I haven't served in the military myself, but I imagine the transition to the civilian workforce can be as daunting as landing your first job. I am wondering whether veterans might have an interest in doing paid internships to gain private-sector experience and have an opportunity to gain exposure to different industries. I welcome your thoughts.
Answers
Jane:
When I retired, I went back to graduate school full-time. One year into the degree, I was offered a paid internship with a local telecom company. I jumped at the chance and embraced being the oldest intern in my company. Seven months later they hired me full-time with a six figure salary. Sometimes you have to take a step back to make a leap forward. I am a huge advocate of internships, particularly if you are trying to break into a new industry.
v/r
Stephen
Jane,
That is a great idea! Not only will it show prospective employers the value of veterans, it will give this veterans a chance to de-compress and begin integration into civilian life without the added stress of worrying about income.
Additionally, it has been my experience that the most disadvantaged service members are the ones without a technical skill. I.e., infantry and armored crewmen. Those that have IT or financial services skill are more likely to transition into a very similar role in corporate America and already understand and employ the language.
For those of us in non-technical specialties, we have rely on our management and leadership skills initially, while we figure out how to present our specialty skills in a way that is attractive to employers. A year long paid internship would be an invaluable tool for transitioning service members to figure out their career desires, word their resume in a way that highlights their skill sets while using everyday language, provide decompression time and an income.
As a veteran trying to break into the financial services field without credibility (my BS is in Training Development), this would be an opportunity for me to prove myself and acquire experience for use in transitioning to a financial services career.
Thanks,
Jim
Jane,
I also agree with everyone so far. As someone who is looking to move into the financial sector, but with experience only in logistics and engineering, an opportunity to have a paid internship would be a wonderful chance to gain relevant experience while still having an income.
Mark,
Firstly, thanks for your service. Thanks for your reply also. The objective would be to give veterans a chance to try different industries and different roles within those industries to leverage the skills they have, and explore new interests. Ultimately, it could be designed like a management rotation, where a year or so of varied assignments are planned. Do you think other veterans might be interested?
I would be open to such an opportunity. I am particularly interested in cyber security.
Jane,
I have been actively searching for such an opportunity for months. One issue that myself and others in a position similar to mine face is location. We are not near companies that offer these internships, and due to the costs associated with relocation, it is often very difficult. Also, the internships need to be better advertised, such as by having a contact at local colleges or military posts.
I agree with the members who have supported this concept. It is a great idea that would be very beneficial to numerous veterans!
Thank you.
Bill
Jane,
From a mentor perspective, I would be very interested in this idea. We have even flirted with the idea specific to the local university. To make it successful, it would be great to come up with a package I can take to my leadership to spell out risks and advantages. I'm happy to create this, but think experience could lend useful input into what to look for.
Jane,
You are correct in your assessment of the challenge inherent in the transition from the military to the private sector. I believe internships, paid as well as unpaid, would be a boon to veteran job searchers as well as employers. The opportunity to interact on a professional level would be a valuable experience to all parties involved. It would allow the veteran the ability to put their experience into a civilian context while learning about a new industry.
Thank you
Phil
THere is actual a program associated with the Title 31 program that funds internships for veterans. THere are actual two programs one is exclusively for veterans in government agencies and the other is a similar program in the private sector. THe government program pays the salary for the veteran. THe other program requires both parties to pay the salary. I have been unsuccessful selling this program to employers here in SW FL. The chief complaint seems to be a reluctance because of potential workers compensation claims. Please feel free to send me a message at marcsr93@yahoo.com. I have a white paper prepared on this topic. Bottomline: I'm interested but employers are not.
Jane Stabile,
Yes, yes an emphatic yes! I would be willing to work for minimum wage in my chosen field for a year to get the experience needed to work in that field (Rehabilitation).
Norman H DeLisle
Disabled Veteran
Zions' Bank in Salt Lake City, Utah has a paid Military internship program for Veterans. Several Soldiers from the 96th Sustainment Brigade located at Fort Douglas have been selected to participant in the program. I know of at least three Soldiers who completed the program and have been offerred jobs at Zion's bank, and doing fairly well.
If you live in the Salt Lake City area, contact Chuck Rackham at the Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces at 801-656-4133 for more information. He can put you in touch with the folks at Zion's Bank for more details on how the program is working for those interested in the financial service industry.
Jane,
I am trying very hard right now to get my foot in the door for internships, apprenticeships, Paid or non-paid. I am 2 quarters into a network administration degree (A.S.), and trying to get into an entry level tier 1 tech job.
Thanks,
Cory
Thank you all for your feedback. I'm going to put together a basic plan of how I think this could work and present it to my business group. I'll post my progress.
Regards,
Jane
Jane - I'd like to introduce you to a Veteran at a large Boston-area asset management firm. We met at a recent Veterans event, and the firm is interest in hiring more Veterans. Perhaps you can collaborate. - Tom
Jane: paid (or even unpaid) internships for Veterans is a great idea. Can I/we help?
I agree with Frank and Mark that it would be viewed as a great opportunity. From my perspective, I would be interested and I am sure others would be too.
Jane,
I think this would be a great opportunity for veterans transitioning out. Three years ago when I got out I found that most financial firms were wary of my skills and did not want to to hire me for a full time job without seeing how I can benefit the firm. These opportunities were also unpaid and did not necessarily lead to an offer at the end of the internship, leaving me with large commuting expenses but no income to show.
If the internship was structured like a leadership rotational program it would benefit the company as well as the intern the best, allowing them to find the fit they are comfortable with. The ability to receive any salary at all helps people as they transition out, as many veterans who leave the service do list keeping a constant stream of income as a priority for them. If it is marketed well with the widest dissemination, I think you would have a great response.
Jane,
Love the idea. Here's why: an internship is a great transitional tool for access to new industries like you mentioned. And your approach of a rotational program is the best way to do it. That kind of exposure to multiple facets of an industry is invaluable. I did mention some speed bumps in my email, but I think there would be a signficant group that would jump at the chance. If it's approached as a professional internship with the ability to network with the key people doing the jobs in the field, then military members could truly see what it takes to get to the position they want and explore all the roles in the field to find the one that suits them best. Again, love the idea and with the right expectations up front, you should have a lot of interested folks (including myself).
Jane,
I'll email you a more robust answer, but in short I think a paid internship would be a huge opportunity for transitioning servicemembers. While we do have the fundamental skill sets to make us successful, we don't have the exposure to industries like finance. There are some hurdles to a successful program but I'm fully behind the idea.
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