It's just "Bill" now... again

For the first time in over 20 years I do not have a title attached to the front of my name. Okay, that's not entirely true. I will always have a claim to the title of "Staff Sergeant of Marines" but I will no longer be called that in the work place. Why? Because, effective yesterday, I have been transferred to the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve (FMCR). In other words, I am officially retired from the USMC.

Kinda scary...

On the negative side, I no longer have a guaranteed paycheck twice a month... but I will be getting a retirement pension for the rest of my life (assuming politicians don't mess with the current system). Although I am no longer covered by my active duty medical insurance, I have signed up for our retired medical plan and wouldn't you know it, the same doctor that my wife and children see is now my doctor. My retirement check, although not huge, is enough to cover our mortgage and the premium for this new medical plan... and I think there's even enough to keep the lights on at home, so we'll always have a place to live. My beautiful wife has a part time job that pays better than we thought it would, so we'll even be able to put food in the 'fridge... and we have plenty of clothes to rotate through for the forseeable futre... or until the kids grow out of their jeans and shirts.

So let's get back to this whole "work place" concept...

For the past 12 years I've been a career planner. In short, the Marine Corps' version of an HR generalist. I help with retention bonuses, make sure the paperwork for a new contract is filled out correctly, recorded, and then filed, conduct exit interviews for people who decide to leave the service, and so on and so forth. I decided that I liked that job so much that I want to be in HR when I get out (which is now, in case you forgot). So I started going to school to study HR Management. Then I started going to job fairs, posting my resume on a variety of web sites, and joining "professional" social networks like LinkedIn in an effort to find my next job. Finally, at a job fair, I received an invitation to apply directly to a company for work in their sales department. Hmmm... It's not what I was looking for, but they must've seen something, right? So I applied.

That job turned out to be hawking credit cards to travelers at the airport. Although I could do that job, it's not really what I want, so I turned them down. At the same job fair I applied for a job as a security guard (think "Night at the Museum" more than "Paul Blart: Mall Cop") but that doesn't pay very well, as you'd expect, so I turned them down... or tried to. I told the supervisor there that he wasn't offering enough money to make it worth my time, so he called me back and offered me better pay at a location closer to home... but it's still night shift and not much better than the money I could make on unemployment...

(Tangent: If Washington is serious about getting people back to work, cut unemployment. It'll encourage people to take whatever job they can find. My experience with the security post is a prime example. If I had no other way to make money to support my family you'd better believe I'd take the job.)

ANYWAY... eventually I received an email from a recruiter who saw my profile on careerbuilder and thought I'd be a good fit for his company. I accepted his invitation for an interview and two days and one follow up interview (that I arrived late for, but I called and told him I was running late) I was offered a job. This one is in sales as well, but it's a company that pools the buying power of multiple small businesses and gets them the kinds of deals that major organizations enjoy. They sell association memberships, but also health indemnity insurance and even a term life insurance policy. The kick? It's 100% commission. However, my success in landing two job offers in sales opened the possibility and I took another look at a company I actually tested for a long time ago. I now realize that back then I didn't have the confidence to sell financial investments and become a financial planner. Now, I think I do so I've applied for a position in a financial planning organization... that has offices in Southern CA and I hope to hear back from them before my deadline to answer the insurance company runs out. The bigger difference that appeals to our desire for some stability is that this latest position comes with a residual guarantee for the first two years while I build a client base.

Either way, it looks like I'm going to need to go back and get some more suits. I bought a couple of suits at Macy's last year and I have to admit... I look good when I'm all slicked out. But the point is, if I'm going to be in sales and insurance and financial planning, I seriously doubt I'll be able to get away with wearing jeans and athletic shoes to work anymore. (Bummer, right?)

Oh! So, back to the school thing. There's not much call or use for a degree in HR Management in the financial world, so I've changed my major. I am now pursuing a degree in Business Administration. Generic? Maybe. But my education goal doesn't end with a BABA. I am minoring in psychology and I want to pursue a master's in counseling after I graduate. I still have my sights on a possible career as a principal, and I figure I'll need all the insight I can get to deal with irate parents who will doubtless blame the teacher and the school when their child never does homework and then fails in class. Why would I want a job in education? Simple...

My father is a teacher. I have been a counselor and I enjoy helping people make good decisions. I figure the best way to combine those is in the principal's office. I wonder what it might be like to sit on that side of the desk for a change.

Have a great weekend and Happy March!

Birthday week musings

So, since we've moved to the Denver area, you might think that we'd become Broncos fans... HA!

I consider myself an Eagles fans, with a watchful eye on my hometown's team, the Bengals, and another eye on the team of my wife's home town: the Chargers. In fact, if quizzed, I'd probably know more about the Chargers than the Eagles anyway... but one team is AFC West and the other is NFC East, so it's conceivable that I could actually like both teams. Yeah, let's go with that.

Anyway, today is a day off for the kids thanks to Martin Luther King Jr's birthday. As such I don't have much to look forward to other than pushing them to clean their rooms and trying to get the house picked up a little bit more. We spent most of Saturday, before football started, really cleaning the main level and it looks really nice. The trick, of course, will be to keep it that way. Today is clean up the basement and garage day. I'll be getting my uniforms organized and sorted so that I can put them into long term storage.

Oh, did I forget to mention that I'm on terminal leave, awaiting separation from the United States Marine Corps at the conclusion of 20 years of service? Well, there... I just did.

Yep, after snow closed the base on the day my retirement ceremony was originally scheduled for, we were able to get the family and a couple of friends together, along with all of the Marines not on leave for the holidays, and my retirement ceremony went off without any further hitches. To keep the personnel requirements down, I asked for a color guard and a narrator and that was it. Everyone else was in the audience, which was good. I had invited several people to come, and many had planned to be there but the snow delay changed all of that and only one civilian family was able to make it, in addition to my family of course. Oh well... I've had to deal with delays and cancellations throughout my career so I shouldn't have been surprised.

-I was in the Delayed Entry Program for almost a year. I was supposed to go to boot camp in October, but kept getting pushed back until I finally went in February.
-I spent an extra week in boot camp when I failed my IST the first time and was dropped to the Physical Conditioning Platoon until I was able to pass. I took care of that the very next week.
-My graduation from boot camp was rained into the chapel instead of having a huge formation on the parade deck at MCRD.
-It rained for 28 of the 30 days that I was at MCT.
-When we decided to get married, my leave request for the end of June was denied and we had to push our wedding back to the end of July to coincide with the band's scheduled block leave.
-When I checked out of 1st Marine Division, where I'd been promoted twice and added a dependent, they literally asked, "You're who from where?"
-My promotion to SSgt was delayed over the weekend because my OIC at the time didn't want to do a promotion on a Friday. (True story)
-My son was born almost a week late... and that was only a month after the WTC attack.
-My return from Iraq in 2008 was delayed by a couple of weeks because I had asked to be on a flight that would allow me to be home for my son's birthday and was told that it wouldn't be fair for me to be home for a family event that others had to miss. (That's true story too... it was spite that kept me there two extra weeks.)

So when I scheduled my retirement ceremony for the Thursday before Christmas, I should have expected that it would be the one day that week when there would be enough snow to close the base to non-essential personnel. Since the following day was a planned family day for the Air Force, I had no choice but to move my ceremony to the Tuesday after Christmas... which I did.

ANYWAY... everything went well once we got started and now I'm a grizzly faced college student, trying to raise his GPA on one hand, find a post-military career on the other, and maintain the house on the other. (Kinda like the "world's greatest spokesman in the world" I have three hands...)

I just finished my last required Bible class. Well, sort of. I still have to turn in my final paper, but I'll get to that later today. My first class for the spring semester opened yesterday. It's online due to lack of enrollment. Really? A Business 101 class doesn't have three students interested for in-seat but the online section has over 10? (Only one other is from CO as far as I can tell.)

I'm also registered for another psychology class and a statistics class. I'm about ready to start my core classes for my major in HR Management, but the school I'm attending doesn't have a cohort scheduled to start until next year. I figure I have two options. I can switch majors, or I can switch schools. I'm not really crazy about either alternative, but I the latter option opens the prospect of earning a degree from a state school with a solid reputation. Of course, that means I'd have to shop and compare Colorado State versus University of CO. Hmmm... Rams or Buffaloes? That's neither here nor there. I'll finish the spring semester at CCU first and then worry about a new school later.

Anyway, that's what's happening here. Hope your new year is off to a good start.

Happy New Year!

It's that time again... a time to make new promises... or remake the same old tired promises. A time to look forward to the new year with anticipation and to wave a fond (or bittersweet, or just flip a finger) farewell to the year in the rearview... In other words: it's New Year's!

In keeping with tradition, I shall now reissue my usual proclomations of self-betterment... is that a word?

In 2012 I resolve to...
1) read my Bible
2) lose weight
3) post more regularly on blogger

As a new wrinkle for 2012, I have added a few more resolutions. I also resolve to...
4) find a job in the civilian work force
5) complete at least 8 more classes for school... on time
6) run 2 marathons

If you do not know me very well, then none of those resolutions will make much sense. If you know me a little, then they all make sense. If you fall under the former and would like to learn more about me, keep reading. Over the next few weeks I will probably post some memories of my time in the Corps and updates on the job search and school work.

Hope you all had a wonderful New Year's celebration. Now it's time to roll up the sleeves and get to work... as soon as I blow up some stuff on my facebook games. (SMILE!)

Happy Friday!

It's Friday. It's been a busy week, but I haven't spent a single minute in the office.

So where have I been?

I've been attending transition assistance classes this week. That's right. I've been spending the last five days learning how to write an effective resume, dress for success, and ace that interview. Now all I need to do is figure out exactly what I want to do when I get out of the Corps.

Wait, what?

Yes, I am getting out of the Marines. I have applied for authority to transfer to the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve. In other words, I am asking to retire at the end of February. Why that particular date? Well, there are a couple of reasons.

First, I think it will be pretty cool to have a retirement date of February 29. In the Corps all enlisted service members retire at the end of the month. The second reason is that I departed for the famed yellow footprints at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Perris Island, South Carolina in February, 1992. That means that I will have completed 20 years of service and it's time to do something else.

So, if you know of someone, or happen to be someone, looking for an experienced career counselor with years of office administration experience, give me a call.

Have a great weekend!

Quickie...

So, this will be a quick update on a variety of topics. Fortunately, if you are not the type to read fast, you can take as much time as you need to get through this information or even come back later and read it again.

School is off and running for the fall semester. I'm taking the History and Literature of Ancient Israel for my first class. Well, I guess someone in marketing figured people would shun the class if they labeled it for what it is: A survey of the Old Testament. Whatever. It completes my history requirement and I thought it would be an interesting class... So far, so good.

Along with the beginning of the school year comes the beginning of the Scout year. This year I'm the registered trainer for our pack. I told them it was a mistake because I'm new to this so I'm assuming none of the leaders have done any training until they give me some sort of evidence. I'm making a database to track that and I've registered to follow the training feeds from our local council office.

Work is work. I'm making sure nobody falls off contract that doesn't want to, which is basically what I've been doing for the last 12 years. At least it's a job, right? Speaking of which...

My request to transfer to the FMCR (retire) has been submitted. I've scheduled my separations physical and I'm re-taking my transition classes next month. Once those classes are complete I'll start my VA disability claim and really start looking for a new job. (I've got a sleep apnea study scheduled for this weekend.) As long as I can continue going to school, using my GI Bill benefits, plus my retirement pay, plus some unemployment from the great state of OH, then we should be okay... at least in the short term for keeping house warm and lit and at least some food in the 'fridge. Actually, I'm sure we'll be fine. We're going to pare our cable WAY back and start using Netflix for our movies and rerun TV shows. If I don't have to drive 70 miles every day to commute then the car will last longer and so will each tank of gas. It'll work because...

Our church is in the middle of negotiations to purchase a foreclosed car dealership location. It comes with lots of parking, a great looking building, and about 5 times more square footage than what we cram ourselves into every weekend now. I already suggested that if I don't have a day job when my terminal leave starts in January and the church is in need of workers, I might spend my days helping paint, hammer, drill, wire, or whatever and continue school in the evenings.

So that's the low down on the "what's happenin" around here. Hope your weekend turns out well. If the weather's not too hot I may have to fire up some coals and make burgers or something... or even get some steaks. Now we're talkin'!

Calm before the storm

I figure I should try to add an entry to my blog before the hectic-ness (is that a word) of the fall season gathers steam and rolls me over.

The kids started school last week. They have their first homework assignments this week. The Boy is already frustrated and he's only tried one day of 4th grade homework. This might be a very long year. His sister is doing fine with her assignments, but she's always been like that. Since we're on the topic of school, I have registered for the fall semester as well, but I don't start for a couple more weeks. For the first time in my college career I will be a full time student this semester. I've come close a couple of times, but stopped at 9 credits. This time I'm in for the full 12 units. It should be very interesting.

So, the academics are covered. Let's move onto sports. The kids are in soccer for the fall sports season. Even though they are in different age groups (and therefore, different teams) their practices are back to back, which is very convenient. Their games might be a different story, but we'll jump off that bridge when we get there. The kids are also in Scouts again this year. And someone who looks a LOT like me is one of the pack leaders and the Boy's den leader this year. There is a somewhat ulterior motive here. I'm hoping that the volunteer work will enhance my resume as I look for a new job.

Why am I looking for a new job? Well, after 20 years of faithful service, I'm transitioning out of the Marine Corps in February. Yes, it's a bit of a worry, but I think we'll be okay... I hope. By the time we add up my retirement check, the GI Bill payments that I'll be receiving, and this new job that I'm looking for, we should be fine... or at least solvent. I should be finishing my degree by Spring of 2013, but if I pick up the pace and go year-round maybe I can speed that up a bit. =)

So, anyway, that's how we start this year. Hope you all are doing well. I'll try to remember to get back into the groove of things sooner rather than later.

Last post was when?!?

Hey, everybody, if there's anyone out there reading this. I just logged in and noticed that my last post was way the heck back in January. Holy cow! So, what have you been up to? I'll give you (and myself) a little trip through my 2011 so far. Should we start in January? Sure... why not?

Hang on... let me go get my day planner...

Okay, now that I've actually read my last couple of posts and remember what I was talking about at that time, I can carry on more intelligently.

Let's start with family. The Boy finished his Bear Cub Scout year in scouts. Our den had grown large enough that the pack leadership decided to split the bear den into two groups. The two registered leaders each went with one of the dens. Our den chief went with the new den and I was asked to register as a new assistant den leader for our group. (We kept the original den number.) Don't get ahead of me here... Anyway, shortly after I did all of my new leader training our den leader got sent on a "temp" assignment to Oregon for work and asked if I could handle the den on my own. Since Marines are always able to improvise, adapt, and overcome, I said "sure" and was thusly promoted into the den leader's position. Long story less long: we (I) coordinated our pack's blue and gold banquet in February, helped my son build his pinewood derby car for March, and made sure that all of my Bear Cubs earned their rank achievements and were promoted to Webelos at the last pack meeting of the school year. In fact, here's a shot of me putting the Webelos neckerchief on my son...

He looks like he's been busted for something, but the truth is that I am very proud of him and I'm actually looking forward to leading him and his den through the Webelos scouting experience. I'm not sure how many of them will succeed in earning their Arrow of Light but as their den leader, I will do my best to encourage them (and their families) to do their best... and that's the cub scout motto anyway. =)

Okay, so on to sports. I ran a 5 mile race in January, but got lucky enough that the weather was at least clear if not warm, so I earned my t-shirt for the "Frosty's Frozen" for that one. I looked into the Marine Corps Marathon, but decided that with my pending retirement I should stay closer to home, so I registered for another shot at the Denver Rock-n-Roll marathon in October. I also completed the Flying Pig marathon in Cincinnati in May. Here's a shot of us crossing the bridge into Covington at the 1 mile mark. I'm actually in the middle of this picture, wearing my Denver t-shirt...

I thought I might be, based on the time (I started in a group about 10 minutes back) and I recognized the group of runners in the red, white, and blue jerseys so I took a closer look, and I'm right in the middle of the picture. Here's a better shot of me, taken by my sister, just before the end of the race... notice I'm still "running" here also!

I finished this race in 5:01:53, which killed my time in Denver, so now I have a new target... get through in less than 5 hours. However, I don't know if I'll be able to make that this next race because of some other medical issues.

I had surgery to repair my right shoulder (again) just last month. I went to the doctor because I had stopped making progress on my strength training so I asked for a follow up MRI to be done. The results came back that I have what is called a slap tear on my biceps tendon. I was referred to the orthopedics clinic at the Air Force Academy and they decided that surgery was in order. I went back in and they basically drilled my biceps tendon into the bone in my arm and the part that's supposed to wrap up and around my shoulder before looping under my armpit and attaching to the pectoral area has been removed. Say it with me... "OUCH!" So, I've been in a sling for the past month and I start physical therapy on Thursday. I'm going to ask them if I can run and I'm hoping that with my previous marathon experience I'll at least be able to finish the race in October. I still want to run the Marine Corps Marathon, but it'll have to just be on my bucket list for now.

Speaking of the Marine Corps... I was passed for selection for promotion again this spring. I wasn't really surprised, but it still hurt. So now I am in the position of having to request transfer to the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve. Translation: I'm retiring at the end of my 20 years. My ceremony will be with just the active support staff at work and I've asked to have it on the Thursday before the Christmas weekend. That way, most everyone will still be there and I had an excuse to have my folks and Jen's mom come out for my ceremony and stay for Christmas. I went to a job fair in San Diego during our vacation last week and didn't find anything. It was very small and mostly filled with college reps and military recruiters. Sorry.. already settled there. I attended retirement classes last summer, but I'm going to TAP classes again here next month as a refresher. I'll also be submitting my claim to the VA at that time, since I'm six months away from transition. Guess it's a good thing I'm in school right now.

Classes are going pretty well. Other than the one that I bombed (by not turning in the final paper on time) I'm pulling in decent grades. I figure by the time this next semester is over my GPA should be back over 3.0. I've been advised to add a psychology minor to my OMHR degree since I want to work with transitioning service members and I've submitted the official request to make that happen. I even ordered some business cards from VistaPrint with that information on there. Now comes the hard part of pretending to care about my current job while I look to the future and try to find my next job.

We just got back from a week and a half in San Diego for our vacation. It may be our last trip for a while as a family. We met up with a friend of ours who does photography and celebrated our 15th anniversary with a family photo shoot. We got some really great pictures, but I think this one sums it up the best...

So, that's a run down of the first half of my 2011. I know I said I was going to do this update thing weekly, but so far, it's more like "weakly" and I'll have to work on that. Take care!