Bitter Medicine (Transitioning from the Army Series, Part 6)

This entry is going to focus on a specific issue that I have struggled with since the beginning of my transition. I wouldn't call this another "step" in the transition process, but rather a unique obstacle that sooner or later, we're all going to have to overcome. Just how much of a fight it will be depends on every individual's personal stance towards their time in service and opinions towards the rest of country's workforce. This obstacle is pride, and let me tell you, it's like having to wrestle a Grizzly bear.

an actual photo of me fighting my pride. I used to have pretty sweet hair

As you all know by now, transitioning from the military ain't easy, but we love a good challenge. There are, however, parts that are more difficult than others. Looking for jobs is easy. Overcoming massive amounts of ego is NOT easy, and trust me, we've all got pride in spades. Regardless of however long you've served, you have be slapped on the back, cheered at airports, and given free drinks enough times that a tremendous sense of accomplishment and pride has been built up inside your mind. Damn right you're proud of your service, because you've done something that 99.5% of the US population couldn't or wouldn't do. But now that service is coming to a close and you have to learn to let go of that underlying chest puffery. And if you've ever found yourself with a serious case of Irritable Veteran Syndrome, thinking "these friggin' civilians take everything they have for granted" then you've got a long, hard road to walk to let go of that pride. Otherwise, you're going to run straight into a brick wall during your interviews when the world doesn't roll out the red carpet because you served.

some Pride Bears are harder to wrestle than others. I got 20 bucks on this guy.

I call this post Bitter Medicine, because swallowing down some harsh, bitter truths has been the exact prescription that I've had to follow in order to accept my new place in the workplace. But like any medicine, it's for your own good. You see, over the course of my transition, I've interviewed with numerous companies. The ones that provided me an offer all had one thing in common - the job wasn't commensurate with the level of responsibility I thought I deserved. Initially, I took this like a slap in the face. Now, I understand why this is not only a necessity, it's a huge benefit.

Here's the easiest way to think about the necessity of taking a step down upon your entry into the civilian workforce: Imagine a CEO of a moderate sized company with about 500 employees. If that CEO was to enter into the military, he/she should be an O-5, right? And placed right in to Battalion command, correct? They're already doing the same amount of leadership and management, and even though there would be a steep initial learning curve, they'd obviously succeed because of their track record of excellent performance in the civilian sector. Now, if you thought to yourself, are you fraking kidding me, that CEO could come in as an O-2, AT MOST, and only after some extensive schooling that brought him/her up to speed on the military's way of doing things, then congratulations, you've got the same thought process at everyone else. Of course that CEO isn't the equivalent of a Battalion Commander, just as that Battalion Commander isn't the equivalent of that CEO. Yes, both are good leaders, have excellent performance records, and can manage complex systems and lots of people. But being an expert in one field, no matter the number of similarities with another field, doesn't equate to total transferability. How long do you think that CEO-turned-Battalion Commander is going to last in their new job? A week? A month? Oh, and don't forget that they are now being rated against their new peers, all highly experienced professionals. (Surprise! You get ranked in the civilian work sector just like in the military!) So at this point, you can probably imagine what I'm going to tell you. Just because you're a top performing, terrorist-killing, square-jawed American hero doesn't mean you can replicate the same performance in the private sector immediately upon transition. That's the bad news. The good news is that you're most certainly GOING to replicate that same performance, given the necessary training, mentorship, and support (plus, regular readers of my blog are automatically given a huge bonus when applying to certain top-tier corporations*). This, mis amigos, is the bitter medicine:

We simply aren't going to be as good at our first jobs in the civilian world as we have been at our last job in the military.

There. I said it. Now I need to force myself to admit it. Like most other pieces of advice I've given, I'm still struggling to follow my own wise counsel (I can see my wife rolling her eyes as she read this). I recently got a call from a very good company after I finished an interview with them that while they had loved talking to me, they believed I wasn't fully prepared for the position I had interviewed for. They wanted to explore some other options that would essentially take me down one level in their corporate structure. Seven Hells, I was PISSED. Like, I almost went Super Saiyan.

dem abz, tho

It took me a couple days to cool off and thankfully, I was helped by some wise veterans a few years ahead of me who counseled that it was the right move.

If you can accept the fact that like the CEO-turned-Battalion Commander, you aren't going to be ready for the same level of responsibilities immediately upon entry to your new job, then you should be HAPPY to accept a job that seems a little "below" your potential. Because you can recognize that while you have tremendous potential, you don't have a matching level of skill. Trust me, most companies you're dealing with know the value of a veteran and are interested in you not because of your skills, but because of your potential (Character Trumps Competence). They're hiring you because they're playing the long game - investing in you, knowing that they're placing you somewhere that won't immediately test you to your max so that you can get your "sea legs" and learn the new game you're playing. Because come on - It's YOU. There's no doubt whatsoever that you're going to blow away the competition once you're running at full speed. You just have to come to the realization that it may take you a little while to reach that full speed. Don't sweat it - enjoy that first year with your training gloves, then come out swinging. Bitter medicine may taste horrible, but it's the best thing to take.

*No. But that would be sweeeeet, right?