Introduction
A gulf between Military Service and Civilian careers prevents veterans from successfully integrating into society after military service. It is crucial to offer modern veterans efficient employment services. Therefore, this topic needs research and analysis of all stakeholders’ needs, rights, and opportunities. Professionals in career development must think carefully about how to meet the needs of the veteran population, considering the substantial unemployment rate that exists at the moment (Buzzetta et al., 2017). All parties are interested in solving this problem – veterans, their families, society, the army, and the state. The loss of the opportunity to return to civil society and be a full-fledged member harms both the person himself and the community.
Nowadays, a handful of resources advise creating a successful network when moving from the army to a civilian job. We can narrow the topic by identifying key parameters that will enable veterans to integrate into society. Veterans may incorporate four categories of network members into their network systems: family members, fellow veterans, civilians, and official resource people (Alonso et al., 2021). They note that role transitions and identity transitions – where one broadens one’s identity to include both a military and a new career identity are both components of transitioning from the army to a civilian profession.
Various questions on the topic of adaptation of veterans to civilian life have been studied in the literature for a long time. This topic is discussed in order to select the best, most effective, and financially beneficial way to close the gap between military service and civilian career methods. The complexity of the topic is in its multidimensionality since a number of financial, social, and psychological open-ended questions need to be researched. For example, the difficulties of psychological adaptation to civilian life are deeply investigated. Another open-ended issue is the rapid acquisition of social skills required by society contrary to the military disciplinary structure. In addition, veterans have to cope with the financial and social transition from high status and high pay to an environment in which they have to start from scratch.
Annotated Bibliography
Armed forces service can have a long-lasting impact on an individual’s identity through changing worldviews and self-concepts, encouraging uniformity in behavior and attitudes, and separating people from civilian life. Ainspan et al. (2018) analyze this existential crisis in the context of psychological issues and find that the change generated identity conflicts and mental suffering. The article “Psychosocial Approaches to improving the military-to-civilian transition process” examines the psychological effects and difficulties of transitioning from military to civilian service. The authors consider several psychosocial methods for the treatment of PTSD, as well as approaches to community re-engagement with the help of support groups. Mitchell et al. (2020) adduce that this group of people encounter identity difficulties due to the pressure to maintain a sense of consistency between military and civilian life.
The social difficulties of integrating veterans into civilian life are explored in the articles “Perceived Needs of veterans transitioning from the Military to civilian life” and “The Transition Experiences of British military veterans.” Leaving the military is a drastic change in lifestyle, location, and occupation (Derefinko et al., 2018). According to studies, this regeneration might cause the individual to feel disoriented in both the civilian and military worlds (Binks & Cambridge, 2017). The studies collected data on areas of life and social contacts that cause the most difficulties for veterans.
Research by Romaniuk et al. (2020) and Buzzetta et al. (2017) focuses on the economic and financial difficulties that veterans experience when integrating. The article “Creating Hope” explores the issues of unemployment, employment, and career development for veterans. Buzzetta et al. (2017) analyzed the difficulties and existing policies to overcome them. Romaniuk et al. (2020) discuss reintegration challenges with respect to relatives, friends, and employment simultaneously.
Analysis of global initiatives the US military has already established will be helpful for the research. Alonso et al. explore an official transitioning strategy titled the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to help with veterans’ assimilation into the civilian workforce (2021). Although TAP helps occupations in the civilian market, it frequently falls short of meeting the particular requirements of various veterans. Thus, TAP does not provide enough advice for transitioning from the military to the civilian sector, particularly regarding the cultural disparities between the two and the fundamental identity transformation that comes with it (Alonso et al., 2021). Network interactions from various social circles can significantly influence a person’s professional identity growth during this period of uncertainties and identity expansion by offering emotional support.
Conclusion
The choice of a military career is fraught with difficulties and risks, including barriers to adaptation after military service. To ensure access to the resources required for a smooth transition, recruits should start assessing and expanding their network long before their military departure (if applicable). The military’s career phase planning tool advises that service members start planning for their civilian careers as soon as they join the military. Military personnel can use this framework to determine who to contact if, as many military personnel say, they cannot find the time to prepare for the transition from the military to the civilian workforce. Using these structures, soldiers will be better able to create an integrated military-civilian identity, which is essential for success in transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce. In addition, the army and adaptation programs must consider the full range of emerging problems – financial, social, and psychological, and look for approaches to resolve them.
References
Ainspan, N. D., Penk, W., & Kearney, L. K. (2018). Psychosocial approaches to improving the military-to-civilian transition process. Psychological Services, 15(2), 129–134. Web.
Alonso, N. A., Porter, C. M., & Cullen-Lester, K. (2021). Building effective networks for the transition from the military to the civilian workforce: Who, what, when, and how. Military Psychology, 1–17. Web.
Binks, E., & Cambridge, S. (2017). The transition experiences of British military veterans. Political Psychology, 39(1), 125–142. Web.
Buzzetta, M., Hayden, S. C., & Ledwith, K. (2017). Creating hope: Assisting veterans with job search strategies using cognitive information processing theory. Journal of Employment Counseling, 54(2), 63–74. Web.
Derefinko, K. J., Hallsell, T. A., Isaacs, M. B., Colvin, L. W., Salgado Garcia, F. I., & Bursac, Z. (2018). Perceived needs of veterans transitioning from the military to civilian life. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 46(3), 384–398. Web.
Mitchell, L. L., Frazier, P. A., & Sayer, N. A. (2020). Identity disruption and its association with mental health among veterans with reintegration difficulty. Developmental Psychology, 56(11), 2152–2166. Web.
Romaniuk, M., Fisher, G., Kidd, C., & Batterham, P. J. (2020). Assessing psychological adjustment and cultural reintegration after Military Service: Development and psychometric evaluation of the post-separation military-civilian adjustment and reintegration measure (M-CARM). BMC Psychiatry, 20(1). Web.