This one may sound odd....so let me explain. The idea of being an accountant, a graphic designer, a production supervisor, a teacher, a marketing manager, a park ranger, a police officer, a politician or an advertising executive, etc may all sound sexy and exciting to you.
As you think about what it is you think you want to do, it is important to dream a little bit....maybe
even create a list of these occupations that seem to draw your attention...BUT the next important
step that people often overlook is to really envision and imagine the types of tasks you will likely
have to do each day working in each of these jobs. The key here is to really understand the work,
NOT just the idea of the work.
I'll give you an example:
If you are thinking about wanting to be a park ranger because you love the outdoors, that is
definitely a great start; but take it a step further. As far as job tasks you may have to perform you
might be expected to enforce laws, clean up trash and bathrooms, conduct interpretive
presentations for visitors, do trail maintenance, "man" the desk at a visitor center and work on
evenings and weekends. At first glance, this job may sound great and may really touch on an
interest area of loving the outdoors, but maybe you don't really want to be a "cop" or be away from
your family all summer or on weekends, or only have seasonal work, since most jobs are not full
time. This is what I mean when I say, you need to really understand the work.
If you don’t have a really solid understanding of what the work is for each of the potential job
fields/careers that you have listed, then do RESEARCH. This thing called "the world wide web" or
"internet" is a great source and a perfect place to start. Search for professional organizations that
may apply to the career field you are interested in and reach out to members of these organizations.
Tell them what you think you are interested in doing, and ask them lots of questions about what
they really do on a daily basis. If you are truly interested in learning, they will typically be willing to
help. It's not like you are asking them for a job (nor should you!), but you never know where things
can lead.
Grow your network and continue to network your butt off! You can never do it enough. Get on
place to connect and find people, since you can search by companies, job titles, or cities, etc. Read
job listings on sites like www.monster.com, or www.indeed.com or any local jobs sites and see what
types of tasks and responsibilities the posting says you should expect to do in the role. It is not
enough to just read about a type of job and conjure up in your mind what you think the work is.
Find someone who is actually doing it and ask them lots questions. Then be honest with yourself
about whether you think this type of career could be a good fit.
Find fellow veterans and JMOs who have already made the transition, and I am sure they will be
very willing to help you...if you approach them in the right way (ie, with respect and not just saying I
want a job like yours). Remember, people will be more likely to help if you are interested in their
career field, as opposed to just wanting them to give you a job. In this economy, good jobs are not
easy to come by, you will have to do work.
easy to come by, you will have to do work.
If you truly understand the work and not just the idea of the work, you will have a much better
chance of putting yourself on a career path that could be a good fit. Trust me on this one, as I
have made this mistake myself by falling in love with the "idea of a job." If you look at my LinkedIn
profile, you can probably figure out pretty quickly which job wasn't a good fit for me as a result of
me not doing enough research. Please learn from my mistakes and you will save yourself a lot of
time, wasted energy and maybe even money.
Enjoy the search,
Greg
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