Dr. Leslie Morland was a guest on Army Wife Network Talk Radio recently and spoke about the Anger and Irritability Management Skills course created by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to assist veterans and service members with the transition from military to civilian life. She and her colleague, Dr. Carolyn Greene, also with VA, shared more about the course, its features, and who it benefits.
On this week’s empowering episode of Army Wife Talk Radio, we’re chatting with guest, Byron Chen about Success Vets, an organization created to help veterans find employment after the military.
An important step in leaving the military and starting your life as a civilian is the Department of Defense’s
Transition Assistance Program. Go here for an overview, embedded resources, and links to each service branch’s iteration of the program.
When TAP first appeared more than 20 years ago, it ran for five hours and participation was voluntary. Now, it takes a week and attendance is mandatory, although retirees may opt out. The mission and content of TAP is important, and the value you receive depends on the trainers at your installation and the amount of effort you put into it.
Regardless of the quality of the service provided and your participation, you might miss out on some critical information, especially in the job hunting and interviewing components of the program. Here are four important lessons to add to what you already know.
What do you love about military life? Think about it for a minute.
Think longer if you need to.
What do you specifically love about this very complex, often isolating, sometimes frustrating life? Sometimes, especially lately, it takes longer for an answer to spring to my mind, but it always does.
Dear, Field Problems:
My service member has been experiencing short-term memory issues in conjunction with anxiety. These can be symptoms of TBI, PTSD, several mental health concerns, or sometimes side effects of medications. How does the service member find help, especially when he or she is concerned that it might affect their career?
Anonymous
During a recent career coaching session with a fellow named Charles, an Army major who was about to retire, I asked him what he would really like to do in his civilian career. He replied that figuring out the answer to that question was his biggest stumbling block.
That is not uncommon for people in his situation, so I asked him the same question, but in a different way. I said, “OK, forget about the titles and instead just give me the elements or characteristics of what you would be good at and what would make you happy.”
He smiled and said, “That’s easy, Tom. I want to control my own destiny. Sink or swim on my own merits. Call my own shots. Get my hands dirty. Work hard, and get paid for it. Be home most nights for dinner and not have to relocate.”
I asked, “Charles, have you thought about going into business for yourself?”
On this week’s empowering episode of Army Wife Talk Radio, we’re chatting with guest, Adam Carter about knowing the laws that protect military folks.
I know. When you read that title, you probably thought, “me, too!” You did, didn’t you? It’s not as easy as I thought it would be, either.
The funny thing is, you didn’t know what I’d be writing about, and in the end, it doesn’t really matter. It could be anything in life, because when changes come—even when we think we’re prepared for them—it’s never quite what you think it’s going to be, and you have to learn how to adapt and overcome.
You have probably heard that your military experience has positioned you for a civilian job when you get out. Most of you can assume that to be true, as long as you set your expectations correctly and put in the work to get that job.
But will it be the best job for you?
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