What’s Next: The Holy Grail

WHAT’S NEXT

Transition to Civilian Life

By Eve Nasby & Kristin Hennessy

If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail. But What About the Holy Grail?

CALM!

Are you planning to exit? Repeat the question. Are you PLANNING to exit?

Here’s the deal. Transition causes obvious anxiety. What is anxiety? Fear of the unknown. Let’s start with this: you don’t know the unknown. But, you can start to figure out what you do know. Ok, before you start stressing, don’t. You don’t have to do it perfectly. If Throne had to do it again, he says that he would have gotten his civilian credentials (Human Resources) years sooner, and built networks with nonmilitary and non-veteran communities sooner. Is this a fail? No. It’s a lesson shared.

Your Script isn’t Written for You

So you’re thinking about transition. Or, ready to. What are those final steps across the blue line going to mean for you and your family? They’re steps to the next phase. Steps. One foot in front of the other. One thought-out idea leading to the next. He reflects, “The military had a very 1950’s Sears and Roebuck mentality retirement system. You graduate from high school, invest 30 years, get a cake in the break room, a gold watch, pull out a rocking chair and enjoy your porch and lemonade for the rest of time.”

Times Change

It’s easy to worry that this concept of transition may be a leap of faith into Indiana Jones’ vast abyss. (Don’t those end well?) Well, you have ole Indiana in you, but let’s not leave this to Hollywood. If it helps, Indiana Jones was scripted and the character was told what to do - sorry to ruin that. And scene!

Back to Reality

Change is hard. The idea of transition can be straining on you and your family. The burning questions arise. “What is my purpose? What is my mission? Who am I without my military family?”

Now, the modern era shows the average tenure in a job is 2.7 years, not 30. What does this mean? You have to plan for that! Say you find something you think you love, but you don’t. Not a problem. Use those skills www.bandofhands.com to your advantage. Move on! Continue! This is not a start and stop. This is a journey. Fact: Modern era also means that many get a degree in their 30s or 40s. Why do they do this? Not to get “out of college,” but rather to transition their career. If you need the skills or the credentials, go for it! Plan ahead. Do you need the skills to advance and take you over the bridge? If so, plan for it!

Ready for the Holy Grail?

Enter Chris Thorne, a retired Command Master Chief who spent 30 years of his life in the military. That’s a lot to change. He did it. And he has some wise words to share. In short, planning a transition takes planning. Are you preparing? Most in transition aren’t prepared for what’s next because they’re not viewing it as a natural progression. Thorne says “I see my fellow brothers and sisters thinking about their transition as a ‘stop and start’ evolution versus a smooth and well planned continuum. Start thinking about transition as your next logical step.” Thought we’d leave you with just that? Nope. Here’s the advice from Thorne:

1. Think of your military career as part of your life long career continuum. Leaving the military is a continuum of what is next and not a cliff you fall off when you get out. It is the flame that ignites what’s next.

2. Branch out and get nonmilitary mentors in addition to your military network. They’ll round you out. They will bridge the gap. Find them before you plan to leave.

3. Get on LinkedIn. It’s not scary. It’s not judged. It’s just necessary. (Remember, you’re in modern times!) Start your profile as early as possible. Your military experience is relevant even before you’re thinking about transitioning.

Do it at least 6 months prior if you can - and just start the glory of connecting. You will have a network with barely any effort!

Thorne states reality in saying, “Understand that in the military, we are always decades behind the trends. There’s a massive push to get a degree. Sadly, people are getting graduate degrees just to say they have one, without a specific career focus.

Make time to understand your career needs. Don’t get a Masters in National Security Studies if you want an HR job. It could actually hinder it.”

X Never, Ever Marks the Spot

Indiana Jones isn’t going to join you in your career search with a tattered map to lead the way. You now have personal choice in jobs, health insurance, budgets, locations, and how you create your destiny.

Planning well will help you land a career doing what you love, including supportive people that you like, and a network for continued growth. It can be your Holy Grail if you plan to find it.

Chris Thorne is happy to connect with you to offer additional words of wisdom as you, or someone you know, is interested in learning more about transitioning successfully.

Reach out to him via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/chris-thorne2/

WHATS NEXT

Transition to Civilian Life For more information or help transitioning, contact Eve Nasby at eve@bandofhands.com, or call 619-244-3000 www.bandofhands.com