Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
I used to be a regular, after 6 yrs (old scheme), I get out without any degree cert. It was not easy. Employers don't regard those years of experience in the air force as work experience, in fact to most of them, it is a slackening jobs. I have to suffer pay cut, even though my same peers which did not sign up, is much better pay than me. Also, once you get out, you will be like a tortise in the private sector, everything so different from being a regular. And you will think of job hopping to get a higher pay job. However, if you are willing to work hard and upgrade yourself after the "conversion", you will catch up with your peers of the same age in no time. Now, I am in Sales line and managing a office. It boils down to your personal objective to stay focus and work hard.
The saying always go, the good will leave after 1st contract, the lazy one will stay on. No offence, but this is the way it works. Many regular after ORD goes back to ST Engineering to work on aircraft. IN the first case, they shouldn't have left the airforce. |
Thanks for sharing your experience, this is quite the same as my journey as well although I'm from Army.
When I first leave the Army at 30 years old, I underestimated the transition and difficulties ahead.Somehow assume that employers will prefer me as a manager as I have a lot of leadership experience managing a lot of people on the ground. I figured I was leading 90+ men under me with 10 years experience compared to my peers who a lot of them are not even managers yet.
Naively applied for some managerial jobs and either no reply or never make it past first interview. Was actually getting very frustrated after 8 months of jobless until I met an honest enough HR guy to finally tell me what was wrong.
He told me what I had in the army was authority granted to me by the organization, not leadership skills. In pte sector, good managers need to use a combination of bribe, plea, threat, incentive and praise to manage downwards & upwards depending on situation. Throughout the interview I displayed no understanding of this and they could tell that I simply assume that since I had the was employed as manager, I will ask my team to do this do that etc.
Took a steep paycut and start from fresh by joining as a marketing senior executive. Now progress to leading a department & I understand how different managing a diverse group of people who may or may not report to you directly is compared to planning schedules, barking orders at
NSF & Specs when I was in Army.