Stay in or get out? How do you decide?

"I was in the Navy for seven years as a missile tech before a government contractor offered me a better paying job," said MT2(SS)Chris McGuire, who recently returned to the Navy after four years of working in the civilian sector. "I was making a whole lot more working for British Aeronautical Engineering, and the benefits were good. The problem was, I was used to traveling and fixing various equipment hands-on. That was much more rewarding than to sit in front of a computer all day."

McGuire worked for British Aeronautical Engineering for a year and then started looking for a more rewarding job. The jobs that he liked didn't pay as well as he had grown accustomed to. He was willing to lose a stripe to come back into the Navy, but found out he could reenlist at his previous pay grade.

"I could not find anything as good as I the job I did in the Navy," stated McGuire. My advice to others is if you like what you are doing in the Navy, think long and hard about staying in, even if you are getting offered an alternative with good pay."

Some major advice career counselors offer up is to have a game plan and prepare for your departure. Because many Sailors join out of their parents' arms and into the arms of the Navy, they are often not mature enough to survive in the business community without proper training and preparation. When preparing you should know how much money you need to make to survive.

"A lot of people get out without a game plan, and find out that life outside of the Navy isn't as easy as it looks." said CS1(SS) Kevin Bower. "I was not considering staying in the Navy past my seven year mark, but while I worked as a recruiter, my eyes became open to all of the benefits the Navy offers," he added.

Bower stated that Sailors are better educated when it comes to whether to stay in or get out. Bower went on to mention a calculator on the Internet where Sailors can compute what kind of salary will be needed at a civilian job to be equivalent to that given by the Navy, including all the benefits, such as housing allowance and tuition assistance.

The Navy has a class called Career Options and Navy Skill Evaluation Program (CONCEP). The course is designed to help Sailors make an educated decision in whether to stay in or get out. It has a tiered attack; the first tier is designed for first term Sailors in the their first six years of active duty service and the second tier is designed for mid term Sailors between their six and 12 year mark.

"CONSEP is a great course that focuses on giving the Sailor the tools to be financially aware, Navy aware, personally aware, and, professionally aware", stated transition specialist Joe Shingleton. "The Sailor learns the difference between a smart goal and just a goal.

A Sailor looks five years down the road and sets professional financial and personal goals. Then the Sailor makes a business plan and goals to achieve his mission. It is my job to make sure that people who transition out of the military have as easy a time as possible."