Hey, Guys! I wish the best for all of you regarding your decision to stay
or leave the Guard. I don't have any deep, Confuscious-eske advice for you.
I left ya'll at the beginning of our 3rd Class year. But - if your
wanderings bring you to Portland, OR, look me up.
After I left you guys, I graduated from a college in New Jersey. Doesn't
matter which one. You wouldn't know it anyway. I almost burned down a
convent and made it through college on scholarships, part-time jobs, and
vocal performance / concert production. I don't have the kind of technical
experience that you guys enjoy, but for what it's worth, I'm doing just
fine. I live in a 3-bedroom house, drive an SUV and travel voraciously.
Diana & Tana are right. Keep your wits about you. Save your cash so you
have a cushion to fall back on for awhile. NETWORK. And see what you can do
to get as much technical training (certificates in software application or
supplemental degrees in a particular subject) as possible. Be realistic.
You're going to have to work at getting a job. Start early. Consider, too,
what kind of experiences you have encountered in the Guard that you can
transfer to the civilian world: project management (how many times have you
been saddled with a project, a team to manage and a deadline? Giddy up!);
human relations (that guy you always have to bail out of trouble and
counsel when you dock into a new port. Okay - if that's you, don't mention
it in the interview); safety training; facilities management... You guys
will do fine whether you stay in or get out. Just make sure you understand
that - on average - to find that pipe dream job, it takes about 3-6 months.
Oh - and somebody mentioned that they think moving your family around is
traumatic if you consider staying in the Guard. I'm a Marine Corps brat.
Dad (a.k.a. the Great Houdini) retired a couple of years ago as a Lt.
Colonel. Moving wasn't traumatic for our family at all. In fact - it was
pretty cool. Granted, being the new kid in school sucked for a while, but
you learn to deal. Dad called it "character building". My 2 younger sisters
and I are all characters. The military took us to Germany for 3 years too.
What a blast! Merrill Lynch probably won't do that for you.
The economy will slap you around a bit if you get out, but get used to it.
There isn't much stability in the market today. Actually - there isn't much
stability in the civilian world at all. When the market's good, employees
enjoy being courted by companies seeking their talents. An employee will
leave a job in a second if a better opportunity comes along. Company
loyalty? What's that? When the market's bad - the companies have the upper
hand. "Retirement packages" are almost unheard of these days. People rarely
stay at one company long enough to be eligible. In the civilian world you
are entirely responsible for taking care of yourself and your future.
Nothing in civilian America has a life-time guarentee unless it removes
hair from your legs. The civilian life allows for plenty of flexibility and
creativity if that's what you get off on.
My life has been pretty transient. I worked for a publishing company in San
Diego after I graduated. Then, I was in sales for awhile which took me to
Florida for a few months and I modeled a bit. Now I'm a
producer-in-training at an animation studio in Portland, OR. I assist a
producer who produces TV shows. It's fun. Sometimes I do character voices
or commercial voice-overs. Sometimes I sit in meetings and discuss how my
team is going to effect the explosion of the 3rd stage off a NASA rocket
for a short film. Sometimes I just schedule meetings and baby-sit Hollywood
types with fake 'n bake skin, glow-in-the-dark teeth and blue hair.
"DAHLING! You look Fabulous!" The industry is mostly free-lance work, so
the routine is to work for 6 months, 50-60 hours a week, save your money
and then go on unemployment to supplement your income until the next job
comes along. I have a bit more stability in my position with a regular
salary, 401K and medical benefits... for now. Layoffs are coming next month.
The point of this email is basically this: there is more stability in
certain job fields than others. Boeing is more stable (if you live in
Dallas) than a .Com company in San Francisco. Working for the Coast Guard
is more stable than working for Warner Bros. But your decision should be
based on what you want out of life. Do you believe that the guy with the
most toys at the end wins? Do you want to dedicate your life to the
honorable mission of the Coast Guard? What kind of stories do you want to
tell your grandchildren? Do you want children at all? I'm sure you are
well-aware of these issues, but don't be afraid of leaving the Guard if
your only concern is financial stability. I'm still single and living the
high life. I can afford to deal with a little financial instability if the
trade off is pizza and beer parties every Friday and a dress code that
permits wearing your pyjamas to work. If you're not Hindu, you only get one
chance at life :-)
Don't pigeon-hole yourself into a sales or a water-foul job if that's not
your bag, Baby. You're still young. You're all smart. Keep an open mind
about what opportunities are available to you. Be creative.
I know I am coming in on this post well after the fact, but I just found this page today. I wholeheartedly agree with Katie’s assessment. It took me about three years to finally arrive. Everyone wants experience but no one will hire you to get the experience you need for what you really want. It’s an endless process. I am currently working for Bechtel Telecommunications. It is an engineering management company contracting for AT&T wireless. We are upgrading their cell sites to 3G (third generation) technology. I manage other sub-sub contractors in several markets. I’m currently working in the Houston market but my home is in Dallas. Well, I will offer one piece of advice. NETWORK! It is truly the ultimate way to land that dream job or ANY job for that matter. If anyone is interested in getting into the telecommunications field, let me know. I’ve got some contacts and would be willing to pass on a good resumes or a good word. Good luck to you all.
Best regards,
James