Military to civilian transition/career advice

[westcliffe01]

Considering how long you have been in, the first thing I want to say is that you will surely miss the feeling of "belonging" that one has in the armed forces.

I am not a native and it is striking how superficially polite society is here in the the US, but generally speaking when you get down to it, very few people give a ****. Politics in the corporate world is the dominating factor and you cannot get ahead without having a poker face and "going with the flow" which = the whim of some VP whose check is a couple million a year. Typically they have a great public persona but when you walk in their office you have to endure a half hour long tirade and cussing like a sailor.

Depending on where you go, beware of the culture shock that will be organized labor, unions, 2 weeks of vacation/yr, endless compliance training (sexual harassment, intellectual property rights, use of company computer equipment, domestic and foreign corruption law, ITAR and the list goes on and on.,). Many states allow firing for any reason and even no reason. You only have recourse if you can prove discrimination.

Its not all bad, and I know there is plenty of politics and power play in the military, but the difference in the private sector is that you potentially go home without pay, benefits or medical coverage and maybe have to go out of state to find work (who knows when the next 2009 will be here ?). You are going to deal with narrow minded recruiters who really have no understanding of the job whatsoever, who get thousands of resumes across their desks daily.

I work in engineering and science and you would think that the air would be a bit clearer in this line of work, but the truth is that it is all spin and BS and most people have complete contempt for the facts.

 

[KretZ]

In the last few issues of the Air Force Times I'd noticed stories about 15 year retirements.

Eligible officers, enlisted members offered early retirement > U.S. Air Force > Article Display

To KretZ, Just curious, what is your AFSC?

Smstonypoint, yes I am being offered early retirement. I will be getting less money per month than I would have if I stayed until 20, but at least it will be guaranteed. I will have all the same benefits as any other military retiree, I just won't get as much as I would have had I stayed until 20. I would prefer to stay until I hit 20, which has been my plan since I hit the ten year mark. But times they are a changing. What is currently happening is certain career fields that they have deemed to be over manned are being given the choices to separate with a one time chunk of money if you are 6-14 years in, or early retirement if you have 15-19 years. If you do not choose one of those options then you go before a board this summer. Well your records go before a board, you do not physically see anyone who makes the call. They are looking at your records 10 years back. This doesn't bother me so much, I think I have a good chance of keeping my job with my records. This first round, they will be dropping people who have had disciplinary actions against them (DUI's, Article 15's) that kind of thing. My records are clean and all my performance reports are good. I have gotten decorations from every deployment I have been on. I have spent more than three years in the desert accumulatively. The things that I am weak on, I don't have much off duty education, and I failed a PT test back in 2007. So this year's board I am not so worried about.

But the writing is on the wall,
1. I am not sure if the military retirement system will still exist in its current configuration in 5 years. There has been a lot of talk about changing it to the point you don't collect a dime until you turn 62 or 65 or whatever. And that people on active duty, but not retired will not be grandfathered under the old system.

2. These cuts are not just this year, this is going to continue for the next 5 years. So I could survive the cut this year, only to have the same thing happen next year. You might say "well why not stick it out and figure it out next year?" This early retirement program is not a permanent thing, they offered it this year, and they offered it last year. There is no guarantee they will even offer it next year, I might just be given a chunk of cash and sent on my way if next year I don't make the cut.

For those that do not know how the military retirement system works, its basically an equation of how many years of service, earn a certain percentage of the average of your last 36 months of base pay. Normally 20 years = 50%. For this early retirement system, they scale the percentage back depending on how many years you are shy of your 20. When they offered it last year, they gave a certain percentage for 15 years, this year they are giving less of a percentage. So someone who was at 15 years last year and passed on the deal, this year they are at 16 years and when you do the math, they will be getting the same amount that they would have gotten if they had taken the program last year. So the extra year they spent before they were forced out earns them nothing.

What I am trying to do is stay ahead of the hammer as best I can. I never thought that after retiring from the military at 20 years I would be able to fully retire at 38 years old. I always knew I was going to have to start some other career, and at this point I figure better to start out at 34 than 38. Especially when there is a chance that my years of service, and sacrifice could earn me a boot in the *** and a "come see us when you're 62 if you live that long and we'll see about your retirement"

Don't get me wrong, I love the Air Force, and I don't regret my time in. It's a great way of life, it has taught me a lot. I have made friendships, and memories that I will always cherish. I have seen places and things I never would have otherwise, and I would still tell young people who are so inclined that its a good choice. But for me I think its time to start a new chapter in my life, and move on and get busy.

 

[KretZ]

In the last few issues of the Air Force Times I'd noticed stories about 15 year retirements.

Eligible officers, enlisted members offered early retirement > U.S. Air Force > Article Display

To KretZ, Just curious, what is your AFSC?

Daver, My current AFSC is 3D171 Client service tech, I was a 3C071 Communications Com sys operator before they restructured the career fields. When I first joined I was 2A5X1 C-130 crew chief. My current job is okay and I have an A+ certification. But I don't love doing it, I have always preferred to be working with my hands instead of behind a keyboard. So in this way I am looking to kind of re-invent myself.

 

[KretZ]

Hi KretZ,

Many of us on here have been in the same boat of leaving active duty and getting back into civilian status. It can be a challenge but there are a lot of opportunities ahead. Search real hard to identify and capitalize on your skills and experience gained in the Air Force. Everything I did in life past the age of 17 was directly attributed to what I did in the USAF (active duty 1970-1976, +3 years reserve, and I just retired in 2012.

Here are some thoughts:
1. Consider federal or state civil service, your 15 years will count for federal, probably state too. (Continuity).
2. Decide if you want to be part of a group that works in similar tasks, or something that can distinguish you on your merit and activities alone. Teamwork is great but people get real ugly when staff is reduced- see number 4.
3. Do you want to report to same location 8 to 5, or work in the field and travel to local sites or cover regional states or half the USA and Canada. Making your own schedule can be tough but rewarding.
4. BE VERY CAREFUL! I worked for one national company ($67B in value) that underwent 8 years of mergers, layoffs, re-engineering, cut 12,000+ jobs, and butchered retirement plans, vacation, sick time, health plans and 401-k plan. The only people that gained were about 10 people in the corporate office that enriched themselves at everyone else's hardship. You are in it for you and your family, fairness in the workplace isn't always so fair anymore.
5. Repeat: consider civil service.

Are you committed to Ohio, or do you have some flexibility in location? Being mobile at least in the beginning can open a lot of doors, especially in civil service. Meet and speak with some HR folks at your facility, ask if there are any priority programs for people in early out status or returning to CONUS.

Lastly, if you have any choice at all, stay with the Air Force and complete the 20, then move forward.

Best of luck.

I would prefer to be around Ohio/WV/PA area. The town we are returning to is near Steubenville, its where the wife is from, and it is where we own a house and bought a chunk of acreage before we found out we got orders overseas. We have a mortgage on the house, but the land is almost paid off. It is where we intend to build eventually. But the area is pretty close to Pittsburgh, and the surrounding area does have opportunities, provided you can pass a drug test haha. No problem there!

 

[KretZ]

Thanks everyone for all the inputs, a lot of good ideas and things I had not thought of, which is what I was looking for. This whole thing has just been lobbed at us recently, the timeline looks like if my request for early retirement is accepted, my retirement date will be August 1st. I am just trying to get a plan together and get all my ducks in a row because I know this time is going to be here before I know it. I'll keep you guys posted, thanks again! :thumbsup:

 

[aczlan]

If you think you might at all go to college and get a degree I highly recommend taking the core CLEP exams while you are in as they are free for Military personnel. Will save you some bucks and some of your GI bill money not having to take these basic classes. I tried to take college courses while in but deployment schedules etc always seemed to have a way of torpedoing traditional length college courses. I did not take the CLEP exams while in but wished I had when I had to pay $$$ to take such basic courses. I recommend this to every young person I meet that is getting ready to go in. Easier when a person is fresh out of high school. Looks like you have been out a while but I would still take them.

I agree. I took 3 CLEP exams (9 credits) and a compressed semester (a 4 credit class in a month) and shaved a semester off of my degree.

Aaron Z

 

[MossRoad]

I agree with you Moss, after much looking back in reflection...even using 20-20 hindsight....I would not change a thing....At first I had regretted not going to Law School....but as time passed I realized how many attorneys were coming to me for work...LOL...So I soon realized that would have not been the right path....I feel blessed and am always thankful...especially for my Mrs. of 50 yrs. come July and my kids and grand-kids...

Congrats on the anniversary!

 

[MossRoad]

Civilian jobs with a pension are almost nonexistent. If you can stay in, I'd do it. I worked in the auto industry, and new hires don't get pensions, or post retirement health care. They don't even get much in the way of pay, I think it's $17 per hour.

$17.00 per hour is $34,00 per year, which puts you in the top 1% worldwide according to that other thread. And don't forget that many employers have 401K plans that they contribute matching funds to. That is what many pensions have turned into and they are not bad. Health insurance is a big concern, too.

 

[Daver1963]

Daver, My current AFSC is 3D171 Client service tech, I was a 3C071 Communications Com sys operator before they restructured the career fields. When I first joined I was 2A5X1 C-130 crew chief. My current job is okay and I have an A+ certification. But I don't love doing it, I have always preferred to be working with my hands instead of behind a keyboard. So in this way I am looking to kind of re-invent myself.

KretZ, I can understand that. I retired as a 3D173 converted from a 2E173 that used to be a 30454 Ground Radio. I understand how that stuff has morphed over the years and I even had to do Help Desk stuff that I really had no interest in doing. When I converted to 3D173 I had to get the Security + and that was more studying than I wanted to do at the 23 year mark (8ys, 4mos-active + 18yrs, 5mos-ANG = 26+)
I can see wanting to re-invent yourself and maybe even going to school, but if you need to supplement your income there is no reason not to fall back on the skills you have and maybe find a place to do some part-time Help Desk or other Client Services type work.

 

[Gunny]

I don't think he'll have to worry about health insurance since he and his wife will be covered under TriCare Retired. It does cost, but it's very reasonable, especially in this day and age. His wife will have to find a Doctor or clinic that accepts TriCare, which is a real chore since so many have stopped taking it, but he can go to the VA and get just about anything he needs.

KretZ - you might want to look in the areas of hospital specific maintenance, even when the economy goes bad, there's always a need in those areas.