EVENDALE, Ohio — The success or failure of a service member when they leave the military and reenter the civilian world is dependent on many factors. One of the key components comes down to ‘self-reflection,' according to transition expert Brian Niswander.
“Understanding what it is that you want to do, what are your strengths? What are your weaknesses, what are the things that you really enjoy, because this time you get to choose,” he said.
Brian Niswander is an Air Force veteran and data miner when it comes to statistics tied to the successful military transition. He wants to ensure service men and women have all the information they need to make a successful crossover. It’s why he created military-transition.org and is publishing booklets with key bits of information needed to be successful in a post-service position.
“There are consistent mistakes that we're seeing from service members as they make the transition. And we're trying to bring attention to those and then also give service members ways to overcome those mistakes,” Niswander said.
While all the information is available on the website a partnership with USAA has put more than 20,000 copies of ‘Truths About the Military Transition’ in USOs where active duty can read about things to think about ahead of separation.
The Department of Defense has put a concerted effort into improving the transition process over the years.
For example, the DOD Skillbridge program affords service members the chance to work in a field for the last 180 days of service. Instead of performing their military role, they would be allowed to focus solely on training full-time with approved industry partners, according to the Skillbridge website.
GE Aviation is also helping with the transition process with their Military Officer Leadership Program or MOLP.
"So we spend two years rotating through three different job assignments, eight months at each," said Jocelyn Watson. "And then after that, we rotate off into a permanent full-time position."
Watson spent nine years on active duty following the Air Force Academy and now is taking advantage of the chance to test the waters in a variety of fields before planting a more permanent new career.
Army veteran Lavon Rutledge is on the same journey, leaving his 12 years of Army service behind for the next chapter.
“My motivation for that was to be able to pivot my career from logistics to a career in technology,” Rutledge said.
He said the way the program rotates through candidates really provides great insight into what’s possible.
“I've done roles in our GE additive business, where we're 3D printing different parts and components to our aircraft,” Rutledge said. "I've rotated into our military business, assisting with product development, and currently in the commercial engine and operations side of the business where I'm working on a product launch."
Brian Niswander with Military-Transition.org said both Lavon and Jocelyn planned ahead which is key to success. He added that those who begin thinking about their post-service life while they’re actively serving can ensure the right things are in place to create a safety net and a smoother slide over to their new career.
“You need to really think about what do you want next. When we are in a service, we were told what our next assignment was and you're so used to that,” Niswander said. “It's foreign to them to think about what follows serving and they get to choose, that's a blessing if you're ready, it's a curse if you're not.”
Everything on the website is free and all three e-books are available on the Military-Transition.org website.
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