Steve Blake, and his transition

When Steve's article first appeared on LinkedIn, and seeing that infectious smile, it had crossed my mind that the transition could have been gender related. Baited, I clicked and read on. The article Steve posted was about his transition and exit from the British Army, and how his journey into civilian life has been navigated. He describes himself as:

"A highly motivated and self-disciplined operations manager and team leader, with a strong work ethic and excellent communication skills. Has 23 years’ experience within various roles in the British Army. Well versed in working in high pressure, fast paced environments, dealing with a wide range of stakeholders, whilst delivering varied and high-quality services to a range of internal/external customers"

Reading his article, Steve clearly provided some much needed inspiration and strategy for people who are considering leaving careers, not just the military. Read on:

I’ve written this article to try and share my experiences, so that anyone leaving the Military can have a small insight into my journey. Hopefully something I’ve experienced will be of help to someone else, at least that’s the aim.

Like many people leaving the forces, the transition into civvie street has been a daunting process, but nevertheless, one that we all know is coming.

I was fortunate in many respects. I secured a role BEFORE I gave Notice To Terminate (NTT) and obtained early release. It wasn’t the first job I applied for by a long shot, but it was a role I knew I’d enjoy, get my teeth stuck in to and be able to make a difference.

Watching people throughout my career and even now via social media, I’ve noted that many bury their heads in the sand, go into denial, or just fail to prepare properly. Don’t let yourself be beaten. You are all well-versed in the 7P’s, so use them. Treat your transition as another planning task, another operation/exercise and commit to failure not being an option.

I’m sure we all have similar questions about this period of our lives, but here were some of mine: -

• What job/role/industry do I really want to work in?

• Am I prepared enough?

• Am I qualified enough?

• Do civilian employers WANT me?

• What’s the competition?

• Is there really job security?

• Will I like it?

Normal questions to have, but if you let these points eat at you rather than embracing them, you’ll never succeed.

You are PREPARED. Your skills are VALUED