Lack of job security. This was brought home to one First Class Petty Officer in a harsh way. During his TAP class on of the employers who came to talk to the class was a former shipmate. Because they knew each other and the employer knew what the sailor could do he was hired on the spot. He promptly quit paying attention during TAP class. A year and a half later he came to work and the gates were chained and locked shut with a sign saying the company had gone bankrupt and closed. He never saw it coming. He also had no idea how to write a resume or conduct a proper job search. Whether your company goes belly up, it merges with another company or it gets bought out by a competitor or business slows and your employer lays people off, it all means the same thing. You are unemployed. To avoid floundering, it is important to always be networking and continuously be looking for the next position. Just as in the military you planned in advance your next move; you need to do the same as a civilian.

Low or no pay raises. You’ve grown accustomed to annual pay raises and regular longevity raises. Some companies choose to forgo raises while they try to keep business going. Non-profit and government funded organizations have to account for every penny and pay raises don’t fit into their budgets as often as they should. This piece of information is an important point to learn about a prospective employer while you are doing your research.

Expensive or unavailable health insurance. No doubt about it, full coverage health insurance for you and your entire family is the most valuable benefit of being in the military. I know some folks paying $500 - $800 per MONTH just to have an insurance card in their pocket. Sometimes that insurance doesn’t even cover the costs of prescription drugs. As the cost of medical insurance has risen over the years, the cost employer are passing on to their employees had risen sharply. When employers are looking for ways to cut costs, cutting their share of health insurance is an easy fix for them. You will do well if you find an employer that offers ‘cafeteria style” plans. This means that they have multiple health insurance plans for you to choose from. You choose based on what the needs and health conditions of your family are. The greater the coverage, the higher the cost to you and the employer. If you have an alternative insurance plan, possibly through your spouse’s employer, you could try to negotiate to have your employer add whatever costs they would have spent on insurance for you into your salary.

Having to decide what to wear every day. Just as many folks said that not having to wear a uniform anymore was a ‘best thing”, once you’ve been out for awhile you appreciate the ease of just reaching into your closet, grabbing a uniform and not having to think about what am I going to wear today. You don’t have to consider what colors go together, what patterns clash, which shoes should I wear, or what have I already worn this week. As a civilian with a larger wardrobe, you will also find that your dry cleaning bill will increase. Civilian clothing, and enough for every season can get very expensive. It is time to discover the stores that recycle clothing – Value Village, Goodwill, or any other thrift store – are great ways to improve your wardrobe for very little money. Shop smartly, look the clothing over for wear, tear and stains, consider how it will need to be cleaned, or can simple ironing make it look nice?

People/companies resistance to change. Some people have been in some companies so long and doing things the same way for the entire time that they become blind and resistant to change. On the whole, you will probably be working with folks much older than you have been in the military. The military is a young person’s organization. Seldom is there anyone over 50 years of age on active duty, unless they are quite senior officers. You may be working side by side with someone who has been in the company since before you were born. Even people resistant to change can teach new dogs old tricks. Be respectful of their experience and willing to learn from them. Once you show them that you are willing to listen to them, they will be more willing to listen to you and may be more open to changes you suggest.

No loyalty, integrity and purpose in work/no honor, courage and commitment to purpose. No matter which branch of service you come from you have had these values instilled in you from day one in uniform. You may have even scoffed at them at times, but once you are away from them, you will understand how important they have become to you. Just as there is no longer a commitment to their employees by employers, employees no longer feel that they need to be loyal to their employers. Your loyalty now needs to be to yourself.

Working with people who have no military background and don’t appreciate/know what we can do. Multi-tasking and thinking on our feet are vital skills in the workplace today and ones that most military personnel do without even thinking about it. We are results oriented, can see the big picture and need very little supervision. Folks with no experience of knowledge of the military frequently underestimate what we can do. Give them time to learn about you and keep working as hard as you always have.

Little opportunity for travel/adventure or ports of call. Again, this can go either way to be a good or bad part of being a civilian. No longer will you get to see the world at Uncle Sam’s expense. You probably won’t have an opportunity to live and work overseas again for your employer, unless you work for a government contractor and you may end up back in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The honor of wearing the uniform/TAPS. As our country has once again become more patriotic since September 11, 2001, our folks in military uniforms have gotten much more recognition when wearing the uniform in public. It is now common to see folks shake hands with a military member and thank them for their service. Most of us have at least seen videos of entire airports standing and applauding as uniformed service members walk by, if not actually experienced it for ourselves. Although you may be looking forward to hanging up the uniform, there is a pride in putting it on and wearing it honorably that can never be taken away from you. I don’t know too many former military that don’t still get chills when they hear TAPS played either.

Friends vs. shipmates. Although you will certainly make new friends as a civilian, there is just something about sharing the military experience that makes deeper and long-lasting friendships. Whether it is sharing deployment experiences, or your spouses sharing single-parenting duties during a deployment or your kids being friends with other “military brats”, the friendships mean more and you have more in common with these friends that with your civilian friends. You’ve come through the same trial, tribulations and travails together and come out stronger for it. Many civilians hearing that you moved nine times in 20 years would shudder. Many of us look at the next move as an opportunity for new experiences, new friends and travel. Our children are much more accepting of diversity and have had greater cultural learning experiences just by where they’ve lived.