Mid Life Career Change Following Military Retirement

Military veterans prepare for the next mission in their careers Written by veterans who have successfully made the transition, Down Range offers career planning guidance to U.S. military veterans coming off active duty. This is NOT simply a guide to transitioning from the military to the civilian world. This is NOT a guide to getting a job. This book IS a guide to developing a post-military career, not just for the first few days, weeks, or months after active duty, but for the rest of your employed life. This simple and effective planning process has been taught to more than 1 million business executives in companies all over the world. Explains how to build an adaptable long-range career plan called a Career High Definition Destination (HDD), across a spectrum of seven key areas Shows how business differs from military service, how to identify the resources needed to achieve the Career HDD, and how to develop strategic and tactical courses of action that drive you to executing towards your Career HDD on a consistent basis Author James Murphy is founder of Afterburner Inc. and is currently working with the U.S. Army at the highest levels to develop a transition program for the estimated 1.5 million veterans who will transition from active duty service to civilian careers by the year 2020 This book challenges veterans to change their mind-set and understand just how different the "wilderness" of civilian employment is from military experience. Down Range provides an appreciation for what's important to a business, helping you to become a valuable asset throughout your career.

This book is written for Veterans retiring or separating from the Military. Little has prepared us for life "after we put away the uniform." It is a story borne of lessons learned from failure followed by recovery and ultimate redemption. Following 35 successful years in the Army, Steve was fired from his first civilian job. To help you in your journey, this is his story. We may feel we are alone in this transition, but over 50,000+ Veterans annually retire from the military and transition to civilian life, many of whom will struggle in commercial management positions. A common concern is we lack the needed awareness and skills to be successful in what is for us a strange new world. To help you in your journey, Steve reflects on his seven years as a civilian businessman and compares the two environments to share lessons learned. After describing his release from his first civilian job, Steve begins a thoughtful assessment of how to become more successful moving forward. He believes that while Servicemembers have much to provide, they also have much to learn before they can parlay their time in uniform into successful civilian careers. Using vignettes and his personal experiences the author builds a rich lore of common sense coaching to guide the prospective former military leader through the thicket of complexity obscuring and complicating the transition. Steve believes the key to strong civilian careers begins by studying how to interact, communicate, and relate to new civilian counterparts. While the author is primarily focused on speaking to Veterans, civilian leaders also have much to learn from this story. They will gain valuable insights to assist transitioning Veterans by learning both the vulnerabilities and needs of potential new Veteran associates. As Americans we can all learn from this candid story of initial failure followed by thoughtful self-examination leading to ultimate success in transitioning to a new way of life. Join the quest!

Civilian employment for men retiring from the American military service is a manpower topic that is receiving continually greater attention. Current policies tacitly assume the possibility of smooth transfers from the military to the civilian sector for a steadily growing number of physically able military retirees (an estimated 1 million by 1980). This report deals with the most comprehensive study yet undertaken of the employment transition from military to civilian life by a portion of this large reservoir of trained manpower. The primary interest here is in the intrinsic significance of the problems of this segment of the national labor force. The problems faced by men seeking civilian employment following military careers of 20 years or more, and the methods they employ in the process, may also have much relevance for the growing number of civilians who similarly need to make a change in career during the middle years. One specific objective of the study was to determine the extent to which specific occupational skills have 'high' or 'low' transferability from military to civilian occupations, and the implications of these findings for needed training and retraining programs.

Change is a given in the United States military, but the soon to be applied “Blended Retirement System” is a financial change like no other the military has ever experienced. It is a huge deal that will not only affect the wallets of many active duty service members today and certainly 100% of them beginning in 2018, but it could also have a significant impact on future recruiting and retention of our volunteer military force. Mission Transition: Managing Your Career and Your Retirement is a needed introduction of the military’s new “Blended Retirement System,” representing the big shift in how the DoD manages military retirements. In the process, it encourages service members to adopt the new concept of retirement in the military, improve their own financial literacy, and assume responsibility for their own retirement planning. Finally, it provides new civilian job survival tips and strategies for service members in the process of leaving the military for civilian life. For those who are contemplating joining the armed forces and who wish to better understand the myriad of changes to the overall military retirement system this is the ideal guide.

Revised and updated for 2015! The third edition of "Orders to Nowhere" updates the chapter on resumes with new examples and introduces the Curriculum Vitae as a job seeking tool. New sections on personal branding and the do's and don'ts of social media. A must for every transitioning Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine, or Coast Guardsman! "This is THE book for any person in the military who is planning to transition out or retire. There are insightful personal vignettes and countless of valuable lessons from cover to cover. This book makes more sense of the very complicated transition process than anything I have seen." -Chuck Heiser, former Marine and professional career consultant "Mike Grice has made real difference in the lives of those who serve by using his talents to put a complex undertaking into simple terms with a sense of humor and humility. I have personally benefited from ORDERS TO NOWHERE and have passed insights from it to veterans and active duty Marines who are contemplating transition." -Colonel Greg Martin USMC Orders to Nowhere is the essential insider's guide to military transition. Demystifying the uncertainty and ambiguity that surrounds getting out of the military, Orders to Nowhere is the comprehensive After Action Report of a career Marine's transition from the tightly knit military world back to civilianhood. Tens of thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen transition back into the civilian world each and every year. The change from life in uniform to life beyond the military is a significant emotional event for everyone who experiences it. Hanging up your uniform for the last time isn't easy, and Orders to Nowhere was written to help explain the overwhelming process and make it easier for military members planning to get out, while they are in the midst of transition, or after they become veterans. Mike Grice is an award winning writer, retired career Marine, and intrepid explorer of the military transition process. Orders to Nowhere is the journal of his experiences, but it is also the story of every Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine, and Coast Guardsman who takes off the cloth of the nation and goes back to civilian life. Written during the author's adventure through the trials and tribulations of transition, Orders to Nowhere eases the pain by giving an inside look at the widely varied aspects of military to civilian transformation. Things like: -making the decision to hang up the uniform - telling your boss that you are getting out - the administration and logistics of moving on - the emotional roller coaster of transition - effects on family - transition decorum and ceremonies - the details of military retirement benefits - transition assistance classes - dealing with the Veterans Administration - VA disability claims - the Post 9/11 GI Bill - finding a job - how to dress like a professional - writing a resume and cover letter - networking - interviewing for a job - salary and benefits negotiation - adjusting to civilian life - and much, much more The book contains over 160 lessons learned and recommendations that can help anyone going through the military to civilian transition avoid making costly mistakes. The path back to "normal" life is anything but normal, and Orders to Nowhere is the traveler's guide that every member of the military and veteran needs to ease the pain of the journey. A must for every man and woman in uniform to help make transition as smooth as possible!

This handbook provides a career transition framework for service members and their families. Readers are given exit strategies for gracefully leaving the military; charts, checklists, and worksheets for planning each transition aspect; resume and cover letter samples and strategies; and interviewing and salary negotiation tips. The author also shares advice for surviving the first month on the new job and beyond. This enhanced edition includes a chapter on how to land a federal job, tips for online networking; a directory of online transition tools; and information on employment and retraining options for disabled veterans. An essential roadmap for transitioning service members and their families, this eye-opening guide addresses the entire transition process and includes the family perspective with it.