{"id":35320,"date":"2019-01-22T20:42:04","date_gmt":"2019-01-22T20:42:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/01\/22\/civilian-life-101-heres-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-take-off-that-uniform\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:05:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:05:12","slug":"civilian-life-101-heres-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-take-off-that-uniform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2019\/01\/22\/civilian-life-101-heres-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-take-off-that-uniform\/","title":{"rendered":"Civilian Life 101: Here\u2019s what you need to know before you take off that uniform"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When you arrive at a new duty station in the military, you know where to go for information on housing, health care and your child\u2019s new school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often, those resources are all under one roof, said Beth Kubala, a senior director at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very different when you transition and you relocate<\/a> to Hometown USA,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s just one of example of how military and civilian life are as different as apples and oranges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are six other things you\u2019ll need to know about navigating life outside of the military, courtesy of Kubala and other experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.<\/b> Housing and health care will cost money.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That nice \u2013 or depending on your installation, crappy<\/a> \u2013 little three-bedroom house you have on base? That will go away once you get out of the military. So will Tricare<\/a>, unless you\u2019re a retiree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You already know this, of course. But knowing it and living it are two different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing more mindful of financial management\u201d and planning one to five years out is a huge piece of the transition, said Lt. Col. Rynele Mardis, southeast region director for the Army\u2019s Soldier for Life program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll need to consider not only the cost of where you plan to live, but also the location, which affects where your child will go to school and your own personal health and wellness, he said. Tax deductions and benefits<\/a> available to veterans are other things to consider, especially for prospective homeowners, and they can vary by state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A recent study by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University found that 41 percent of veterans listed the adjustment to civilian life as one of their top transition challenges, said Beth Kubala, a senior director at the Institute. (Beth Kubala)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf a family is accustomed to living on post, the process of procuring a loan, securing a house, going through a home inspection \u2014 all that can be daunting, especially if it\u2019s happening later in life where many people have experienced that earlier,\u201d said Kubala, a retired Army lieutenant colonel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Housing is one of the top three areas of need among veterans who utilize IVMF\u2019s AmericaServes program,<\/u><\/a> a network of community-based organizations that Kubala helps oversee. Often, the requests are for help finding affordable housing options, which can be a challenge even for veterans receiving the Post-9\/11 GI Bill\u2019s housing stipend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start by understanding which benefits, if any, will carry over after you leave the military and how they may look different if you are retiring or joining the reserves, for example, she said. When you\u2019re considering job options, you\u2019ll need to factor in the value and cost of benefits, such as health care, into what your overall compensation package would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.<\/b> You won\u2019t be part of a unit anymore.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For better or worse, your life will no longer revolve around your unit. But that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t find a similar type of camaraderie outside the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor a new veteran joining a workplace, whether it\u2019s a really small organization or a large one, I think step one should be identifying other veterans within the company,\u201d said Colleen Deere, executive director of American Corporate Partners<\/u><\/a>, a nonprofit that provides career counseling, one-on-one mentoring and networking opportunities for transitioning service members and veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many companies also have veteran affinity groups or employee resource groups for former service members, which can increase job satisfaction among veterans, according to a recent Wounded Warrior Project study<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not getting that type of camaraderie in your 9-to-5 job, Kubala suggested joining a local chapter of a veteran service organization or volunteering at a nonprofit that serves other veterans in your community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.<\/b> People talk differently.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re used to barking orders in uniform, you\u2019ll need to tone that down at your new office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the military, the communication there is really precise \u2014 and it has to be when you\u2019re talking about people\u2019s lives are at stake,\u201d Deere said. \u201cI think civilian communication tends to be a lot more subtle and nuanced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Around 14,000 veterans have gone through the American Corporate Partners program, where Colleen Deere serves as executive director. (Colleen Deere)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another thing you\u2019ll need to know about the civilian work culture is that it\u2019s OK to talk about yourself<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do think that it\u2019s extremely difficult for vets to talk about [themselves] and what they, personally, accomplished as part of the mission,\u201d Deere said. \u201cIt can be tough to look at it in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically, service members are used to focusing on what their team did as a whole. In a job interview or performance evaluation, however, you need to know how to sell your own accomplishments and make clear why your skills are an asset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deere said one of the advantages of going through the American Corporate Partners program is that veterans are paired with a mentor who has already transitioned into the civilian job market and can offer help with networking, interviewing and other aspects of the job search. So far, about 14,000 people have gone through the program in the last decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.<\/b> You\u2019re allowed to question authority. <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the civilian workplace, I think it\u2019s expected that an employee is going \u2014 from time to time \u2014 that they\u2019re going to disagree with their boss,\u201d said Deere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who don\u2019t could potentially be perceived as not being thoughtful or engaged. But former service members may not feel comfortable pushing back, or they may not even realize that they can (politely, of course).<\/p>\n\n\n\t