U.S. Army, Army Corps of Engineers, Captain
Project Engineer, Coastal Environmental Group
My transition experience was an interesting change from the routine of military life, and occurred very rapidly following my redeployment to CONUS from OEF. I was posted in Fort Riley, KS, and utilized the transition program on base to a limited degree, as well as the educational center, but found that although both were helpful, they seemed targeted to positions that were not pertinent to my education and specialties, or catered to individuals with slightly different academic goals.
Planning for housing/relocation during my transition was very abrupt and challenging considering that I had just redeployed and was immediately separating. But I recognized that I made the choice to transition when I did, and I ended up settling in Colorado because my extended family was there and I grew up there.
After my move, I actually ended up having a gap between the time I transitioned in January 2010 and the time I took my job with Coastal in April 2010. During that gap, I took advantage of the new GI Bill offerings and began to pursue engineering graduate school. While there, I was offered a fully paid position on the teaching staff as a graduate research assistant, which I accepted.
This time proved to be the easiest part of my transition, as I enjoyed complete autonomy and followed my own compass. I have always been very strong working without guidance towards an established goal. My advice to anyone who finds themselves with similar down time is to do what you always wanted to but couldn't while being fully employed—traveling, seeing the sights, etc.
The hardest part of my transition, though, was the uncertainty during the job hunt and the fact that I did not feel confident in the civilian world until I landed a position. When it came time to begin my civilian job search, I began to work with Orion International and was introduced to the opportunity with Coastal. When it came time to interview, I picked a good suit, figured out how to match ties to the wardrobe, and adopted a more relaxed appearance while still remaining professional. Appearance and presentation means a lot to clients and would-be employers.
In order to determine if this was the right career path for me, once I had a successful interview, I reviewed the company progress, contracts completed, type of work done and pursued, employee feedback, customer reviews, and spoke with as many of the employees as I could. I was able to speak with company employees and subcontractors of the company when I met them during my initial interview. I also exchanged contact information before and after my meeting with the company president. My interview included a lunch where I was able to speak with several of the project leaders and company administrative personnel. I tried to open a dialogue with whoever would share a good perspective of the company and to be all ears when it came to the inner workings of my potential work environment, as well.
When it came time to negotiate my offer on a phone conference with the President of the company, I was well prepared. I checked several websites like salary.com to compare what comparable salaries would be for the position based on the description I received on-site and prepared myself for the ideal salary expectation. This got me ready to speak intelligently about what I should expect.
In the phone conference, the President and I discussed the salary, benefits, and bonus percentage. We reached terms that satisfied us both relatively easily, and I accepted a position with Coastal Environmental Group as a Project Engineer. We agreed upon additional support and compensation in the form of lodging and per diem expense compensation.
I now work in government contracting within the environmental field and have found that my time in the Army prepared me well for the organization and discipline required for such a dynamic field. Additionally, the operations my company conducts are very similar to down-range operations I experienced as an Engineer Captain. Each contract is unique and requires original administrative, logistic, and physical systems to facilitate the development and satisfaction of the contract requirements.
I have found that my abilities set me apart from my civilian peers, and I enjoy being compared to my peers based on performance as opposed to date of rank. In fact, it is a great relief to see compensation a direct result of effort, performance, and production. I have already received a raise and additional responsibility within the company. In the future, I will accept additional projects, gain professional certifications, and widen my scope of involvement from the mid-west to a possibly international scale.
In my experience, the two most useful military skills have been the basic leadership tenants and engineering planning for mission success—all molded with actual field experience while in the military and overseas. Alternatively, I have found rank and order hard to dismiss. The uniformity of rank, responsibility, and duties in the administrative and business infrastructure within the military makes the behind-the-scenes processes nearly seamless. I have found that in the civilian workplace, there is much less standardization and a less-clear delineation in the exact duties and responsibilities of various leaders and individuals.
I have also found that there is a good deal more qualitative involvement in the civilian world, as presentation and interaction became a much more colorful piece of daily business. In the time since my transition into my civilian position, I've adjusted some to the less disciplined environment, but I have also instilled some of the discipline I learned in the military into my new team, which has led us to achieve new heights in the current contract effort. My military experience definitely places me ahead of my peers in regard to leadership, knowledge, experience, and responsibility on a regular basis.
The scope of military leadership is much broader than civilian leadership, as it would be a large liability for a company to become invested in the employee's livelihood outside the work environment, although that was a part of the military I enjoyed. The military cares about its people around the clock whereas that is just not feasible in civilian marketplace. It leaves me feeling a bit irresponsible as a leader by not attending to my employees’ life outside of work, but it is the norm. Trying to translate the concern I have for the welfare of the people I represent into a non-compromising, legally acceptable, and fiscally sound leadership practice has been challenging.
I'd strongly encourage patience and communication in transitioning soldiers when it comes to interpreting military skills and familiarity with company infrastructure. Military skills are deeply rooted in veterans and greatly amplify the worth of a given veteran applicant above and beyond non-military applicants. How those skills and experience are translated is the responsibility of both the hiring manager and applicant part. The more dynamic both parties are, the more successful and productive the receiving company will be.
Ultimately, I would advise transitioning service members to stay positive, be confident, and work hard on translating your experience and skill to a language that civilian employers can understand. A resume is tailored to the specific position - if you're applying to a hospital, use examples that highlight experience to that. If applying to a logistics planning company, use information relevant to that. Research where you are applying and refine your experience to that specific business. Remember, too, that, as a veteran, you possess the determination, expertise, discipline, and motivation to adapt and lead in order to achieve new heights in productivity and quality.
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