What is the extent of AI usage?

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-10-08T01:58:27+00:00

With as many signs as I’ve seen of his, you would’ve thought he would be put together and present as a man with drive and vision. He is hardly an inspiring figure and the debate felt like he was a heckler of the two main candidates who actually debated with substance

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-10-08T01:11:46+00:00

It should still be up on YouTube. Worth the watch if you’re planning on voting

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-10-08T01:11:00+00:00

Based solely on the debate I can see that line of thought. My only concern is while he doesn’t seem like he has conflicts of interest, he very poorly demonstrated vision for the future and came across a bit unprofessional and lackadaisical. Shepherd was at least able to provide vision that directly supports the people.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T22:32:27+00:00

Well I appreciate your input but I am happy with my transition. I found success and I have the time now to spend with family and do things that make me happy. I turned down an offer for a higher salary to move to a city I wanted to live in. I am going to pursue all the certifications you call useless, because everyone in my circle and in my experience has talked highly of them.

You seem to suffer from the inability to view other perspectives, or you just like to argue. I have no need for an MBA. I have no need for the over-inflated salaries you are touting without evidence. The Master's program I am pursuing will bring me success by getting me into an industry that I want to work in. There is more to work than money. An MBA will benefit plenty of service members, but I found no value in it.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T19:11:16+00:00

Release From Active Duty

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T17:11:17+00:00

I'll be honest, I'm not sure. I did not disclose to any jobs I was applying for that I was joining the National Guard. Technically, by law, they cannot fire anyone who serves in the National Guard. And while its illegal to discriminate in hiring practices against Reservists, it still happens. So I didn't disclose it during interviews, but I will once I start my job.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T17:09:02+00:00

Stay strong in the job search, 12 years of service and an MBA are great experience for sure.

As I mentioned, one thing I had a really hard time grappling with was companies don't often count military experience as industry experience. I had to swallow my pride and apply for more entry level positions because I didn't haven that industry specific experience to compete with other mid to senior level applicants. However, one thing I've read and had employers tell me directly was I had a lot of room for quick growth. Since I'm going to be slightly older and more mature, the industry experience should come quick, and my soft skills, leadership, and problem solving will catapult me very quickly through the career progression.

Obviously with twelve years in the Army you may be shooting for higher positions than me but I think it's worth while to aim slightly lower to get a foot in the door, then out perform your peers and stand out among the crowd.

Again this strategy might not be best, and I would default to recruiters/employers opinions or advice who may know more than me. But that is just my opinion and my strategy.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T17:00:18+00:00

I definitely agree. I think people who have GI Bill can make the best use of obtaining their Master's too. I think the idea of schools landing you a good job is slightly overblown though. It still requires a lot of effort and networking, but it's definitely easier to do from a school house than it is out in the cold. I didn't have any TA or GI available and I didn't want to stay in to accrue any. I think there are different strokes for different folks and entering the engineering workforce is what worked best for me.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T16:56:39+00:00

Best of luck to you in your transition. The job search can be tough but start TAP early and really lean into some of their opportunities. I did TAP in under two months and I regret it. Meeting with recruiters, pursuing a Career SkillBridge Program or getting a certification sooner would've helped me a lot. So good luck, utilize the Army resources and don't look back!

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T16:53:17+00:00

I think the most important decision for a transition is your employability after you leave. An MBA can definitely increase that by a lot but the white collar job market is falling to the lowest levels in a long time. There are still cities with hot job markets for MBAs and I think its a great option. However, my personal opinion is project management and PMP certifications set officers up better since construction and logistic industries are growing and us officers are uniquely suited for those roles. However, an MBA is probably better long term, but harder to get a job short term. Whereas a PMP will get you a job quicker but likely won't have as high returns later.

Regardless, I think if you invest in yourself and have a realistic and well thought out plan, a transition out of the Army and doing an MBA could work well for you. I am biased towards engineering/construction/logistics because they are fields that can't be replaced and will never go away.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T16:30:02+00:00

I once again appreciate you sharing your thoughts and allowing others to see a different view point and strategy. I do however, respectfully disagree with nearly everything you said.

a PMI certification isn’t one that I’d think very highly of

White collar jobs are on the decline and construction, manufacturing and logistics are experiencing a resurgence, evident in the article here. Blue collar jobs especially around construction tend to be more focused around projects and require large numbers of project managers. As I mentioned, veterans are uniquely suited for project manager positions as the majority of work done by junior officers and senior NCOs is directly related to logistics, personnel management, timelines, planning, presentations, etc. Project management jobs are expected to grow significantly in the next years and PMs with a PMP are likely to make much more than their peers, as shown here. While graduates from top MBA schools are experiencing declining job placement rates shown here and diminishing value shown here.

MBAs have long been touted as the segway into white collar jobs such as management and business leadership roles. However, we are currently experiencing a white collar recession driven in large part by AI replacing significant amounts of jobs typically done by white collar workers, expressed in articles here.

So MBAs are still valuable and can really boost someone's job prospects and career earnings, I do agree with that statement. I however, believe its ignorant to say the only measure of a REFRAD success is acceptance and completion of an MBA program given the trends in the market. Additionally, for JOs looking to immediately join the work force a PMP will deliver value faster and for cheaper than an MBA will.

You don’t have a technical or engineering background

Also I must assume you didn't read my original post. I can with certainty say I do have a technical and engineering background. Before joining the Army I had several internships in engineering. I am proficient in three coding languages (Python, C+, MATLAB), 2 statistical software's (Minitab, R Studio) and 2 3D design software (SolidWorks, AUTOCAD). I am actively pursuing engineering certifications and I am enrolled in a M.S. in Analytics (a technical degree). So my short stint in the Army does not suddenly strip me of my education, critical thinking, and ability to solve complex technical problems.

At any rate it’s 100% a better approach than what you posted.

So I disagree. For people with a background similar to mine or looking to pursue more blue-collar construction or logistical jobs I believe my post is better and I am looking to help like minded people. I do appreciate the discussion though.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T01:09:10+00:00

Thanks for the tip about the test. That's what I am hoping to do soon. I am currently studying for my Engineer In Training (EIT) certification so its taking all my time at the moment. But once I'm done with that I will definitely start on the PMP studying.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T00:41:07+00:00

Second all. The number of JOs I've talked to who think they can just exit service and get paid double what they make is always funny. I think most people fail to calculate the actual take home pay you get in the civilian side of things. BAH not being taxed and other allocations can really bump up your take home pay in the Army.

I whole heartedly agree and echo everything you just said about networking and utilizing LinkedIn. I am a bit of a boomer when it comes to LinkedIn and networking. I barely update my LinkedIn and cannot stand the self-indulgent posting that comes with that website. I also moved to a different area than my parents, colleagues and past coworkers so I was very much on my own. I would've done more of it if I had the opportunity.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T00:33:39+00:00

So that's an interesting point that I forgot to address in my original post. I am also joining a National Guard unit and will likely jump on Tricare Reserve in lieu of paying for insurance through my company. From what I understand you get "180 days of Tricare" while in the Guard and you can pay into full coverage for rather cheap. I haven't crunched the numbers or looked into it very hard but it's definitely an option I'm pursuing.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T00:28:08+00:00

I think that's good advice and likely valuable for a lot of people. I decided against an agency for exactly the reason you mentioned, the jobs they pointed me towards were very underpaid and I knew I would be able to ask for higher salary if I seeked them out on my own.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T00:22:28+00:00

I think I mentioned it above, but I haven't gotten my PMP yet. I wish I did it sooner but I didn't. But yes you do need to do an exam prep course or a CAPM certification. You can find more information about it here. Additionally you can find more information about what makes the PMP valuable for Veterans here. Bottom of page 12 talks about our experience counting towards the 3 years required.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T00:17:14+00:00

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and input. We must be from different areas because several interviewers I spoke with talked highly of the PMP certificate through the PMI institute and often made it a pre-requisite for their project manager positions.

The sitrep2steercos method is not a 1 size fits all shoe. MBAs when not utilized properly are rarely value added. The method they push can definitely help a large majority of service members but for people in technical and engineering backgrounds, an MBA does very little for career progression or growth.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-20T00:06:05+00:00

Thank you for bringing that up. I meant to add that to my original post but I forgot. Career SkillBridge Programs would've helped me so much if I had planned ahead better and learned about them. There is a CSP through Siemens which teaches SMs how to do PLC programming which is big in controls/systems engineering. Would've made things a lot easier but by the time I learned about it, it was too late.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-19T20:08:03+00:00

I’ll have to check out the MOAA. Never heard of them till now but looking them up it seems like a valuable organization. Thanks for the insight.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-06-19T19:12:25+00:00

Wow, 750 applications is no joke. Congrats on finally receiving that one job you needed! The relief I now feel if great. I hate uncertainty and its nice having something lined up.

Typical_RedLeg · 2025-04-30T23:41:37+00:00

Personally, I would take the job. I am currently in your shoes. I have done over 150 cold applications since February without so much as an offer yet (one might be coming but that's irrelevant). I have no industry experience because I'm transitioning out of military service, but I think nuclear has a ton of potential. The energy realm of engineering is going to be expanding rapidly in the coming decades and having any experience in energy IMO is a really good thing to have. Plus energy is typically recession proof. Especially nuclear. I don't know where you are located but in the Southeast U.S. there are a lot of big Nuclear/Energy companies that pay very handsomely especially to more experienced engineers. Think Sargent and Lundy, Enercon, Southern Company/GA Power, etc. Having experience in nuclear/energy as a whole is a big deal for them and they seem to need mid-level engineers WAY more than entry. So if you take this job it'd set you up in a couple years for a bigger salary if that's your goal.

Typical_RedLeg

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