BobEWise

I will presume that by Mars calling you mean the actual god of war was called to personally thank you for holding up the celestial dome of badassness in his place long enough for him to have a cup of coffee and use the john. If I'm wrong, please don't correct me. This is the world I want to live in. Keep up the good works.

When I was getting ready to end my active duty contract a platoon sergeant in my company asked why I wanted to get out rather than take the promotion they were offering me. My response was that there would always be enough quality leadership in the Army, especially in my company where there were at least three guys junior to me who were ready to take on leadership responsibilities. I knew the civilian world was a lot more fluid and the structure that encouraged leadership and mentorship could only be created by qualified folks taking initiative. For lack of a better term I wanted to be a civilian NCO. At the time I thought that would lead me into education as a school teacher. I'm pretty satisfied where is led so far.

Thanks for asking!

My argument for using the GI Bill despite not having solid career plans is to give yourself for years to build a professional network and figure out what you really do want to do. That stipend plus a p/t job goes a long way while figuring out your future.

I learned a lot about political science while attending UIC, but not from the classes. I learned from volunteering on campaigns and getting to know professionals in the field who wanted to bring my skills into their organization when I graduated. In fact volunteering with a group called Leave No Veteran Behind led to my current job with Veterans Forward.

God, I hope so.

I'll echo what's been said about the GI Bill, but also stress the importance of building up a professional network. I don't know about you, but when I was in the Army the closest I got to a job interview was a promotion board and that wasn't an interview. That was the large, angry men with bad haircuts giving me the third degree. Then they would chuckle as I walked out the door because o didn't pass the board because I knew the max effective range of an M-240 (1100 meters) or the name of the eagle on the 101st Airborne Division's patch (Old Abe). I passed because I showed that I could handle the stress and my NCO support channel vouched for me.

That's what your professional network needs to be. They're the advocates, mentors, and leaders who are going to help you look out for your best interests and grow as an individual.

When you get out, take the opportunity to go to school and get involved in your community. I know a lot of folks will tell you to major in something that will make you more employable, but I know guys who've majored in philosophy and English lit and they've found success by getting outside their comfort zone and developing a professional network.

It won't matter what you major in, if you treat school as your 9-5 job and don't use it as an opportunity to make yourself a known candidate it will be a waste. As my boss likes to say, it's not what you know OR who you know. It's who knows you.

Thanks for asking!