Mary S.
Identify your ‘Why’
The biggest lesson Mary learned during her successful transition from active duty Army to civilian career was to start by identifying your “Why”, then build a team of mentors to help guide you toward your new career goal.
Mary started her transition journey alone and struggled with translating her job skills in the Army to the civilian sector. She had never stopped to reflect on her “Why”, her true motivation, requirements, and hopes for her new career. Without a clear “Why” Mary (like so many others) struggled to find ‘THE’ job versus just ‘A’ job.
Beyond the normal obstacles of transition, COVID-19 added feelings of sadness with the loss of a loved one and isolation due to quarantine. It was the first time she attended virtual job fairs and interviews. She had to learn the “new normal” of online only networking, searching for a job, and the dreaded Zoom interview and hiring process.
As Mary’s transition date rapidly approached, she started asking for advice and found lots of support throughout the Veteran community, including a connection with one of Still Serving Veteran’s Career Counselors. Mary received great mentorship and assistance with her resume. Throughout the transition process SSV’s team continued to call and check in on her, which can be a very stressful time in a servicemembers life.
Mary received many great words to live by throughout her transition. One of her mentors at Still Serving Veterans helped her realize that she had the tools and materials to build her “house” aka land a meaningful career successfully after transition, she just needed to start designing her blueprint. She started to visualize what she wanted that blueprint to look like and that led her to find a career that felt right for her.
“With tremendous support from Still Serving Veterans, I did not feel alone. I knew that the team was just a phone call away during the best and worst times of my transition. The team continued to call me and do a “buddy check” to see how I was doing. When I received the call that I got the job just 10 days before my last day on active duty, I was utterly speechless. My start date was just 2 days after my last day on active duty. I am living proof that the support received from having a network and team like Still Serving Veterans works. I heeded their advice and received incredible results. This new opportunity is going to allow me to help others, be part of a team of changemakers, and take care of my family. I held onto my “Why”, trusted the process and found the perfect culture fit with my new civilian employer.”
— Mary S.
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Still Serving Veterans' primary mission is to offer no-cost career and transition counseling services that help Veterans build rewarding careers and meaningful lives. All of our services are offered at no cost to the Veterans and employers we serve through the generosity of our benefactors; the Call of Duty Endowment, The Alpha Foundation, The Boeing Company, and many, many more individuals like you.
