The Missing TAP Class

I have been through a Transition Assistance Program class twice in my lifetime. Both times, I remember important things being advocated. Things like get your legal and health affairs squared away, update your resume, crosswalk your skills and abilities into related civilian jobs, and prepare yourself for interviews. They were important things to be sure, but nebulous at best.

At least for me.

What would have been helpful for me? A crystallization of my transition through clear actions. Actions like what?

Well, for one, career correlates based on what I could do, not on what I had done. For example, had-dones: weld on nuclear-powered ships in the civilian fleet? No correlation. Install hasty networks and satellite communications in austere environments? Civilians don’t drive, maintain, nor communicate among armored vehicles like Bradleys and M1s. I’m just sayin’…

Now, for could-dos: acquire, develop, and lead small ad hoc teams effective at delivering unique objectives under tight completion dates while usually under-resourced; all the while communicating progress, and problem analysis and resolution to senior leaders.

Take-away? The could-do correlates of welder and network installer would have been replaced with project manager. My transition would have been more focused, more clear, and shorter. Twelve years to transition from Sailor to Project Manager is waaaaaay too long!

For two, extending the could-dos, what about post-Service leadership roles versus the usual (for NCOs) supervisor or technician roles. I mean, what is project management? Planning, executing, controlling, and closing. All of these activities take executive decision-making, critical thinking, and analysis skills. After all, plans are nothing more than the physical manifestation of the decisions we’ve made.

Second take-away? Regardless of rank, or position, I led through influence and made executive decisions. Consistently. Constantly. Was I really still a welder without a weldee? An assistant commo chief without a SAT (satellite) phone? No.

And three, a list of clear, actionable steps to execute based on this clear objective. Most military members, and thus Veterans, are extremely adept at developing a clear understanding of the project’s (read mission’s) goals, then back planning from there, and then executing forward in time again to meet the mission. So, you can see that a list of: 1. Here is a possible career field; and 2. Here are the X number of things you need to do to pursue it would have been very helpful in an actionable way.

So, here’s our third take-away: I would have realized I was a project manager, and understood what that meant and understood what I needed to do to develop towards it. How? Familiarize myself with its Body of Knowledge, the civilian equivalent of a military member’s Field Manual, and then take a rating/proficiency/test-my-command-of-the-manual-and-job test to ‘validate’ I got the theory in its application. I would have talked in the universal language of projects, the PMBOK, and held the stamp of validation, the PMP.

Now my military experience would have looked corporate. I was managing projects; it’s just that I did it for the United States Navy and California National Guard instead of ADP or Apple. And this experience would be valid; I would have the PMP on. Hiring mangers know you have to document thousands of hours leading and directing project work to sit for this credential’s arduous exam.

So, I missed something in TAP class; the nitty-gritty action items needed to transition. This is not an indictment, merely my experience, or more realistically, my biased recollection of it because I relay it through the crystal clear lens of hindsight. Nonetheless, for me, what was missing from my TAP class was “Hey Wright, here’s what project management is, so this is what a project manager does, and this is how what you did prepared you for this field in the civilian division.” I could have then put together a clear transition plan, focused resume, and interview package to crush it into the upper deck.

You can do this. I can show you how. That’s all I do now; I owe it to you. You’re my Brother or Sister; don’t take 12 years to do this successfully like I did. I’m at http://www.vets2pm.com/#!free-evaluation/cmaf standing by to take your call, or at eric@vets2pm to take your email. Heck, I’ll even come visit you and your transitioning Brothers and Sisters at your base on my dime! Your successful transition means that much to me. Chat soon! Cheers!

Eric

#militarytransition #projectmanagement #PMP #Vets2PM