Honor Thy Service

Today the nation honors the men and women who have served and currently serve in the armed forces. Your service to this country is much appreciated! So when it comes to these fine men and women, veterans should be honored with employment opportunities.

Young men and women join the military in hopes of protecting this great nation, leaving home to explore the world at the cost of the government, to receive money for school or begin a career. Whichever the choice is or was one thing remains clear, unless you make a career of the military; you will one day, again, lead the life of a working civilian. Even for those who made the military a career, if you retired in your 40’s, 50’s or 60’s, you may still want to begin a new career or start a business.

Before you separate or retire from duty, you need to start planning your exit strategy. You need to begin thinking about what you want to do after the military. Review the experience and soft skills gained during your time of service.

Do you know if your skills and experience are transferable to the civilian workforce? Will you need some additional education? What skills or knowledge did you have before the military that may be useful when re-entering the civilian workforce?

Transitioning back to the civilian workforce may not be as easy as you may think. Like any company, the military uses terminology of its own that is unfamiliar to the regular everyday civilian. Although you have gained all of these wonderful skills and experiences, the key is to be able to translate it into civilian world.

To start, you may want to visit http://online.onetcenter.org/crosswalk. The O*NET can help you align military educational and job training curricula with current civilian workplace needs. Use the Cross Walk to find O*NET occupations that match "Military Occupational Classifications."

Another valuable resource is your local One-Stop Career Center. Make an appointment with a Veterans’ Employment Specialist to find jobs, acquire skills and education, plan your career, attend workshops, and take advantage of other resources. To find the closest One-Stop Career Center, visit http://www.careeronestop.org.

Last but not least, for the entrepreneur in you visit http://www.sba.gov/VETS/vbop.html. Veteran Business Outreach Centers (VBO) provide business training, counseling and mentoring, and referrals. Their staff can assist you in the development of market research and business plans, and give you training assistance on how to become an entrepreneur.

Please note there are so many more veteran’s resources that are available, that I hardly even taped the surface. However, the above-mentioned are some great sources to get your exit strategy planning started. I salute you. I honor thy service, by providing my service.