Down Range: A Transitioning Veteran's Career Guide to Life's Next Phase

Chapter 10

Down Range: Put Your Career Plan into Action

Some of us know exactly what we want from an early age, and we go out and get it. Others have no clue and spend much or all their lives searching for their career. But, most of us, including these authors, lie somewhere in between. Jim found his career purpose many years ago and has executed his career plan with singular purpose. Will has reinvented himself on several occasions, and probably will again someday. To quote J. R. R. Tolkien, “Not all those who wander are lost,” but successful people plan their future with clarity and purpose—and so should you.

We hope that, regardless of which end of the spectrum you find yourself, you will recognize the powerful career-planning model that we have introduced in the preceding chapters. We also hope that you have recognized the unique value that you bring to employers as a result of your military service. This book's central intent is to enable you to connect a structured career-planning process to your inherent skills and talents in order to fully develop a successful career of your choosing.

We have been asked, “What are hot careers for veterans?” The answer is easy—all of them. Your military service does not limit your options; it expands them. You have gained extraordinary leadership skills that are needed in every company. You have learned to organize things, people, and ways of solving problems. On average, your communication skills exceed those of your civilian counterparts. ...