Tag: location

The 4 Big Questions and Your Transition Plan

Getting out of the military is a huge deal.  You are changing your career, your community, your location, everything.  Not planning properly is a quick way to fuck up your life for years to come.

Here is the chain of failure that I see often repeated among too many veterans:

  • Get out without a financial plan
  • Move “back home”
  • Results in unemployment or underemployment
  • Financial troubles result in marriage problems
  • Marriage breaks results in divorce
  • Relationship with kids is strained resulting in isolation
  • Isolation and depression result in substance abuse
  • Substance abuse and depression lead to suicide

Obviously this isn’t always the case, no problem is that simple, but for many veterans this is indeed true, and we can break this chain if we prepare you for transition, or even after your transition.

Enter the 4 Big Questions

  1. Are you Financially ready to get out?
  2. Do you know WHY you are getting out?
  3. Do you know Where you want to live?
  4. Do you know What you want to do?

If you answer these four questions, you will invariably make a plan for your transition.  If you’ve already gotten out, you can use these questions to MAKE a plan and then work towards it.  If you can take care of the external stressors in your life:  marriage, finances, work, etc, then taking care of the internal stressors like PTSD becomes much easier.  If you get a job tomorrow, that problem is fixed overnight; you’re not going to have the same success wrestling the demons in your mind.

Question 1- There is a ton of information out there on making a budget. Personally, I think Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University was an outstanding tool.  If you don’t want to pay for it, there’s probably a class going on in a church near you.  I’ve never personally met the guy, but everything I learned about finances, I’ve learned from him.  Bottom line is this:  You need to know where every dollar you make is going, and have a plan for every dollar

I really like things presented simply, and Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps are just that:

  1. Save $1,000
  2. Pay off Debt (except the house)
  3. 3-6 month fund
  4. Invest 15%
  5. Save for College
  6. Pay off Home
  7. Give

Question 2- At some point after you get out, you’re going to look back at your time in the military and miss it.  If you have a bad reason for getting out, that thought is going to nag at you.  Bad reasons include but are not limited to:

  • My 1SG is an asshole
  • I hate PT formations
  • The command climate is toxic
  • Fort Polk is a shithole
  • My wife hates the military

That last one sets a lot of people off, but if you love being in the military, and she hates it, you are going to resent her for “making” you get out and that is going to cause major problems in the relationship you are trying to save by getting out.  I don’t have the right answer for you here, sorry, but you two need to talk.

Here is a great write up from Chad on answering this question

Question 3- I know you want to go back home.  You have fond memories of your childhood, and you miss being around your family.  If you can’t find a job, however, going back home is the worst possible thing you can do to yourself and your family.  I have talked about decision gates as a way to find a middle ground here:

12 months out:  I want a job in Athens, GA

9 months out:  I want a job within 4 hours of Athens, GA

6 months out: I want a job in the southeast United States

3 months out: I want a job anywhere in the US

You move to the next gate if you have had no success at the previous one.  Also, get a fucking headhunter.

Question 4- You are starting a new career and a new life.  It’s your chance to do whatever you want.  Seriously, your MOS should NEVER be a limiting factor in looking for your next career.  If you don’t want to do your MOS for the rest of your life then don’t.  Being a veteran, you bring a lot of things to the table that are hard to find in the civilian world, your MOS is not one of them.

In Conclusion

Alright, so you made it through this article, you’re on the right track.  Take this seriously and now go back and click the links provided and read those.  Then go back and answer the questions, and make sure if you’re married that answering them is a joint effort.

Now you have a plan, go execute and congratulations on this next phase in your life!

-LJF
 

For more information on transition, get the highly rated book on Amazon:

Our Next Mission

Are you tired and frustrated with the current job market?  I think it falls to us now, the “Warrior Class,” to once again answer the call of our nation.  It is up to us to change the landscape of our country’s economy.  That’s where CONUS Battle Drills and companies like Lucas Group come into play.  We cannot change it from the outside, but we can enter into Corporate America and into positions of authority in order to hire more of our veteran brothers and sisters.  If we outperform our counterparts and move into positions which allow us to influence and develop the hiring practices of the company then that is where we can make real change.  We will not only be helping the veteran community but the American economy as well.  It seems all too often once we transition, we forget all about the others going through the struggle to land a great career opportunity.  We don’t want to lose that sense of teamwork and camaraderie, the sense of taking care of your buddy.  Your performance everyday at your job sets the conditions for the next group of transitioning veterans.  You don’t have to be the CEO to make this change.  Be the employee who your bosses use as the model for all future hires.  They are going to look at your background and realize that what sets you apart from others is most likely your military service.  Regardless, you can’t be that employee until you get your foot in the door.  Be humble, be gracious, and be better than anyone you’re up against.  Prepare effectively for your transition.  Save money, network as much as possible, and chase opportunities over location or titles.  Become an expert at interviewing.  It’s like PT: you can’t skip PT everyday and expect to score a 300 on the APFT.  The only thing you can control in this process is your own attitude.  Here are a few lessons learned from helping veterans for the last 10 years to help set your expectations.

#1 – You need to go where the opportunities are.

A FORTUNE 500 Company doesn’t concern itself about your preference on location.  They are looking for the right person who is willing to go where they are needed (sound familiar?).  Go where you can help the company/team the most.  You don’t need to be open to relocating anywhere in the world, but be as open as you possibly can. I promise it will be better than Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, Fort Sill, etc…

 

#2 – You’re not worth $100K right now.

It doesn’t matter what Unit you were in or how many badges and ribbons you earned.  You are entering into this new corporate career with nothing but potential and raw talent. This is important, but it’s not everything.  If a Private enlists at 32 years old with a college degree and work experience, the Army is not going to make them a Company Commander.  The same rules apply in the corporate sector. Most job opportunities are not going to pay $100K to start, because you don’t have the industry experience or the institutional knowledge yet.  However, you will learn very quickly and, as you get better, you will be compensated for it.  I advise candidates I’m working with to have a long term goal of becoming the person you were in your last unit after 3-4 years.  You were the person who people knew could get the job done, had a network of people who could rally in any circumstance, and you were someone who could be counted on to do the job right and on time.  That’s the person everyone wants to hire, and you know you already are that person.

#3 – Get your foot in the door.

If you are lucky enough to land a career with a FORTUNE 100 or 500 Company seize these opportunities. My first boss, mentor, and fellow Infantryman here at Lucas Group, Andrew Hollitt, would say “you should be willing to clean the toilets at a company like this”. I always found that funny, but the longer I do this the more I think it’s true.  Most of folks have no idea how many positions a big company fills every year internally.  The opportunities you see on the job boards or LinkedIn are the ones they’re struggling to fill.  Once you are hired, you’ll see how many places and directions you can go.  I’ve placed job candidates just like you as productions supervisors and a year later they’re in Human Resources, Information Technology, Research & Development, etc.…  That never happens if you don’t get your foot in the door.  As Wayne Gretzky once said, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

This section is for those of you who have already transitioned.  I’ve been placing veterans for the past 10 years at Lucas Group, yet it always surprises me how little we hear from folks again when it’s their turn to hire.  The entire veteran community needs your help!  If you’re already out there in the workforce, hire a Veteran and, more importantly, set the conditions for his/her success.  Your example sets the tone for future hires.  It is so disheartening when we place a candidate and after 3 months on the job they make a poor decision, such as failing a drug test.  Do you think that company is ever going to be excited to hire another veteran with that as a previous experience?  That person has made it harder for future veterans to get a job there.  We can never hire enough of our brothers and sisters.  It’s like Army Transportation, “There’s always room for one more!”

Spend money where veterans are employed and with companies who support Veteran causes.  That’s our power as consumers.  I love companies such as Ranger Up, ART 15 Clothing, Grunt Style, The Chive, and I spend my money there.  I can buy t-shirts and hoodies anywhere, but I’d rather spend my money knowing it’s going to companies that are veteran owned and operated and/or support our community.  That is one of the most effective ways we can create real change.

We can find plenty to complain about with the current job market, our current jobs, etc., or we can roll up our sleeves and get to work.  It’s really one of the only choices we have.  It requires real hard work and, as veterans, we know that none of us are allergic to hard work!  We have the ability to change lives and to make Veterans feel needed and wanted.  Maybe it will help some of our brothers and sisters feel valued and needed enough to help prevent the rampant suicides we see amongst our veteran family. Maybe it will provide a fellow veteran with the means to take amazing care of his/her family and help him/her to be a better parent or spouse.  We are capable of this and so much more.  Let’s get to work!

-EC

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Important Marriage Conversations during Transition

I have told you before that you have to treat your marriage like a team event, not a contract.  If you win an argument against your wife, your marriage loses, and ipso facto, you lose too.  The only way to win is to work as a team and win together.  Today I want to focus a bit on the important conversations you need to have and how to have them.

Answering the 4 big questions together

How anyone of you does this without your partner is absolutely beyond me, but it happens all the time because answering these questions means you might have to have some tough conversations.  You need to start having these conversations at least one year before you get out, so you have time to prepare and adjust as needed.

Big Question #1- Are you financially ready to get out?

If one of you is a big spender, or maybe you have student loans, credit card debt, car payments, etc. you need to get together and figure out a budget that allows you to clear out as much of that debt as possible. Right now you have no idea how much money you will be making next year, or to put it more bluntly: you have no idea what someone will be willing to pay you next year.  If you decide to get out of the military and carry with you a ton of debt, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

I know what I am suggesting here is a tough pill to swallow because it implies you might need to stay in longer.  Then again, if you have a very compelling answer to Big Question #2 and can’t wait any longer, then you and your partner need to be perfectly aligned with every dollar you decide to spend (down to whether you’re buying lunch).

Big Question #2- Do you know Why you’re getting out?

Although couples often talk about the reasons for leaving the military, sometimes they aren’t aligned.  I’ve seen where one person was ready to get out and the other wasn’t, but capitulated to satisfy their partner.  If you’re getting out, you need to have a better reason than “my wife hates the military.”   Sorry to drop that one on you, but if you’re not all in also, when life gets hard on the outside, you’re going to blame her for it.  That blame will lead to resentment and eventually the relationship is going to suffer anyway.  You both need to be ok with the decision!  See if there’s a compromise: is there a PCS location that would help, or maybe you decide on a number of years.  Regardless, it needs to work for both of you, and if you’re not OK with it, you need to speak up.

Big Question #3- Do you know where you want to live?

I had a buddy that followed his wife to her hometown because she wanted to be near family.  Because he was so geographically limited, it was hard to find a job.  This put them in financial strain which resulted in constant arguments in the house.  In the end they ended up with an ugly divorce and their kids are stuck in the middle.  It’s a terrible situation for everyone.  A recommendation from a corporate recruiter is to have “gates” set up:  At 12 months you want a job in San Antonio (for example), 9 months out you open it up to Texas, 6 months out you open it up to the southwest, 3 months out something stateside.  If you both agree to this strategy ahead of time, then she will know you’re doing your best to meet her needs, but also keeping a pragmatic approach and protecting your finances.

Big Question #4- Do you know what you want to do?

You and your wife should be very clear about the parameters of your work so there is no confusion when you get a job offer.  If you want to be a cop, or work an off-shift, she needs to be clear on the requirements of that job. If you want to work as a contractor and deploy some more, she should be on the same page as you.  If she expects you to take a 9 to 5 and help her with the kids in the morning, you better be willing to do it.  Regardless, it’s a conversation you need to have.

Financial Decisions

I will always harp on financial decisions because finances are the number one reason for arguments within a marriage.  Regular arguments over finances can eventually lead to resentment and other arguments over minor stuff.  This can then result in a marriage beyond repair and a family gets broken.  Losing a family then puts a veteran into extremely high risk category for suicide, particularly when coupled with substance abuse and depression (very common after divorce).  So you see, answering question #1 and being on the same page with your wife financially could very well be a life or death decision.  Just don’t take this shit lightly ok?

Respect your partner and their ideas of what you should be doing with your money.  Don’t make any decisions without consulting her first.  When you talk to your wife about a financial decision, don’t say, “this is what we’re doing,” because that doesn’t count as a conversation.  You guys are a team and you don’t need to be giving orders.  Instead try, “I’m thinking of doing X, does that align with your financial goals too?”  If you decide to work at your marriage and treat it like a covenant and not a contract, you will find it to be so rewarding!

Remember that this is your partner and teammate that you are talking to.  If you hurt your wife in order to win an argument, your marriage loses.  Keep your words soft and sweet because you never know when you’re going to have to eat them.

Good luck and God Bless!

-LJF

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Why the headhunter won’t work with you

I can’t stress enough the importance of having a headhunter in order to get a job.  Unless you already know someone in the company you’re applying with, as much as they like to tell you otherwise, monster.com isn’t going to get you the job.  You have to get a headhunter, more on that here.

I spoke to a friend of mine, Eddie, that works as a headhunter for Lucas Group.  I’m not getting paid to say this, I just honestly believe they are the best firm out there. If you’re talking to someone else, I recommend you give Lucas Group a call, they’ll work with Officers and NCO’s alike, but there are some people they won’t work with.  So here’s an hour long conversation about a candidate they won’t work with given to you in 700 words…

“You must have the right attitude”

I’ve said this before, and I discuss it in great detail in the book, but you are starting a new career and you need to realize that.  Look, I don’t care if you were a Brigade Commander in the military, you don’t know anything about my business.  If you think that you’re better than my team because you wore a uniform, then you don’t belong on my team.

You need to come out of the military with some humility.  You can be proud of what you did, and you should be, but if that pride makes you look down on others that didn’t, then you’re going to have a tough time and i’m not going to hire you.  Tell me instead that you don’t have a problem starting at the bottom.  Say, “It’s an opportunity to learn about the business and I’m confident my skills will get me promoted quickly.”  Bam!  That’s what I want on my team!

 

The right combination of “shuns”

“You have to have the right combination of the 3 ‘shuns’: Location, compensation, occupation.  If you tell me ‘I want to be a program manager in west chicago and make $120k a year,’ I’m going to say ‘good luck.'”  

You need to have realistic expectations of what kind of job you can find when you get out.  There was a boot shop in Fort Bragg that had a sign that read, “we do 3 types of work: Good, fast, and cheap.  Pick any two.”  That saying is very similar to what you need to consider in your job hunt.

Location

“I can’t tell you how many times i’ve heard, ‘I need to stay in Dallas, my girlfriend is from there.’ Then I have to take my recruiter hat off and put on my life coach hat…”

Location is the 3rd question of the big 4 questions, go read more about that here.  Although there are occasionally good reasons to limit yourself geographically like a special needs child or a sick family member, generally you should consider a wider net.

Compensation

“I had a guy tell me, ‘well with BAH, Flight Pay, and Jump Pay i’m making about $130k a year, so I expect to make something commensurate to that.’ With a history degree? There’s no way.”

You need to be realistic about what you’re going to make.  That’s one of the reasons why finances are the 1st of the big 4 questions. You are going to take a pay cut, just wrap your mind around that.  Plan to live off your base pay and understand what that means to your budget.  This way, if you get a job higher than your base pay, you’ll have extra spending money.  Don’t worry, I have the utmost confidence that if you want it, you’ll be able to get promoted quickly above and beyond your peers. More on finances here and here.

Occupation

“I have guys tell me that they only want to do program manager jobs.  Dude, you don’t even know what’s out there and what you’re qualified for.”

The 4th big question is to understand what you want to do, and i’ve explicitly said “lead people” is an acceptable answer.  It is important for you to want to do something that you find interesting, but you should keep your mind open to possibilities that you might not have considered.

“If the alarm goes off in the morning and your feet don’t immediately hit the floor, you have a job not a career and there’s very little compensation or location that is going to make up for you being miserable 40, 50, or 60 hours a week.”

So basically if you’ve read the book or follow the blog, chances are you’re going to get a headhunter to work with you because you’re not going to make those mistakes right?  I’ll close with one final quote:

“The biggest obstacle in these guys’ career is themselves.”

-LJF