Know what you’re there for.
Plans can only be considered flexible, open for adjustment and alterations—so long as they exist in the first place. I’ve had a million plans, be it with my career in writing, film or other ventures, and none of them look anything like the original plan I had, but I have always worked within the framework of my existing ideas. I move forward on the path that I’m on, and if I see better opportunities along the way that get me to my goals faster, I hop on over to those.
You can’t climb a ladder to success if you don’t know what ladder to climb, and college is no different. Figure out what field you want to try out—maybe an elective will catch your eye and you’ll switch your majors. Maybe you’ll realize that college isn’t for you. Maybe you’ll finish your degree and realize that you need an internship before you can realistically get a position worth your time.
The next point may come in some contrast to this one, but they both still stand.
You’re there to learn, not just to get a degree—otherwise it really will be a big waste of time, all in the name of one piece of paper.
This is where I often get in arguments with other veterans in school, and yes you don’t need to learn Spanish if you want to be an English teacher or an engineer. But the reality is that you’re there, you have to spend countless hours in classes and doing homework, so why not take advantage of it? You can join the Army and just “get by” as the resident dirtbag, or you can maximize the situation you’re in, for better or for worse.
I was that nerd that soaked up all the information I could in any class I found myself in, whether it was a core class that reflected my passion or some lame elective that I didn’t even want to take in the first place. If I was in the middle of a basic level anthropology course, you bet your ass I was going to treat it like I was some budding anthropologist.
I don’t like wasting my time and the reality was that I was in school, so I chose to get as much out of every minute as I could.
Realize that you have to do your private time again.
This is probably one of the most important points of advice for newly minted veterans, regardless of whether or not they go to college. The college professors, students and everyday civilian might be impressed with your military service, but it doesn’t help you practically.
You’re not in the military anymore, which means you’re at the bottom of the ladder again—it’s a harsh reality you need to understand. The skills you learned in the military are likely not directly transferable to civilian careers (especially if you were a shooter like me), and it will take a while before those other, more important qualities are realized and appreciated.
Think of it like this: if you came into the military with a college degree, it might help a bit (especially during promotion time) but at the end of the day it’s not going to help you. You’ll get a lot further if you shut up, listen to your team leader and drive forward. Similarly, in school (or your career), you’re the new guy. You’re a private again. Shut up, listen and drive forward.
Danny Alvarez with some compelling advice on the subject:
Take a humble pill and don’t expect these kids to have the same experiences that you do.
I don’t know how many times I’ve run into veterans at school that live to look down on all the other kids around them, like they were some beacon of wisdom and intelligence just out of high school. It always reminded me of an 8th grader laughing at how immature 4th graders are. We all have a lot to learn still, and just because you did a few years in the Army doesn’t mean you’re the Obi-Wan Kenobi of wisdom and strength (and you’re certainly not if you don’t embody his patience and humility). No one made me facepalm in college more than my fellow veterans, simply because I hold them to a much higher standard than I do some confused teenager who just left their hometown for the first time.
Featured image courtesy of Pixabay.
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