After completing over 20 years in the Army, I thought finding a civilian sector job would be a piece of cake. I had leadership and training experience and I could make difficult decisions in very stressful situations without batting an eye. I live by the values I learned in the military. What employer wouldn't want these traits in his/her company? They all say they want to hire Veterans because we bring these intangibles. I led and trained hundreds of troops, so how hard could job searching be? Tough…tougher than anything I had ever done.
The Army trains to prepare you for a myriad of situations you may find yourself in. But when you leave the military, you leave that support group that you had grown accustomed to. You are on your own and it's the most frightening feeling you can have.
I was getting really anxious after 4 months of searching! So much so that when I finally got a job offer as a satellite TV installer, I jumped right on it! I didn't care that I was over 40 with a bad back, arthritic knees (the military is tough on a person), and I'd be installing satellite dishes in the middle of North Dakota winters. I just wanted a job and a chance to prove myself. I would have worked through the pain and been the most dedicated satellite installer in the company! I took some painkillers and pushed myself through the physical and occupational test. I steeled myself for the upcoming training and winter! Luckily for me, I found another job and was hired before I had to sacrifice my body to these installations.
I felt your frustrations. In some ways, I still feel it. More of my life was spent in the military than being a civilian. There are days when I wish I would've pulled my retirement packet and lingered in the Army until mandatory retirement. I still struggle with assimilating but it gets better every day.
If you are still searching and considering relocating, North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate and the fastest growing economy in the nation. There are always 25,000 jobs to be filled, and they are not all oil or energy related. Fargo has a very robust and diverse economy.
If you have time, you can visit: http://www.experience.nd.gov/live/ to learn more or give me a shout. Best of luck!
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