Thread: Re-enlistment
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Old 07-28-2014, 2:36 PM
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Punisher Punisher is offline
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pterrell – Plan for getting out at least 1 year from your EAS. There are Marine For Life reps in Seattle whose job is to help you transition. Create a linkedin account and join the Seattle Marine For Life Group. I'm not sure if they know the hiring manager at Boeing, but they do know the veterans hiring managers at Microsoft and Alaska Airlines. They can tell you exactly what employers in that area are looking for. You need to use your Active time to set yourself up, so when you get out you're rocking and rolling (ie: Bachelors Degree, A&P license, etc). You have to be careful, military experience does not translate to the civilian world very well. You need to do everything you can while you’re in to set yourself up when you transition out, no excuses. If TA doesn’t get approved, figure something else out!

All these Marines think they'll get out, go to school and just chill out, while collecting $4k per month between unemployment and GI Bill; but the grass isn’t greener. You may be making $4k per month, but it's temporary and you’re really 4 years behind your fellow students, who consider you an old man because they're mostly teenagers that you can't relate to. And when no employer recognizes your rank or military experience, you now have to pay for everything (food, housing, medical, dental, etc) and there’s no support; no one pushing you to run harder, work harder, get quals, get promoted…it sucks. You’re on your own and you’re 4 years behind your peers in school. It's a crap situation to be in, that you can avoid.

So, before you get out; you need to collect as many degrees and certificates and licenses as you can. Go to the education office on base, pick a bachelors degree and school, get an Ed plan so you don’t take unnecessary classes, then get on it; take as many CLEP tests as you can, take 8 week courses, just knock it out. Get your A&P license too! While you’re Active, you can have all your hours documented, and take the test. You may not want to be an A&P, but it’ll be worth a higher salary in the future if you ever have to go work on Aircraft again.

So, if you haven’t set yourself up for success with an A&P and a Bachelors Degree, don’t get out. Go transition to the V22, so that when you get out you can still earn drill pay at VMM-764 (because even in the IRR, you can get promoted and retire after 20 sat years, though you won’t get free medical and pension until you’re 59.5~). And that GI Bill you can transfer to your wife or kids some day, or use for your Master’s degree.
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Last edited by Punisher; 07-28-2014 at 2:39 PM..
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