U.S. Army, Petroleum Supply Specialist,
Specialist Stockton, California
My transition out of the military was a little rough due to the economy and job market at the time of my departure. I was stationed at Ft. Carson, Colorado, and separated in March 2006. There were a lot of soldiers getting out of the military in Colorado Springs, so jobs for ex-soldiers were scarce. I had 23 days of terminal leave saved up, and it ended up being about 30 days after I left the military that I was hired by my current employer, although I didn’t start my job for another six weeks. The job required a move all the way to Iowa from Colorado.
I had a 5-month-old son at the time of my separation from the Army, and money was definitely tight. It was really strange not going to formations and PT and everything that I had done every day for the last four years. I had just gotten back from my second tour in Iraq, too. It was hard enough transitioning from combat zone to home, but, on top of that, I was transitioning into the civilian work force.
I knew I had to do something with my life other than being a soldier. I thought about my son growing up while I was off in some other country fighting. But, at the same time, I didn’t have a lot of experience outside of the military. I was only 19 when I joined. Four years later when I was getting out, I had no further education or experience other than my Army training.
I utilized on-base transition resources but found there were not a lot of opportunities available at the time in that area due to everyone getting out of the Army. I went to a job fair, but there wasn’t anything that really appealed to me. When I finally began finding companies I was interested in, I always checked their website for background information. Also, I would try to check where they fell on the Fortune 500 list. There are several websites where current and former employees can anonymously voice their opinions about their employers. My current employer is in the plumbing distribution industry, so I asked my uncle, who is a plumber, about them.
I now work in the logistics and distribution field in Waterloo, Iowa. After about 14 months, I was promoted, though, and moved to Stockton, California, to be the 2nd shift shipping/receiving supervisor. I started my career with my employer as a trainee, and, after about six months of learning everything that I could about the business, they started giving me more and more responsibilities. I was in charge of several small projects, and I filled in for other members of management when they were sick or on vacation. It was a great opportunity to learn many aspects of our business for many perspectives.
I was in charge of order picking after about a year in Iowa when I was contacted by another facility manager in our company. He offered me a 3rd shift manager position in California. After the distribution center in California opened, it became apparent that the economy did not require that we work three shifts, so I was offered a position as the shipping and receiving supervisor on second shift at the same pay rate.
Part of transitioning out of the military is transitioning from military healthcare to civilian benefits. The biggest difference I have found between the two is the fact that I have to pay for it, but you get what you pay for. It was nice in the military not to have to worry about any co-pays or premiums, but I didn’t get any choice on the doctors I saw or the treatment that I received. I pay about $200 a month for medical on myself and my 3-year-old, and that gets me a $15 dollar co-pay for any office visit and free generic medication if I order it through the mail. Dental is about $20. I put $25 a month into a flexible spending account for medical that is tax-free, so all doctor visits and medication are pre-tax. They offer life and ADD, as well.
Retirement-wise, I also contribute to a 401k. They match me dollar-for-dollar up to 2% of my income and 50% up to 5% of my income. The Army has plenty of benefits, but, like I said, you get what you pay for. After all of my deductions and taxes, I still made more my first year out of the Army than I did for a year in Iraq as an E-4.
When I first got out, I had a son that I hadn’t seen in five months, who was only five months old. It was rough on him getting used to me being his dad. My fiancé was taking care of all of the bills and our son while I was gone, and the man in me wanted to take back control of everything I handled before I left. It was rough for the first few months.
Then, when I got my new job, we had to move to Iowa from Colorado. My fiancé had grown up in Colorado Springs, and she had never lived anywhere else. The transition from the foothills of the Rockies to flat, corn-filled Middle America was pretty rough, not to mention the fact that she left all of her family back in Colorado. We coped by doing a lot of talking. There were plenty of fights, but we always ended up talking. I tried to help out as much as I could, and she was pretty good about giving me my space. That ended up working for us.
The easiest part of the transition was spending more time with my family. After two deployments and working long hours in the field, it was a welcome change. The hardest part was dropping the whole soldier mentality. I have held onto a lot of my military training, but I had to drop some of it at the same time. There is no one to tell you what to do, and, as much as I disliked it while I was in the service, it took some getting used to when I no longer had that kind of instruction.
I had to step up and make more decisions on my own. In the Army, there was always someone telling you exactly how something should be done. In my current role, I find myself often explaining to my boss what works and what doesn’t. I have written many pages in our SOP (standard operating procedure). In the Army, the SOP was not a living document. You just did as you were instructed.
The drive and ability to make things happen and motivate employees to perform (both skills I learned from my time in the Army) have really put me ahead of others in the work place. It was drilled into my head as a soldier to never accept failure as a viable option and to train and prepare for the worst situation. Those skills become very useful in a fast paced work environment.
In my experience, one thing that is important to do as you transition out of the military is sell yourself well. You have more skills than you realize. When you interview, cite specific examples and situations and use terminology that someone off the street would understand. A lot can be lost in translation if you speak in military lingo.
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