I had to put work into it, that there wouldn't be people lined up to hire me, but I needed to move right into a job and I wanted to relocate to a certain area which made things more difficult. Had I been willing to relocate anywhere, finding a job would not have been a problem. |
207 |
Easier |
Had my plan and have my own business. |
208 |
As expected |
Economy dropped when I got out, many companies were experiencing hiring freezes, so I knew to get a job I would have to get a degree. |
209 |
As expected |
I was prepared |
210 |
As expected |
I was lucky as my Chain of Command supported service member transition preparation. Additionally, at the command there were a number of retired personnel "continuing to serve" as government civilians. I was able to pick their brain and get their advice. From the other transition course I was able to attend (Rheulin seminar) I had learned about setting up a timeline and identifying/tracking milestones to ensure a smooth transition. |
211 |
As expected |
I was confident in my exit. Even though I was highly successful in the military, rising to a rank faster than anyone else in my unit and achieving promotion in a rate that was highly competitive. But everyone in my unit was treated like trash by my division officer, the chiefs, and my senior petty officers. It was like living in purgatory. They derided anyone who was going to leave the military and they insulted my intelligence and abilities regarding leaving. On balance, I was right. There were a few problems I had not anticipated, but compared to their predictions, it was a breeze. |
212 |
More difficult |
I had this fantasy about how great it would be. It was a lot more work than I expected. |
213 |
More difficult |
My belief that my leadership, soft skills, and work experience would be valued in the civilian world was incorrect. Jobs searches and building a career has been terribly difficult. |
214 |
As expected |
What I expected |
215 |
As expected |
Getting a college degree without any financial help or assistance requires a great deal of effort. |
216 |
As expected |
A job is a job. No matter who you are, or what organization you're in, or what skills you need to learn and utilize... a job is a job. The people who forget this, in my opinion, are the people who have the most trouble transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce. Maybe I was simply too much of an individual, I don't know, but I believe that if you have that much of a problem transitioning, it's because you bought too much into some of the BS that the military throws at you. Don't drink the kool-aid; a job is just a job. |
217 |
More difficult |
I didn't decide to transition, I was downsized. Because of that, I still had the mentality of a military member and found that coping with civilians was very difficult. |
218 |
More difficult |
The job search was very successful. I found a very good job before my retirement. The emotional transition was very difficult. I had just returned from Iraq and retired 6 months later. The combination of a very impactful deployment and leaving a career I loved made that part of the transition tougher than I expected. It actually took me about 3 years post-retirement to make the emotional transition. |
219 |
More difficult |
T-GPS is garbage. |
220 |
Easier |
Going to a defense contractor you find prior military and a strong ethical culture you can relate to and easily integrate with. |
221 |
Easier |
It was not difficult for me I was ready. Plus I gave birth as I was retiring. So I now had a young baby at home. I also had two younger children. I was quite prepared to stay home even though I did engage in MLM's and that was my business. |
222 |
Easier |
I happened to have the opportunity to network, interview and be offered a job months before my terminal leave date. |
223 |
Easier |
It was easier than expected because I applied for jobs 12 months prior to my Retirement. It gives you a huge window to look for jobs and prepare for the adjustments. The further out you start looking the more you'll know on how to prepare for the transition. |
224 |
More difficult |
Timing. Recession had not yet turned the corner |
225 |
As expected |
I hated retiring from the service. It was the only job I have ever truly loved. I never wanted to do anything as a civilian because what most of them do is trivial and unimportant in the great scheme of things. I still think that even though I've been marginally successful and make a decent salary after being out for over 4 years. I probably will always feel that way I think to some extent. I still care very little about what the average civilian thinks or does with their lives. Most of them live "unexamined lives" that don't amount to much in the long run. |
226 |
As expected |
Didn't feel like there were any surprises. |
227 |
As expected |
I expected difficulties during the process because I had been there before as a prior veteran with broken service. The job search took a little longer than expected but that's it. |
228 |
Easier |
I was essentially courted by a company and allowed to set my own terms for number of hours worked, location, etc. I have been very fortunate! |
229 |
More difficult |
it was hard to find a job or determine where to settle down with my family |
230 |
Easier |
I found a job I was satisfied with within weeks of separation, despite being separated medically which meant I had less than three months notice of my separation before exiting the military. |
231 |
More difficult |
I felt alone and different than everyone else. No one understood me. The lack of respect for other people & discipline was difficult to get accustomed to. |
232 |
As expected |
I really didn't know what to expect. I suppose it could have been better. It was stressful, but overall it wasn't bad. |
233 |
More difficult |
VERY hard to get a job, hard to adjust to not feeling like you are worth anything even with a DD214 and references. |
234 |
More difficult |
I had difficulty the general lack of structure. When in, I knew what my job was and i know how to do it. As a civilian, there is a much broader structure and sometimes no structural system at all. I went from a Black & White, Right & Wrong system to a world of grey. I did not like it and still do not like it. |
235 |
Easier |
Although I was nervous, jobs are plentiful. Someone is always in search of an employee with "your" skillset. |
236 |
As expected |
When you move outside of your network, there is no assistance. You are alone |
237 |
Easier |
The first job I was interested in hired me and I negotiated an acceptable wage. |
238 |
Easier |
The trasition was very smooth and fellow retirees was very helpful to my immediate success. |
239 |
More difficult |
Talk to people, they are more than willing to listen even if they don't exactly understand. Sometimes it helps to just have a sounding board. |
240 |
Easier |
I was offered several jobs (offer letters) so my transition was making a choice which one I wanted to accept. |
241 |
More difficult |
The loss of camaraderie was my most difficult issue. After that I missed having a direct impact on what I was involved in. Even though I was using many of my skills I had no contact with the customer so I didn't know if what I provided was helpful or needed or had an impact on what their goals were, even though my manager provided good and positive feedback it wasn't the same for me. |
242 |
More difficult |
Selling myself short on skills and abilities has been the biggest challenge. I keep landing jobs that I am over-qualified for and than, after 6 months or so, I get bored. You have to know your worth and what jobs you are capable of doing. Do not take a job if you know it will not challenge you, you will only get frustrated and want to move on in short time. |
243 |
More difficult |
After separation, I was aimless, although I thought I had a plan. But it was a plan I'd formulated while enlisted. It didn't include the thousand things in the civilian world that are different than the military world. |
244 |
As expected |
I knew it was going to be challenging and it has. I was prepared. |
245 |
More difficult |
It was easy from the perspective that I worked in a familiar environment with active duty military and government employees but it did not help me regarding exploring other career possibilities and expanding my resume. |
246 |
As expected |
I was smart and prepared. I had about 20-30 HR reps look at my resume before I'd even been to TAPS. I finished a dual Masters Program. I maintained additional certifications. |
247 |
As expected |
Prepared for long process, but had secured job while on terminal leave. |
248 |
More difficult |
You must understand that you are not employed, do not have a job, until you have actually begun work and signed the employment agreement. I was recruited by and given an offer from a company in which I was extremely interested. The position would have used the knowledge I had gained in the Navy and especially from my final assignment. The offered salary and benefits were great. One week after I had received the written job offer, the offer was rescinded when the Corporate HQ imposed a one year total freeze on employment because they were relocating their HQ from New York to Virginia. |
249 |
More difficult |
There was more to understand and do in order to be independent. Neither military training or TAPS class helps you understand what it takes to be financially or emotionally independent. |
250 |
As expected |
n/a |
251 |
Easier |
My concerns were unfounded and with proper planning, I was able to navigate the job hunt rather successfully. |
252 |
As expected |
I knew it was going to be difficult and it lived up to that billing. It required a lot of perseverance and challenged my faith in my worth as an employee. |
253 |
More difficult |
The 18 year old students around me had not visited all the places in the world I had visited. They had no idea how amazingly great the USA is and it was sometimes hard interacting with such ignorant (not in a bad way but just unworldly) and immature people. |
254 |
More difficult |
Timeline took longer than expected. |
255 |
More difficult |
Timeline took longer than expected. |
256 |
As expected |
I had a job waiting for me that was exactly what I was doing while in my twilight years of my career. I found out within a year that I did not want to keep doing what I had been doing in the military. I needed to branch out and do something totally different. |
257 |
More difficult |
Nobody wants to hire you at the level you should be. Networking is the only way to get a job since the online method has been so saturated. |
258 |
As expected |
The workload was not harder than anything I had done in the military, adjusting to working with civilians was difficult. |
259 |
As expected |
I was probably better prepared than most, but it was still hard |
260 |
More difficult |
I could easily get a contractor job in specilized operational planning and team training, but if I don't want a government sponsored job, my talents are not understood. They easily transfer to the needs of nonprofits, but the NPOs don't understand that. They love my skills if I volunteer, but don't want to hire me (at any salary). |
261 |
More difficult |
I wanted full time work but was only able to locate a contract position. |
262 |
As expected |
The level of difficulty experienced in my transition was scale of 1 - 10, 10 being the highest, would be a 4. It is due to the lack of expertise at hand then. I really think more emphases should be ask by veterans and not unqualified civilian sector know how. Offering separated military members to outline their needs minimum of 18 months separation transition. |
263 |
More difficult |
No clue how to find a job, money dropped off radically, dealing with emotional baggage of combat deployments while trying to adjust, a lot of really hard stuff. |
264 |
Easier |
Wasn't hard |
265 |
As expected |
The transition takes time. Be prepared for it to take several months. Companies, especially larger companies, have a slow hiring process. |
