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But, what I'm wondering about is the folks who are recently discharged or in the last 10 years have been discharged. Have you found it hard getting jobs?
I'm in the Army National Guard.
1 BS degree, history with minor in cultural anthro - more or less a worthless degree because at the last minute I decided not to teach
1 AS degree in Computer Technology, dean's list, 3.0+ GPA from a nationally known university (Purdue).
at the time, I was only 24 credits away from my BS in Computer Technology.
My last deployment, I was the CG's personal IT technician.
Before my deployment, I was working in the computer repair shop at my state Guard's HQ.
I currently have a security clearance.
And guess what? I could not find a job for the life of me after my first deployment. It was so bad that I actually stopped looking for work in my field and went to the VA for help. Since I have a 40% disability rating through the VA, they are trying their best to help me.
The only problem? I am now in Iraq, so I can only imagine how much more difficult it will be for me to get a job
I am a 21K so I have some Plumber training. I figured I would be a shoe in for a plumbers apprenticeship here. I went to the interview and i clicked with the guys who did it. Then they asked so your in the Guard, I said yes. They said so you will be gone for one weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer, and I said yes. Well I never did hear back fron them. I wanted to stay around here because my wife is from Ky, but now I am fighting an uphill battle to transfer from Guard to active duty, which I have been told is HARD. Im hoping My father who works in Chicago and knows some people can get me a plumbers apprenticeship. I wanted to serve my country so i signed up but now it seems like people say well thanks for doing it but we dont want some one who might be deployed for a while.
Love boating, I feel your frustration. I pretty much "cheated the sysytem" when I retired from the USAF. The trucking industry doesn't really care what you did before, so it was easy to just fill out the postcard application and I was pre-hired that easy. Now, having said that, I still seee that some people in the civilian world (especially those that have never served) have preconceived notions about what military people are like (infexible, can't think without being given directions, etc.) And you'll always run into those people. But, as others have pointed out above, many HR people DO value military experience. I'd say the best way to get a job is start networking with your friends and meet people already in your field of interest. There's a job out there somewhere for you, don't give up!
I to "cheated the system" as one of the guys in my squad who got out same time I did got a call from his father who he hadnt seen in decades and offered him a great job he later got me a job with company. I enlisted for 3 yrs active but was extended thus it was 3.5 yrs.
I have heard that some places will not hire you if you have been in Iraq or Afghanistan as they are afraid you will wind up drinking or "flipping out" in other words a problem that those who havent been wont develop.
My degree is in Social Science aka "you want fries with that " lol so things worked out . I got very lucky .
1 BS degree, history with minor in cultural anthro - more or less a worthless degree because at the last minute I decided not to teach
1 AS degree in Computer Technology, dean's list, 3.0+ GPA from a nationally known university (Purdue).
at the time, I was only 24 credits away from my BS in Computer Technology.
My last deployment, I was the CG's personal IT technician.
Before my deployment, I was working in the computer repair shop at my state Guard's HQ.
I currently have a security clearance.
And guess what? I could not find a job for the life of me after my first deployment. It was so bad that I actually stopped looking for work in my field and went to the VA for help. Since I have a 40% disability rating through the VA, they are trying their best to help me.
The only problem? I am now in Iraq, so I can only imagine how much more difficult it will be for me to get a job
Which clearance is it? If it's a TS/SCI, DM me and I'll send you the name of the recruiter for my company. We have quite a few openings and an IT person with a TS would be a great fit. The clearance is the most important part, though.
BTW, the job is in San Antonio, TX.
and hopefully you're getting the most out of the VA. I'm currently enrolled in the Vocational Rehab program and it's great. They're paying for my entire degree program plus giving me a $645/month stipend.
Which clearance is it? If it's a TS/SCI, DM me and I'll send you the name of the recruiter for my company. We have quite a few openings and an IT person with a TS would be a great fit. The clearance is the most important part, though.
BTW, the job is in San Antonio, TX.
and hopefully you're getting the most out of the VA. I'm currently enrolled in the Vocational Rehab program and it's great. They're paying for my entire degree program plus giving me a $645/month stipend.
My clearance is not as high as a TS
I was also in the Voc Rehab and you are right, it's great. That's what I was using before I got deployed again. I have had a change in direction though and I've talked it over with my VA rep. When I get back home, instead of going back into the education side of it, I am going to go into the business owner path. My VA rep thinks that it would be a good fit for me, and with the VA there hopefully I'll be able to lean on them to keep me afloat so I won't immediately go down in a flaming crash and burn.
I know that I'm a good employee, but if no one will hire me, screw it. I'll start up my own business. If I can hire some employees eventually, I'll look for veterans.
My husband had a really hard time finding a good job when he retired (over 22 years active duty) and he was in his early forties. He too had the high security clearance, great supervisory skills, people skills, computer knowledge etc. What hindered him was the fact that he was too "educated" or "skilled" for most of the positions he was applying for!
The local Veteran's Job Assistant at the job center was absolutely zero help. What that guy was getting paid was an insult when you looked at how little he helped our Vets. I sat in on a meeting and was stunned at some of the stuff that came out of his mouth!
My husband and I finally took all his military experience and worded it into a civilian resume. Believe it or not, that did the trick (or at least it seemed to).
If you have access to a library on an installation go to the career section and hit the resume writing books. They were a great resource for us.
I went on about 8 interviews in the last year that I was in the Guard, knowing I was not going to be employed anymore. In these interviews, they inquired about my guard weekends and summer training. I said yes to both, I too never heard back. If people are so proud of our service to our country, then why won't they hire us? I was Information Management, but in the real world that would be an Administrative Assistant or Office Assistant. 3 Yrs later, I am still looking for a job. I understand how frustrated you are. Just my 2 cents.
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