Anyone transitioned from military to civilian?

[Mr. Clean]

I'm looking at job opertunities back in my home state of Arkansas and am trying to secure a smooth transition out of the military if at all possible. If not, then I'll probably have to reenlist which I'm not really wanting to do but I'll suck it up for my family to be supported.

I've got about 9 months left so I'm trying to use my time wisely. Soon, I'll be looking to military resourced about transitioning but I was just curious if any of you have done this before and have any advice.

[ProfessorChaos]

your situation is vastly different from mine. i got out as a single cat with not ties, so i started using the GI bill for school, will be receiving my kinesiology degree this may. with a family to support, you've got a lot more riding on your swift return to society and steady work.

i also had a particular set of circumstances with the timing of my tour in iraq bumping right up against my EAS date, so my transition from being on patrol in fallujah to being stationed at camp couch, 1st civ div was rather short...which in hindsight probably wasn't such a good thing. not sure of your deployment experiences, but that can of worms can be one of the more challenging aspects of the switch.

pm me with any particulars i may be able to answer for you, and best of luck.

[Publius]

My transition also happened close to (about a month and a half after) my return from Iraq. Didn't have a lot of time for a job search but I have a professional degree (was a judge advocate) which guided the search. I applied for a few federal civ jobs and got an offer but ended up going to work for the "family business" for a couple of years because they really needed the help. Now I'm in a federal civilian job in the DC area. If that's something you might be interested in (federal civil service jobs, not the DC area necessarily), be sure to make use of the military transition resources like classes that teach you how to write a federal resume. I didn't and there was a big learning curve because you really need to know what they're looking for.

[brer]

I did it also. I worked for the government for a while and worked in the trades. Some military jobs transfer easier than others to the civilian world. Electronics/Electrical skills tend to be needed more than many GI skills.

Good luck Brother.

[White_Zombie]

I enlisted in the army reserve last week and I'm shipping to fort.sill at the end of march for basic training then fort.wood for advanced. My MOS is CBRN Specialist (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear), does any one know what kinda job back home that will translate to? i was told i'd have a good shot at becoming a firefighter or a police officer but i think it's full of shit. I'll probably end up working a crappy part time job, and go to college full time. But anyways thank you for your service guys!

[Mr. Clean]

I enlisted in the army reserve last week and I'm shipping to fort.sill at the end of march for basic training then fort.wood for advanced. My MOS is CBRN Specialist (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear), does any one know what kinda job back home that will translate to? i was told I'd have a good shot at becoming a firefighter or a police officer but i think it's full of shit. I'll probably end up working a crappy part time job, and go to college full time. But anyways thank you for your service guys!


I'd say you have a shot at anything but not so sure at how good. Unless your a Firefighter/Cop in the military then all your really got going for you is your military background(minus dishonorable discharges, ect). I'd say with an associates degree, your job would convert to some sort of Environmental Surveyor maybe? Just speculating though.

Looking for jobs crack me up....They want you to have a degree or some sort of certification in what you do PLUS experience. Sometimes they substitute degree with experience but not often. I feel sorry for all these peeps going to college for 4+ years old to learn that their degree means absolutely dick.

[White_Zombie]

Yeah that would suck, spending all your time in college for nothing. The NCO at MEPS told me they have this program called PAYS where they "help" you find a job, but all they really do is guarantee you an interview and it's up to you from there. If i can't find a job when i get back I'm gonna gonna go active duty and reclass to infantry the next psychical year (which would be about 4 months after i get back from training) and just put college on the back burner. What MOS did you have Mr.Clean?

[Legion2213]

Are there any private companies who are military friendly in the US? Maybe offer a bit more help and options than standard companies?

From a UK perspective, I often think that British companies should be making some room for ex military types after they've finished serving their country, I know that I would if I owned a business.