Planning for work, education after military career

Photo By Cpl. Jackeline Perez Rivera | Col. Deborah McConnell, a judge with the Eastern Judicial Circuit speaks during a Transition Readiness Seminar session at the Education Center aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Aug. 15. While McConnell does not expect to separate from the military soon she attended courses to learn about the separation process.  

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES

08.21.2014

Story by Cpl. Jackeline Perez Rivera  

Marine Corps Installations East       

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Whether a service member has been a part of the military for decades or only a short time, the change from active-duty service to civilian life can prompt many questions and concerns.

Aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Marines, sailors and their families do not have to wait until a service member’s mandatory Transition Readiness Seminar to begin planning for the change.

With resources such as one-on-one counseling sessions, spouse’s seminars and two-day workshops tailored to their goals, service members and their families can take charge of their transition.

TRS offers an opportunity to take a proactive approach to the future, said Sherry Anthony, transition seminar adviser with Marine and Family Programs Division.

"We’re going to ask you what you want to do and how we can help you reach those goals," said Anthony. "We encourage (clients) to think."

TRS is a five-day pre-separation class that service members are required to take prior to the end of their active-duty service.

The classes include Pathway Workshops which offer a condensed session where participants can focus on planning for a future pursuing employment, entrepreneurship or higher education.

Optional two-day training tracks for each pathway are available to supplement the workshops, and participants can take it at any point in their military career.

"It’s an expanded version of the Pathway Workshops," said Tom Gill, transition seminar advisor supervisor with Marine and Family Programs Division. "It’s one more avenue to get them the information they need."

If a service member knows they plan to open a business in a few years, they can take a two-day training track in entrepreneurship from the minute they step foot on the installation, said Gill, a native of Statesville, North Carolina.

Participants can come to the class and get spun up on the steps they can take rather than starting a short time before separating from the military and beginning to take steps then, Gill added.

"It’s important to know a Marine can to this before they have done TRS, just like any of our other programs," said Gill.

For a more personal approach, one-on-one assistance is available. Advising sessions help participants create objectives, explore opportunities and learn about resources available.

"We focus on being realistic," said Bambi Pelham, transition seminar adviser with Marine and Family Programs Division. "We don’t want to sugar coat things."

While each session touches on employment, benefits, education, financial readiness and goal setting, no two sessions look alike, said Anthony, a native of Sterling, Virginia.

"We don’t want there to be a cookie cutter approach to any advising session," said Anthony. "Our goal is to really help you discover what your needs are and to help you create more than one plan."

Participants typically attend multiple times and develop a relationship with advisers, said Anthony.

"I like to say we are your partner in your transition," said Anthony. "Once we make a connection, we’re connected forever."

Many clients continue to receive assistance long after the end of active service.

This care translates to the service member’s family as well.

"I think there is a misconception that we are just focused on the service member," said Bambi Pelham, transition seminar advisor with Marine and Family Programs Division. "We’re just as open to spouses as we are service members. We encourage spouses to come visit us, the service member does not have to be here for them to do that."

Spouses are welcome to the all of transition readiness program’s offerings. In addition to that, spouses can attend S.T.A.R.S., a Spouse Transition and Readiness Seminar, which includes a brief highlighting important information and a panel with a variety of experts.

"We found a lot of information that needs to make it home at times doesn’t," said Pelham. "We want to better involve spouses in the transition process."

With the resources available spouses don’t have to rely on secondhand information, Pelham added.

Each TRS offering is there to be used from the beginning of a service member’s career, past separation or retirement and until the he or she leaves the workforce, said Gill.

"From the time a Marine steps on the yellow footprints, to the time they leave work 30 or 40 years later, we will help them," said Gill.

For more information, call 451-3754.

• Date Taken: 08.21.2014
• Date Posted: 12.10.2014 08:30
• Story ID: 149910
• Location: CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US