The Many Options of "Life After The Military." Which is right for you?

So what to do post military? School? Start a business? Begin a career? Get a job? Chill out at home? What's the right answer?

Whatever is right for you.

Here's some pros and cons to each.

School.

Pro: Some people really relish the idea of going back to school to expand on current knowledge or learn a brand new thing. You get to reinvent yourself. What a GIFT!

Con: While you're in school, finances can be tight if you didn't plan well. It isn't uncommon to have to work through your school years even if you have the GI Bill stipend.

Entrepreneurship.

Pro: Some people leave the military with huge goals. They want to build something grand that'll leave a lasting legacy and are willing to take a chance on their dreams.

Con: Building a business isn't a 9-5. You've got to be ALL IN and there's absolutely no guarantee it'll work. But if it does...wow. You might change the world.

Career.

Pro: The longer we're in the service, the more "institutionalized" we become. We subscribe to the dogma and it becomes a part of our identity. Many of us long for that in our post military life. We need something meaningful. Careers in professions or industries we love may provide that sense of service to a greater cause.

Con: The days of long term employment are behind us. The average person stays at a company 4 years. The average Veteran stays at his or her first company post-military for less than a year before leaving. It's not impossible to have a long career at a company but it is becoming increasingly improbable. Finding that "something bigger" is becoming harder in big business. Sometimes, finding passion projects outside the office can help fill the void.

Job.

Pro: It's a job. It pays you money in exchange for being somewhere and doing something. Generally speaking, you can leave it in the rearview mirror on the way home and not have to worry about it again until you drive back into the parking lot the following day. Sometimes, all a person wants after decades of weight on their shoulders is a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. It also brings predictability to your schedule and pocketbook so you have the luxury to follow passion projects. For me, this was the right decision and I am incredibly happy with it. My projects fill my soul, my job fills my bank account so I can pay the bills and have a little left over for the simple pleasures in life. All is right with the world.

Con: You likely don't transition horizontally. You'll have bosses who might have been your juniors in a different setting. It's not your company and you may not have much control over the goings-on in it. You get paid to deliver results or you're sent packing.

"Chill out at home."

Pro. You're chilling out.... at home. If you played your financial cards right while in uniform and are retiring after 20 years of service, this is a real option. Then you can work on that garden, that hobby, or finally go see the largest ball of twine in the world. Whatever your heart desires and bank account can handle is yours for the taking.

Con: You're usually quite young when you retire from the military. Many people who retire straight from the military get bored with it once they've putzed around the house in their pajamas for a year. They usually return to the workforce in some capacity. Part time work or a "job" is great for them and it tends to fit their fast and loose style. Entrepreneurship focused on passion projects is also a favorite come-back for people who decide they want to return to the workforce.

Finally, there's nothing that says you can't try a little of each until you figure it out. Do what's right for you. And if you start down a path and figure out it isn't right for you, it's ok to double back and try another.

Jose Velazquez is an Affiliate Certified Digital Networking Coach (CDNC) helping people reach their digital networking and employment goals and a radio host (7-midnight weekdays, best music of the 80s and 90s on www.eagleonlineradio.com),