Applying to Jobs

• Non-paid work is still experience. Remember that. Volunteer! If you are volunteering, make sure to log hours in the Army’s Volunteer Management Information System. While it is not mandatory, logging hours allows you to be recognized by the organization and Garrison Command for your volunteer efforts to the community. You can also legitimize your volunteer time for your resume or portfolio. I suggest volunteers log their hours weekly. Hours are difficult to log after 30 days past the volunteer date.VMIS is run and managed by the Department of the Army. You can populate a DA FORM 4162 for your official Volunteer Service Record and DA FORM 4713 which shows your Volunteer Daily Time Record. Both are official forms to support your volunteer contributions, document the organizations you’ve volunteered with, the position held, awards you have earned, and more! 

• The Army’s Career Skills Program does not necessarily guarantee jobs but it does have so many benefits. Do research on what is the best fit for your career goals. 

• Networking for jobs is happening all the time, and your peers are evaluating you as people they rather or rather not work with in the future.

Applying to Schools

• The GI Bill will keep you afloat. You can even go to school abroad!

• Look at costs - GI Bill calculator

• Look to see if you qualify for the Yellow Ribbon Program that can help with tuition costs. 

• Understanding the GI Bill

  • 3 years of service is all that’s required for 100% GI Bill on Active Duty, unless medically retired. 

  • Veteran Readiness and Employment and disability percentages can also provide education benefits outside of the GI Bill. 

• Check your benefits in the state you enlisted or for your home of record. 

  • See what programs are offered in your state's Veterans groups such as the Texas Veterans Commission or your state’s Department of Veterans Affairs.  

  • Many states have special educational programs for Veterans that allow them to attend public state colleges at low to no cost. 

  • The Illinois Veterans' Grant (IVG) Program pays tuition and mandatory fees at all Illinois state-supported colleges, universities, and community colleges for eligible Illinois veterans.

  • The Hazlewood Act is a State of Texas benefit that provides qualified Veterans, spouses, and dependent children with an education benefit of up to 150 hours of tuition exemption at public institutions of higher education in Texas, some fees included. 

• Use Service2School for free education counseling.  

  • Service to School (S2S) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides free college and grad school application counseling to military veterans and servicemembers.

• Utilize Credentialing and Tuition Assistance while in service. 

  • Many service members complete their degrees during the service with educational programs at the Education Center. Apply! It’s free money and wasted if you do not use it every year. Get your degree and certificates on the military’s dime! It is your educational benefit, use it.

• Get letters of recommendation and references. 

  • Most of my letters of recommendation and references were from my undergraduate professors. I got one reference from a military coworker. Your NCO can also write you a letter of recommendation. Don’t forget that military leaders make great references, so cultivate those relationships. 

  • Contact people early if you need a letter of recommendation. 

  • Write down what you would write and send them a template - that's what I did. 

  • Make sure your letters of recommendation include job skill areas for your future career. 

• Get LinkedIn Premium as a Veteran for FREE.

  • US Veterans can receive, for free, one-year Premium Business subscription, including access to LinkedIn Learning. 

  • Connect and network with people!

Other Programs Back-up plans

• School isn't for everyone, but there are so many programs like Veteran Readiness and Employment and Veterans Technology Education Courses. They will pay for your education. Apply. 

• Book appointments. Be your own advocate. 

• Get your medical records. 

• I looked into other Army programs as a backup. I still don't know if I will go Reserves, or if I will walk away completely, but it's one of your stops. They do offer a bonus and service in the Reserves can be a good way to slowly transition out. 

Professionalism as a Civilian

• Create a resume with Employee Readiness. 

• Buy business casual clothes.

• Practice interviewing, remember to follow up their questions with questions of your own to show you are invested in understanding the organization too. 

• Be nice to people?? They're not required to help you.

Ask for Help

• DO NOT MISS THE DEADLINES. Get your signatures early. 

• Do not be afraid to ask for help or to lean on your network. 

• Army Emergency Relief fund is for soldiers. ETSing soldiers are high-risk and considered protected Veterans even after 6 months of leaving the service. Apply if needed!

• Go to the therapist, and take care of yourself! You cannot help anyone unless you take care of yourself. Make sure the people around you are also okay.

Be Resilient

• I was rejected a lot. I applied to many schools, internships, and apartments. Finances are important. Applying to college is expensive. School is expensive. Flights are expensive. Rent is crazy. Groceries, too. Dogs are expensive. Credit scores are real. Apartment hunting is also stressful. Everything is stressful. Two phone bills are stressful. Retirement is important to consider. 

• Support networks are important. Get the support that you need. Don't forget Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Service Member Loan Interest Cap. 

• Be careful with information unless you get it from the source. Things change all the time. Everyone's experiences are different. Sometimes it's misinformation. Sometimes it's... conflict of interest.   

• ETSing does require a lot of personal effort and a lot of sacrifices to do it right and enter civilian life prepared. 

The experts on your installation will help guide you to where you need to go for your levy packet, CIF turn-in, etc. It’s hard. But you got this. You’ve done more difficult things. You have to advocate for yourself now. You got this.

About the Author

Originally from Illinois, Esther Kim has just ETS'ed from Korea and is headed for the next adventure to the East Coast, where she will be attending school this fall. Esther is passionate most about helping people and enjoys acts of service which is what influenced her decision to write for United on the RoK. Her hobbies include reading books, learning languages, horseback riding, finding good food spots, and so much more. Esther’s goal is to give back to her community in Korea by continuing to write meaningful editorials featured in United on the RoK.