BECOMING A CIVILIAN

BECOMING A CIVILIAN

One Veteran’s mission to ensuring a successful transition experience by Stephanie Thompson

Imagine: You’re an E-6 who has been in the military for 20 years. You’ve been trying to make E-7 for years, but there just haven’t been many open positions, so you haven’t reached that milestone. Now it’s time to retire. Where did the time go?

As retirement looms, you wonder: what will I do? What kind of job can I get? Can I make good money? What are my skills? Will companies want to hire an E-6? What about my family? Where will we live? Will my spouse be able to find employment? Are we going to be able to pay the bills?

There is so much information that you become overwhelmed. You don’t know who to talk to or even where to start. Your confidence wanes. Your stress level rises. You feel inadequate, as though you are not ready to be a civilian but no longer have the option of waiting a bit longer. Time is not slowing down for you. What do you do?

Former Ocean Systems Technician First Class Petty Officer Patty Piazza asked these same questions when she retired from he Navy in 2002. Since then, she has dedicated her career to helping Servicemembers transition to civilian life, alleviating the overwhelming and helping them recognize and capitalize on opportunities. She is currently serving as the Jacksonville Program Manager for Onward to Opportunity.

Piazza’s Navy career included overseas tours in Wales, Iceland, and Rota, Spain. She was also stationed at Naval Station Great Lakes and very much enjoyed it. “I really love that environment. Just seeing the people when you started with them and what they look like when they were walking out the classroom door.”

Her first job upon retirement, which she held for 10 years, was as a military and family advocate with CareerSource. At the time, this was a new program that “helped Veterans find meaningful careers, not just jobs.” Piazza has been a member of the Florida Defense Alliance since 2003 and was the chairperson from 2007-2012. Though she had already been working on behalf of Veterans for several years, this position was her “cannonball dive into advocating for military and families.”

In 2014, Piazza started working for the Fleet and Family Service Center (FFSC) at Mayport Naval Station. “I felt like a hypocrite telling everybody to get out and grow but I was in the same position for 10 years, so I went to FFSC.”

Nine months after starting her new position, Dan Savage came to town actively seeking somebody to start the Onward to Opportunity (O2O) program in the region. Piazza hadn’t heard of it and wasn’t particularly interested in learning more. “I didn’t want to go to the meeting, but went and had an eye-opening moment that I could absolutely do this.” She volunteered on the spot, knowing without a doubt that she had to be the one to bring this program to life.

O2O offers training in career, vocations, and entrepreneurship to post-9/11 Veterans and active-duty military spouses, as well as tailored programs to Veterans of all eras. It is the pinnacle of all Piazza has been doing since retirement. “It was a fantastic fit because it broke down some of the barriers families were dealing with.”

Piazza has been instrumental in serving military members and their families with realism as they transition out of the military. “People need a reality check to rely on the skills they bring to an employer. You’re a commodity. Market yourself as a product to that company.” This view in no way diminishes a Servicemembers contributions while on active duty. It is a sensible approach that aligns with the way the civilian workforce approaches employment.

At O2O, “We ask rank to know what [each person] may have had access to, not to wonder what their abilities are to do a job. We tell today’s transitioning members to leave your rank at the door because the civilian world doesn’t care—they want to know your abilities. Rank is a label that people have a hard time overcoming. It impacts how they can thrive in the civilian world.”

Though many people may not realize it, “O5s and O6s struggle just as much as E5s and E6s when it comes to getting work outside the military.” The transition from military to civilian is challenging for everybody; rank or years in service make no difference to the fact of this challenge. All people need to be prepared. “Take the blinders off. Your rank doesn’t matter. Nobody cares about your EVAL or your ribbons. Who you are and your skill sets matter the most.”

Whether you have been in the military for one year, 25 years, or anywhere in between, you will transition out, either when you separate or retire. Civilian life is in your future.

Over the years, Piazza has seen recurring themes in the challenges transitioning members face. Not having a transition plan is “one of the biggest problems. [People] have no plan. They don’t do research. They don’t self-assess, to narrow down a starting point. Otherwise it’s completely overwhelming and they cast this huge wide net to catch some fish, then end up with something they don’t like. ”Start building your plan a year and a half before you intend to leave the military. This gives you time to assess your skills and interests. “Have a plan. Too many people have no idea what they want to do, or what makes them happy.” Take the time to determine these things for yourself. Set your transition experience up for success.

“A lot of people think they have to do this alone, and that isn’t true. There are so many resources. A very well connected network of programs and resources are readily available. Just tell us the issue and we can hand you off to the organization that can help. It’s like this perception of weakness if you ask for help, and that just isn’t true.”

In summary, Piazza has been a tremendous help to the Liberty Coast’s transitioning Servicemembers and their families. She has made it her life’s work to advocate for Veterans, and her passion is made clear by her being in the trenches every day. Her work with people helps build their confidence. Piazza shows Servicemembers and spouses that they are capable of doing so much more than they may have imagined. If you will be transitioning soon, don’t miss the opportunity to find your success with Piazza’s guidance.