Transitioning Into the Civilian Workforce with a Strong Network at Your Side

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Like many veterans, retired U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Albert Bellamy ’s military career began shortly after high school. Realizing that college wasn’t the right fit for him at the time, he decided to put his studies on hold to join the Marines, where he worked as a logistics and supply chain analyst for several years. While he continued to serve, Albert also went back to school and earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees, eventually attending Officer Candidate School (OCS) and rising through the ranks to major, serving in an artillery role.?

But after 23 years and five deployments, in 2021, Albert decided it was time to see what the civilian workplace had to offer him and retired from the Marines. That was the easy part. Like many service members before him, it wasn’t long into his transition to the civilian workforce before Albert realized that transitioning out of military life often requires learning a whole new set of skills.?

Leaning forward into your transition

Exiting any organization can be an adjustment. But when your employer — in Albert’s case, the U.S. military — takes care of many aspects of your life, leaving that organization can mean starting from scratch in more ways than one.?

“You come to get quite dependent on it [for things like housing and dentist’s appointments],” Albert says. “It can be quite a shock [after leaving the military] the first time you turn around and nobody is holding your hand. There’s a hurt gut reaction. Then you realize, ‘Oh, this is just how other people live! They have to figure things out for themselves.’”?

Figuring things out takes time, which is why Albert encourages all service members to “lean forward into their transition,” which he acknowledges can be a hard mindset to adopt.?

“Service members tend to grind themselves to dust right up until the last day, either out of a sense of duty or to get a better medal on the way out the door,” he says. “And honestly, unless you’re going straight into a military contract or lobbyist job, that doesn’t add up to anything.”?

The right time to begin transitioning will be different for everyone. Albert recommends starting soon by starting small.?

“The way that I leaned forward was by spending small amounts of time each day on LinkedIn,” he says. “Eventually, I began attending webinars and events. I was still about a year out from retiring, but I was paving the way and making a name for myself in my chosen industry.”

Bridging the gap through skills and peer support

Albert had been interested in data analytics since childhood, so he knew the direction he wanted to go in when he left the military.?

As a young Marine, Albert worked regularly with analytics and code, inputting data and interpreting reports that informed critical planning decisions. This experience not only allowed him to refine his technical abilities, but also helped him to strengthen key soft skills like communication and public speaking that he continues to leverage every day.

“Even when I held a low rank, I had to walk into meetings with very high-ranking officers and explain the status of the battalion and why we could or could not function in the field with the equipment in the state it was in,” Albert explains. “Now, I can walk into any room, talk in front of anybody, and I'm not intimidated.”?

Even with his valuable transferable skills, Albert knew that making the leap from a military career to a civilian one would likely be a complex task. So when a fellow transitioning officer informed him about Hiring Our Heroes ’ Corporate Fellowship Program — which partners with the DoD SkillBridge transition program — his ears perked up. Albert had heard about these types of programs before, but always thought they were reserved for more junior service members.

Once he realized he was eligible as an officer to apply, he started asking around and learned that many Marine veterans he knew had missed out on the program and regretted not hearing about it sooner. So, he applied, was accepted, and spread the word.

“After that, I made it my mission within my unit to make sure that everybody knew about it, and that they were spreading the word, too,” he says. “It’s a really fantastic program that did wonders for me.”

Making connections that open doors

Connecting with other transitioning service members and veterans can be a great way to discover resources and programs available to the military community. It’s also a good way to find first-hand advice and support from people who understand military life. But these aren’t the only connections that can benefit transitioning service members as they navigate the civilian world.?

Through the Corporate Fellowship Program, Albert learned how to optimize his resume and LinkedIn profile and prepare for interviews. The program also placed him in a three-month internship at Google where, in addition to practicing his analytics skills, Albert was able to observe how people communicate in the civilian workplace.?

“People interact with each other differently, and the organizational hierarchy is much less structured and so much more malleable than it is in the military,” he says. “There’s a huge learning curve.”

As he grew more comfortable communicating with coworkers and peers, Albert began to build out his professional network. It wasn’t long before his new connections paid off. He received two job offers in quick succession, one from a podcaster he’d collaborated with, the other from someone he’d met through the SkillBridge program. He accepted the latter, at a marketing analytics company, and went on to help his employer bring other veterans on board.?

Today, Albert teaches people how to use software analytics in his role as a Customer Training Instructor at Alteryx . In his spare time, he helps other professionals to improve their LinkedIn profiles and break into data analytics, including fellow members of the military community.?

“Marines generally do not take full advantage of LinkedIn,” Albert says. “I try to spread the gospel that LinkedIn had really been a key enabler in my transition.”

Did you know that eligible members of the U.S. military community can get one year of LinkedIn Premium (including access to LinkedIn Learning) for free? Learn more and discover other career and networking resources here.?

Fill your LinkedIn feed with great insights and ideas to help you navigate your military transition, find veteran information, and more. Albert recommends following these three thought leaders:?

• Elizabeth Hartman, ChFC , Financial Advisor, and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee at The American Legion
• Michael Quinn , Founder and CEO of HireMilitary ?
• Jay Garcia , Education Program Manager for U.S. - West & LATAM at Alteryx

Looking for more tips to help you network and grow your career? Check out these articles and resources next:?

• Top 10 Questions About the DoD SkillBridge Program: Got questions about the SkillBridge Program? HireMilitary answers the 10 most common questions they hear.
• LinkedIn for Veterans & Military Spouses: Want to improve your LinkedIn profile and start leveraging your network to find opportunities? Check out this webinar from Hiring Our Heroes .?
• 9 Things You Don’t Need to Include on a Military to Civilian Resume Anymore: Ready to refine your resume? Certified Veteran Career Strategist Cassie Hatcher recommends avoiding these outdated practices.?

Got feedback? Want to request a particular topic or suggest a thought leader we should speak to? Share your thoughts by commenting below.