Well, I finally did it…..I retired from the Air Force! I had my ceremony last Friday (May 11), and I start work as an IT project manager next Monday. Other than simply posting while feeling giddy, I wanted to point out the effect that education and DL had on my quick entry into the civilian workforce. While the degree(s) (one and a half…Touro is at 50% for the M.S) didn’t get the job offers alone, they certainly opened the door for numerous interviews I wouldn’t have been considered for without them. Of the job offers I received, not one, and I can’t stress this enough, not ONE single employer gave a whit HOW I earned the degrees, only that they were legit (and yes, these folks at least did understand accreditation). I realize full well that my results probably aren’t typical or valid in every personal circumstance, but I can attest to my own personal fortune. Whew…..time to grow my hair out a bit, sport the goatee, and start Life “Phase 2”. Thanks for the help along the way, folks. Take care! Dave
Congratulations and thanks for your service to the USA. Good to know the stigma of DL may be getting less and less.
Very interesting, Dave. Thanks for sharing and many congratulations on your retirement. I can still remember standing at attention, when my Dad retired from the USAF. Dave
Dave- Congrats on your retirement. I've been considering taking the plunge ever since I crossed over 20, but I keep finding new things I want to do in the Corps. Thanks for the good word about the "outside world". Ryan
Good for you man! And for what it's worth, I think that degrees are binary in the private sector (more or less). Quite simply, you either have it or you don't - and the majority seems to appreciate it only if it can count it...easily (e.g. check that box). Greg
Congratulations! An exciting new chapter! Best wishes to you on the new job, civie life and the masters.
Congratulations, and thank you for your service. I hope you'll give consideration to sticking around the service community after you finish your grad degree - you will provide an example to other NCOs and enlisted airmen as to what's possible.
Congratulations, and thank you for your service to the country!! If I had stayed in the National Guard, I could have retired last year. However, considering my old unit has been deployed three times since 9/11 (Logan Airport right after 9/11, Afghanistan in 2002 and Iraq in 2005), I think I made the right decision by getting out.
Congratulations on your professional and academic success from a fellow, soon to be, Bellevue graduate.
Congratulations to Jigamafloo. As a retired NCO-turned-officer, I welcome him to "the other side." Now, grow a mustache and get on with it!
Congrats and thank you for your service, but don't you think employers would over look your lack of prestigious degrees because of your service in the Air Force? I know military experience has tremendous value in the private sector and helps "make up" for any areas that an applicant is lacking in job qualifications.
Thanks, everyone. Spent time in HR getting paperwork filled out to start Monday, and that's when the "Wow, I really am out!" feeling started to settle in. Rich: Already working on the mustache and goatee. I threatened to do a ponytail, but my wife tells me she'll cut it off while I'm sleeping (please everyone, I'm begging ya to let that one go.........no Loreena Bobbit cracks) Thaddoc: I see your point, but wouldn't experience apply, regardless of the source? My military background/experience DID count for a lot, and I've been told that I have good interviewing skills, but a number of these interviews flat out would not have happened if not for the degrees getting past the checkblock and opening the door. As I said, I can't speak for everyone, but the reaction really was more "Okay, you have your Bachelors....good, good..." than "Well it's a Bachelors, but do you have anything to offset the Bellevue stink?" I don't mean this nearly as harshly as it sounds, so please don't take it that way, thaddoc . I'd wager that a sizable portion of folks here, if not most of us, are adult learners and mid-career professionals, so yes, experience would offset the scrutiny a new graduate would receive. The degrees sure do look pretty on the wall next to my retirement certificate, though..... Thanks again, everyone!! Dave
Congratulations Dave. I didn't care for the adjustment from active duty to civilian, but it gets better over time.
Congratulations, Dave! And I second others by saying "Thanks for your service". I will agree with you re: the Bellevue degree. There has never been a "stink" for me; rather it is just another RA school most people have never heard of. But I can "check the box", and it opens lots of doors. I am working at Fort Lee, VA now and the degree was instrumental in getting the job. And I got word last Friday that the company has agreed to pay for my MAS at University of Denver (CIS) in full. I will start in the next quarter. I hope you are settling into your new life as a civilian. Are you working with a military contractor?
