Former Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey knows what it\u2019s like to experience a difficult transition out of the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He describes it with a story about a crossword puzzle he did after leaving the Army\u2019s top post in 2011, in which a seven-letter word with the clue \u201cArmy head\u201d was not \u201cgeneral,\u201d but, instead, \u201clatrine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s kind of what it\u2019s like,\u201d Casey joked with student veterans assembled for his keynote presentation at the Student Veterans of America national conference in San Antonio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery time you transition, it\u2019s hard,\u201d he told Military Times in an interview. \u201cIt\u2019s like learning a new language.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But veterans, he said, are well poised to succeed. \u201cA little perseverance, and they\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Casey, now an SVA board member who describes himself as the \u201cgrumpy general\u201d of the group who asks tough questions, shared his six keys for success with student veterans at the conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t sell yourself short<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is probably the biggest challenge I see for people making the transition from military to civilian life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Casey was a graduate student at the University of Denver, he remembers feeling like the \u201cdumbest sucker on the face of the Earth.\u201d But, he came to realize, he already knew how to do the hard part. And the same is true for today\u2019s student veterans, he said, reminding them that they\u2019ve been to war and accomplished things that, in many cases, exceed the life experience of their civilian peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPower through,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is not the hardest thing you have done or will ever do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to ask for help<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
It may feel awkward to ask for help after growing accustomed to military life, but many people and organizations out there want to help, Casey said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTake advantage of it. It\u2019s not a sign of weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Build and use your network<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery place I go I think we\u2019re generally lousy networkers \u2014 people who come out of the military,\u201d Casey said, speculating that\u2019s because former service members are used to having their unit be their network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Casey mentioned tools like LinkedIn, Rally Point and other networking sites as possible tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBuild that network,\u201d he said. \u201cUse it to get help and then give back. Use it to help others. That\u2019s what vets are all about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stay fit<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI noticed the gym wasn\u2019t very crowded this morning,\u201d Casey joked with the audience, before stressing the importance of exercise for physical, mental and emotional health. Even when he was in a combat zone, Casey made a point to exercise four to five times a week, he said, and recommended that student veterans start establishing workout habits now that will continue throughout their life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Graduate<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUse your benefits and follow through,\u201d he said. \u201cYou owe it to the people coming behind you and you owe it to the country. So persevere and finish up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be bold<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Casey said anyone who makes success sound easy isn\u2019t telling the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNobody \u2014 nobody \u2014 if they\u2019re honest with you succeeds all the time,\u201d he said. He gave the example of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs who was pushed out of the company before he came back and changed the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t hit home runs every time,\u201d Casey said. But the key is being bold enough to act.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gen. George Casey, former Army Chief of Staff and now a Student Veterans of America board member, shared his six keys for success with student veterans at the organization’s national conference Jan. 6.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":102592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,7,26],"tags":[8447],"coauthors":[3388],"class_list":["post-67459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-education-transition","category-newsletters","tag-student-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"4KBDTJVQEJHKHFTBPY63NKCSWU","arc_canonical_url":"\/education-transition\/education\/2018\/01\/06\/gen-george-caseys-6-keys-to-success-for-student-veterans\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n