Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Trigger warning: prepare to have your ego bruised and a hard slap of reality beat you across the face in this post. This is some hard-hitting real advice for veterans.
If you think you are going to walk off base on your last day in the military with a DD-214 in hand and you are expecting fireworks, the Cowboys cheerleaders, a 10-piece band, and a fleet of limos with executives looking to hand you a job offer….you will be sorely disappointed.
The day I signed out on terminal leave, I picked up my DD-214 and the lady at the counter said “Thank you for your service. Have a nice day.”
And I left.
Separating from the military can cause a lot of angst and anxiety. I’m not here to make it worse. I’m here to tell you the truth because, with the truth, you will know what to expect and then you can go and crush it on the outside.
There are a lot of good intentions out there, but good intentions only go so far. I’m not here to give you a bunch of “atta boys!” and fill you with motivational poster nonsense.
I want you to know what to expect and help you get there fully prepared to take on life after the uniform.
The fact is that your veteran status is only going to take you so far.
Will you still be able to get free meals on Veteran’s day? Yes, for sure.
Will somebody still occasionally buy you a beer at the bar when they hear you tell a war story? Most likely.
Can you still access tons of great resources and programs and will you continue to experience the brotherhood and sisterhood of arms? Yes.
But don’t expect much beyond that.
It seems like everyone wants you to think that the world will be laid at your feet when you decide to leave the military. People pumped me with all kinds of nonsense about how everything would be handed to me because I served.
There are definitely great resources out there, but nothing will be handed to you.
Examples of advice often given to veterans:
“Every company will want to hire you. You’re a vet!”
Truth: There’s a difference between wanting veterans, and hiring veterans. And that space between is what matters.
I had a friend who served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, then went to Columbia for his MBA, and is now working at one of the MBB consulting firms. He busted his ass every step of the way. We were recently on the phone and he told me about a vet who recently got brought into the hiring process for his firm. The vet was impressive, and coupled with his military status he was identified as a preferred candidate. But when my friend spoke with this guy prior to his interviews, it became obvious he was not taking his prep seriously. This guy thought he could skate in and land this prestigious position on his veteran status alone.
He thought he didn’t need the advice as a veteran. I’m sure you guessed already that he did not get hired.
“Oh, you want to go get an MBA? I’m sure you’ll get in everywhere you apply because you are a vet.”
Truth: If all they cared about was leadership, then every MBA or grad school program would just be filled with veterans. That’s not the diversity they want. The truth is that if you apply to a top grad program, they likely have a target range of the number of veterans in their class (most MBA programs hover around the 5% mark). That means you are competing against other veterans for a small number of spots.
Take the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, a perennial top 20 school. The class of 2021 had 421 people, with 4% listed as veterans. That’s roughly 17 veterans. And those 17 people all likely have the same career history as you. In order to get one of those spots, you will have to bust your ass on test prep, do multiple essay revisions, and take your interviews seriously.
“No one else your age has been working as hard as you!”
Truth: Bullshit.
Do you really think every other person in your age group in America has just been resting on their laurels while you’ve been serving? Think again.
Your military experience is for sure valuable. Veterans bring teamwork, dedication, and problem-solving to organizations. But we lack industry experience and a lot of the practical knowledge that our peers were busy accumulating while we were wearing the uniform.
Thinking that you will be able to just walk in and set yourself apart from your civilian peers strictly based on your military experience will not be a winning strategy for you. You will have to put in the time and effort to learn.
“You’re leadership experience will send you right to the top.”
Truth: Your leadership skills will only be valuable if you can match with competency.
Would you be comfortable with a regional manager for a delivery firm taking over a logistics company in the army? I’m talking, they interview for the job, get hired, and the next day they are getting the guidon from the 1SG, having been a civilian a few days earlier? Why not? They have experience with logistics and leading teams over a large area? Why shouldn’t they be able to do it?
Because they don’t know shit about how the army works. That’s why.
So why do you think that you should come right out of the military and move into a top leadership position in an organization when you have no proven experience in that industry?
Veterans do have a tendency to start moving up the career ladder more quickly than their peers, but you should expect to start lower at first. You may have to take a pay cut and dent to your prestige factor at first.
Take a big ‘ol slice of humility pie and show up to career fairs, interviews, and your first job eager, but humble.
So what do you need to take away from all this?
Be hungry.
You have a lot to learn. And no one is going to do that for you.
Be humble.
You did amazing things for your country. Great. Now what can you bring to your next organization?
Help your fellow vets.
Do all this for your fellow veterans. Every time some idiot walks around and expects the world to be delivered to them on a silver platter because they served in the military, it makes us ALL look bad. It makes it that much harder for the next veteran going into the interview or applying for the new job. The camaraderie does not end after you hang up the boots and so you still have a responsibility to other veterans.
Share your own advice with your fellow veterans.
I seriously want you to freaking crush it after the military. Shoot for the moon. Dream big. If you want that big job, go for it. If you want to get into that top school, then do it.
Employment studies routinely show that employers recognize veterans over their peers for their performance and contributions. Veterans consistently get promotions and start moving up the ladder quickly. But it takes time.
No one is going to give it to you just because you served in the military. Accept that. You have to take responsibility and ownership of your own course.
Thank you for your service. Now it’s time to get to work.
Cover photo courtesy of Hannah Skelly and Unsplash
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