Off the Job Training
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Military

I’m horrible at updating. I know.

 

Between a deployment, nigh shifts, raising a family, the super commuting between Richmond, VA and Washington, D.C. and maintenance on four cars, I’ve got my hands full. Perhaps all the resume writing has gotten me into a bit of a narcissistic streak and I’ve decided to pick up the blog attempt. This is two entries now. I’m gaining momentum.

 

Up until now

 

I am currently beginning my transition period from Sea Warrior to Civilian. I’ve got about four and a half months left on watch with the United States Navy. I know that was probably something I could have been blogging about this entire time. Even my recent deployment could have made a good read. But there’s this thing called OPSEC (Operational Security) and the military doesn’t like its members giving the world current updates unless its through a Public Relations Officer. I mean, what if I started writing down my ship’s location and providing general information about what we were doing, or God forbid, actual secrets? Not that my job is that interesting, but I’m sure the media would make me sound like a spy or something.

 

But yes, I was deployed for six months. I caught a Captains Mast for a haircut while onboard. I’m still reeling from getting reamed out for not going to the mall without a liberty buddy. That’s right ladies and gentlemen. Whenever you hear about “the sacrifices the military makes,” more often than not those sacrifices include the freedom to go to the mall by yourself. The mall. By yourself. For this grievous act of going to get a haircut without someone holding my hand I was restricted to the ship for 60 days, I received half a paycheck for two months, almost demoted, and my license to kill was revoked (read CLEARANCE) temporarily. What a pain.

 

So I decided to opt out of reenlistment. I probably couldn’t if I wanted to considering my record, which was spotless up until this point.

 

Job Hunting

 

I have total respect for you civilians who hustle resumes and hope for call backs. For those of you going through all of this with me, I used this book to make my resume look pretty: Resume Magic, 4th Ed: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer (Resume Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer). Susan goes way in depth aiding we readers in how to make our resumes on point. Up until I purchased this book, my resume was the exact same format that I had written it in 11^th grade English.

 

Now, as an elite Intelligence Analyst for the US Navy, and a college dropout, I must find a job that is competitively compensated yet willing to accept me. A lot of employers go out of their way to hire veterans, and that’s all good. But when you have an army (literally) of high school educated technicians, analysts, and boatswain’s mates all rushing into the job market due to federal budget cuts, how does one make themselves stand out? I mean, I’ve got a great job in the Navy. But as I said before, the Navy isn’t really knocking down my door for me to reenlist. I’ve got seniors telling me I should make a career out of it but really, I want to be on my own again. I can’t keep looking over my shoulder, not for bad guys/terrorists/Cobra Commander, but for shore patrol because it’s almost curfew. I can’t live the lifestyle anymore.

 

Now, if you’re curious, I am an FMV Analyst. What does that mean? Well, when you watch the news and you hear the word drones. I’m the guy that is unmanning that aerial vehicle. I’m not a pilot. For a view in the life of a pilot check out Predator: The Remote-Control Air War over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot's Story. If that pilot was named Maverick, I would aptly be called Goose.

 

I know, the media portrays the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) community as these silent, killing, loophole riding, infinite machines of death, and it sort of is. But it’s not all fun and games. A lot of analytical work comes with the hellfire missiles and the explosions. I would say about 99% of the time, I’m looking at large swaths of land or water, taking pictures of it, and updating databases. It’s a lot of observation. Imagine standing on top of an apartment building and looking at the streets below for people that haven’t paid the parking meter. That’s me. I’m a badass.

 

Anyway, that’s what I’ve been up to. My struggles. I’ve got a little more in me, but I’ll save it for later. This has been a lengthy update.

Until then, stay classy!

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