7 Career Transition Tips

From military to civilian

After 18 years in the Singapore Armed Forces, I transited. The decision was not an easy one as I loved life in the military, but retirement was inevitable so I made the call.

Here are 7 tips from my experience which I hope will help those planning their own career transitions.

Tip #1: The younger the better. The hard truth is that ageism exists, and organizations prefer to promote internally for senior roles. The former stems largely from the fear that a “senior person” will not be able to take instructions from a younger supervisor, while the latter concerns managing the morale of existing staff who may feel external hires deny them the opportunity to progress. So, it is important to decide early (and act early) if you do not intend to stay till the compulsory retirement age.

Three ways older employees can succeed in their new roles — Respect, Add Value, and Learn.

Tip #2: Transition is a three-year plan. Like any operation, a smooth transition takes both proper planning and time. Planning because you need to build your resume with non-military experience, and time to allow you get supporting professional certifications. In my experience, three years is the minimum, and you should use this time to volunteer for projects and roles in the industry you would…