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If self-reflection doesn\u2019t come with an immediate answer, Howard suggests a path that leaves options open: Find a military-friendly business to learn basic leadership skills, for instance, or load up on entry-level college classes at a good school, so you can build your resume in multiple directions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Be open.<\/b> If veterans find a path that puts them back in a classroom, they need to engage with their civilian classmates and instructors, Howard said, or risk losing out on key networking benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen people are looking at you in the classroom, if your arms are crossed and your hat is pulled down over your head and you\u2019re checked out \u2014 and I\u2019m not talking about people who need help; that\u2019s a different story \u2014 [think about] how you\u2019re going to sway an opinion in your class if you sit down with your arms crossed?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have to be open to the enterprise. Try not to take it all so personally if you can, and realize that\u2019s how you grow your brand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Stay after school. <\/b>Whether you\u2019re going to school at a brick-and-mortar campus or online, participate in activities outside of the classroom, Howard said. A football or basketball game can be a major network-builder, or students can join school groups to expand their college experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps most importantly, if veterans are in school to pursue a particular line of work, they should choose a school with internship programs that can help with placement and other networking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBeing a military guy, being around special operations, pipelines are great,\u201d Howard said. \u201cThe Navy SEAL pipeline, special operations pipeline, pilot pipeline, we want to create that [at Robert Morris University], and we\u2019ve had success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Drop the snark.<\/b> \u201cWe can be a cynical bunch, sometimes,\u201d Howard said of fellow veterans. \u201cNo matter where you are in the organization, you\u2019re making fun of somebody else in the organization because you\u2019re sure they don\u2019t have the right take on what\u2019s really going on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The solution is to \u201ctry your best to check your ego at the door,\u201d he said \u2014 tackle the transition with \u201chealthy skepticism,\u201d but don\u2019t overdo it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. You\u2019re new at this.<\/b> \u201cI\u2019ve helped generals transition out,\u201d Howard said, \u201cand it\u2019s always interesting to talk with them, because it\u2019s the first time they\u2019ve had to do their own health care in 25 years, 28 years. I had one person who just got an apartment in New York. It was really taxing; lots of, \u2018I never had to do this before\u2019 \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not going to be as good at something after one year [in civilian life] than you were after 27, 28 years [in uniform]. \u2026 It\u2019s OK to be new, and then over time, you\u2019re going to make the adjustment. That\u2019s what soldiers, sailors, airman, Marines, Coast Guard members always do. They adapt. They\u2019re like NFL defenses. They always adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n