Re-inventing yourself for work

[joemilitary]

Hi all, maybe I can try this again.

Basically I am a military major that will be retiring (military pension of about $44 K per year, still need to work) in a year or so. Nervous about the transition.

I make a bit over $100 K now.  I have a MBA with high GPA from a decent school (mid level, not an online degree (no offense)).

I also have a some government financial management experience (but not as much as I honestly should).  I also have a lot of certs and training in this field (but again not the experience that goes with it......urggggg)

So I would feel more comfortable re-starting my career in some other civilian / corporate field. 

Is re-starting at mid level management outside of government at about $60K realistic?   

[justme]

Middle level doing what? I'm pretty sure the answer changes whether it's in finance or say retail.

[Shooby]

Just one word on reinventing yourself. If you go into the civilian world, remember you are in the civilian world.  I have worked with some former military people. And, while I greatly respect their service, they need to realize that the corporate/civilian world does not operate like the military even if doing so would be better.  And, it gets a bit old to hear "oh well, that's HOW we did it in the military,...". Yes, perhaps, but that isn't how we do it here. And, maybe your way is better but that isn't what the Boss wants at least for now.

[Shooby]

So, I guess I am saying, bracing yourself for a boatload of stupid, lol. There are lots of business practices and people who make no sense!

[joemilitary]

roger Shooby I understand that thanks

just me- there are a couple of management training programs-----like bank manager that seem interesting to me.........

[ArchietheDragon]

Dec 31, 2014 14:00:14 GMT -5 joemilitary said:

roger Shooby I understand that thanks

just me- there are a couple of management training programs-----like bank manager that seem interesting to me.........

Can you manage people?  If you can and you can show it on your resume and in interviews, there will be lots of opportunities like this.  Companies want people that can manage employees.  They can teach you how to fill out a form or follow a company policy. 

[gooddecisions]

I used to train a manager in training program for a bank. Yes, you could easily do that job. No, I don't know anybody who is happy doing that job. The staff does not get paid well, turn over is super high as a result and employees can be immature. Also, Saturdays were normally required (depending on the branch) and limitation on number of vacation days taken in a row. And, it's a highly regulated industry, so you better know your policies and follow them to a t.

[joemilitary]

yes I can manage people. I was a company commander and have mostly managed teams of people.

[Deleted]

Joe, are there programs near you that support veterans who are transitioning to civilian jobs? I read of one in the KC area and it made a lot of sense; the main point I got out of it was that there's BS in both the military and the corporate world but there are different acceptable ways of dealing with it and they coach you on that.

I sent my son to a military boarding school for HS. I realize that's not the same as service in the Middle East, but he learned some really valuable skills that I believed helped him in his corporate job after he got out of college. He learned to work with diverse teams of people (certainly more diverse than our white bread suburb), he learned to go after promotions, and he never quite lost the habit of addressing people as "sir" or "ma'am", which really impresses people when he's working with them to settle an insurance claim! He's also physically fit and, having been used to being in formation on a quadrangle not too far from the Hudson River at 6 AM no matter how cold the temperature, he's got a pretty good work ethic. I also remember "(Stuff) rolls downhill" and "You can delegate authority but not responsibility".  So, there are plenty of skills and values from the military that will serve you well.

According to my reading, one thing that can be hard for ex-military to adjust to is that "because I said so and I'm in command" doesn't work in the corporate world.  It's a necessity in a war zone but in corporate America you have to use more than rank to be a leader.

Good luck with your job search and I hope you find some people who can help you make the transition.

[Tiny]

According to my reading, one thing that can be hard for ex-military to adjust to is that "because I said so and I'm in command" doesn't work in the corporate world. It's a necessity in a war zone but in corporate America you have to use more than rank to be a leader.

I would second this.   Some jobs also require the 'workers' to trouble shoot or make decisions on their own.   Sometimes you just got to trust your people to make the right decisions.    The Manager from Hell was ex-military and she could NOT relinquish control.  It was her way or the high way.  We were writing code and there's generally more than one way to code stuff... she'd review our working, tested code - and re-write it OR make us re-write it if she didn't like the way it looked.  It was working, tested code (hours and hours of work and set ups and sometimes getting the end user involved).  Tinkering with it meant it had to be re-tested.  Sometimes she'd even re-write the re-writes she forced us to do.   Sometimes you just gotta trust your employees to get the job done - even if it's NOT the way you would have done it.   

[ZaireinHD]

it will be interesting to just walk in to a place of business applying for a management job from the outside. I am not so hopeful you can just get a job as a Bank Manager without having the experience and knowledge of already being a Bank Manager.

[joemilitary]

Thanks all

the bank manager is a training program thing

[Deleted]

Joe, one other thought- some employers have a good history of hiring ex-military. I worked for an insurance sub of GE and can think of several in the office where I worked, one of whom went to West Point. GE has plenty of subsidiaries and plenty of places where someone with a financial background could work.

[imanangel]

Dec 31, 2014 13:56:21 GMT -5 Shooby said:

So, I guess I am saying, bracing yourself for a boatload of stupid, lol. There are lots of business practices and people who make no sense!

You obviously do not have a lot of experience with the military.  There is a boatload of stupid there too!  

No offense to the military, I am a military wife.  I am just shocked at how stupid some military units can be.

[Shooby]

I am a civilian but I have worked with a lot of great military people. Two of whom were my partners until they retired.  My one partner was in Vietnam and he is a great guy. My other partner was a retired colonel and she was a bit annoying about it.  Kind of demanding that the world function like she wanted it. And ,then there were the constant comments on how much "better" the military training is for our field. My other partner was civilian trained in our profession after he left the service. So, basically, it was her saying "We suck" .

[gooddecisions]

Dec 31, 2014 21:05:03 GMT -5 ZaireinHD said:

it will be interesting to just walk in to a place of business applying for a management job from the outside. I am not so hopeful you can just get a job as a Bank Manager without having the experience and knowledge of already being a Bank Manager.

The hundreds I trained didn't necessarily have bank experience. They came from all different areas. I'd say half came from other banks while the other half had experience managing other stores- pizza restaurants, insurance branches, mall stores, etc. Still it's a very stressful job that takes a lot of patience, energy and competence. You have to deal with angry customers and underpaid employees. And, it's a job with no overtime eligible, a modest salary and that's nearly impossible to work less than 60 hours/week. I'd probably choose managing a call center over managing branch, but it would be a tough choice.

[ZaireinHD]

but for Joe to just to apply for a bank manager job - I think would get passed over.

[gooddecisions]

Jan 1, 2015 11:02:21 GMT -5 ZaireinHD said:

but for Joe to just to apply for a bank manager job - I think would get passed over.

Not necessarily, if he had proven experience successfully managing a team and it sounds like he does.

[ZaireinHD]

I think Joe would get passed over for most corporate jobs starting off as a manager because of no experience in the field / industry. sure it's great to know and have experience as a leader. however not having knowledge of something like time keeping, and payroll system, company policy of bank being robbed, sales, etc.

not to say it will not happen to re-invent into working in a entirely different industry. I think it will become more difficult to reinvent yourself into a entirely different industry at the same level from previous industry.

example we hired a guy that was a dispatcher for a taxi company. no experience with working in a office. no experience with pretty much any or our office programs other than he had heard of it and maybe used it at home. but we had been interviewing for for close to 3 months and management just felt we need to hire somebody and he was hired. 5 years later he is still bad at his job, but it's just not intentional.