By I think there is a lot of truth to what is being discussed in this article in regards to the hiring of veterans:
From the lofty responsibilities of war to the bottom rung of the career ladder: That’s the reality that veterans often face when entering the civilian job market.
For Chris Hellie, a former captain in the Army, that meant taking a job managing a deli department at Target.
“Can you imagine the step down that was from leading 180 people in combat?” he said. “It’s definitely a blow to one’s pride.”
Civilian employers, particularly in today’s treacherous job market, typically offer veterans positions that fall short of the level of responsibility they had in the military.
“The reality is people in the military do things their civilian peers won’t do until their 30s or 40s,” said Tom Tarantino, legislative director for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “They hold management positions at 25 years old that someone in the civilian world has to work 15 years to get to.”
But veterans don’t get to cut in the corporate line, and they struggle with their new place in the food chain.
Some view it as an insult to be asked to start at the bottom, according to Nathan Smith, a former Marine Corps captain and executive director of the nonprofit Hire Heroes, which helps veterans find employment.
“They’re pumped up so much in the military because of the wars [that] they leave the military with a sense of entitlement,” Smith said. [Stars & Stripes]
In my opinion veterans should not feel entitled to a high paying job after they leave the service, they need to make themselves competitive applicants which military service should be something to enhance their resume over other applicants and not be the only thing on it.
I have said this before, employers have to hire people that meet the skill set that they need and veterans need to make themselves competitive with other applicants before getting out of the military. That is why I have always advocated for Soldiers to take college classes while serving. The Army has gone to great length to make college classes available to its Soldiers. Even in Iraq and Afghanistan you can see Soldiers attending classes. So if someone exits the service without at least an Associates Degree, that is their own fault. Additionally if they don’t use their GI Bill benefits after they get out to get a degree in something employable than that is there own fault as well. I have seen this to often as well that someone gets a degree in liberal arts or underwater basketweaving and they can’t understand why they can’t find a job. Additionally the college benefits offered by the military need to be used to study with a university that will provide a diploma employers will respect instead of from a degree mill. Another issue I see with unemployed veterans is that they go back to their hometowns instead of moving to areas where GI’s can more easily find work. Just because you are a war veterans doesn’t mean that employers in your hometown are going to hire you because of your service. The best place for most veterans to find a job is with companies that often work with the military and are located near major bases.
In my opinion getting a quality education and the willingness to move to where the jobs are is what will get a veteran hired to good job rather than just relying on their combat experience.
10:58 pm on February 11th, 2012 1
I agree that Vets aren’t “entitled” but I also believe many employers do value the unique experience and leadership skills these folks bring to the table. I mean, many young people coming out of university these days are totally unprepared for assuming basic job responsibilities (i.e. showing up on time, dressing appropriately, etc).
Anyway, it is worth noting that Vets do get job preference in Federal hiring. Sadly, that’s where the jobs are these days.
12:08 am on February 12th, 2012 2
I do get that you need to be competetive but still, a former Captain as a deli manager does seem at least a slight step below of best utilization of said officer. Just sayin…
5:54 am on February 12th, 2012 3
Folks transitioning out of the military really ought to watch The Best Years of our Lives. Aside from being a great movie, it directly addresses this feeling of moving from leadership in life-or-death situations to being just another shmuck in a McJob.
6:34 am on February 12th, 2012 4
#3: Good movie. Love the job interview with the norton bomb site operating officer.
9:00 am on February 12th, 2012 5
Haven’t seen it. Guess I will now.
1:32 pm on February 12th, 2012 6
#4, I believe you mean “Norden Bomb sight.” Otherwise the uninformed might think you were talking about network viruses.
After I retired I did a stint cleaning coal fired boilers in the midwest, typically I had 21-22 year old punks giving me orders on a daily basis. Let me tell ya, cleaning boilers ain’t “Rocket Surgery.”
But it was job with a decent paycheck.
Now Leon might not like this,
but I thank God everyday I got out of that line of work and into what I do now. Working with soldiiers everyday. 
7:59 pm on February 14th, 2012 7
And this is why I insisted on getting into a MOS that had a direct civilian equivalency. All the time I did counts as job experience in my field, all the schools I went to and MOS related training I received has direct value in the private sector.
Unfortunately for some MOS’s that’s just not possible and results in the ex-soldier needing to start over again. Almost waste’s their entire youth.
8:20 pm on February 14th, 2012 8
SOG.
Great point!
Folks in the Military need to think about the whole package, that is why I tell everyone two things.
1. Get all the schooling you can (military and civilian)!
2. Be willing to relocate, go where the jobs are, especially overseas.
Just think about your average stateside post where thousands of retirees are all competing to get a few jobs! Hangin out, year after year, kissin #ss, playing golf, sucking up. Just to hope to get a j.o.b.
The good jobs are few..and…far…..between….
Now I have heard a few disturbing remarks over the years. Once I was talking to a soldier about a lazy contractor who was just “sucking up a paycheck.” the soldier had a point of view, that the lazy contractor who was retired deserved to have a job where he made as much as possible doing as little as possible. I just couldn’t reconcile that in my mind because the government(ie American taxpayer)pays for a service.
The second remark was from a SSG getting ready to retire, He came around looking for a job and actually said, “I’ve done 20 years in the Army. I deserve a GS job.”
I don’t know how he got that in his head, must have snuck through a few drug tests in his time.
2:58 pm on February 15th, 2012 9
There are a lot of soldiers that while deployed they are not in a very good position to get a degree. It took me from 2001 to 2007 to get a degree because I was deployed so much. When in Afghanistan and Iraq, who do you think are getting the degree? Those are the people not fighting the war, but sitting on base and doing paperwork.
I am in the National Guard and I spent all my free time getting a degree. As I said it took me 7 years. The responsibilities while in war that I had didn’t give me the chance to get my degree. Employers are not hiring reservists BECAUSE of the chance the can get deployed any time if it’s legal or not. It took me 5 years to find a job that has to do with my degree after I graduated. I am still in the Army. It’s not a sense of entitlement, it’s frustration that a soldier spent so much time fighting for a country, then are poor and full of worry when they return home and can’t get a job. You know nothing…
3:00 pm on February 15th, 2012 10
second off, I would not recommend anyone join the military at all if they want a fluid life.