From Blue to Gray
So How Did I End up Here?
In the 1990s drawdown era, the Air Force used the phrase “Blue to Gray” to describe programs that helped separating or retiring Airmen transition from Air Force blue (active-duty service) to civilian gray (civilian workforce). Although bases varied, “Blue to Gray” typically referred to the combined set of out-processing activities used to transition personnel “From Air Force Blue to Corporate Gray.”
I can vividly remember spending an entire angst filled day at Whiteman Air Force Base passing with, excitement, dread, anger, and happiness while the slides of Blue to Gray flipped in the background of my attention. For those of you who have already received your DD214 you may recall a similar feeling, and for those who have yet to be discharged, it’s pretty much the same feeling you had going into MEPS. I joined the military shortly after high-school in 1994 with a small car-payment and left the military 4 years later with a nice stereo, a closet full of clothes, an even larger car-payment, and every ounce of overconfidence that our nation’s military requires the enlisted to hold. TAP (the Transition Assistance Program) was outwardly helpful and the Career Transition Workshop was meaningful, but both were staffed by enlisted personnel, or spouses of military personnel who did not fully know how to transition themselves. Regardless, I did manage to land with both feet on the ground, all the way down at the bottom of the food chain… again.
I was, however, very fortunate to have the skills and experience drilled in to me by the Air Force. Nondestructive Testing (NDT) was an excellent career to learn and almost directly translated to an external position, but I found out shortly that all the confidence in the world would not grant me a Level 2 certification: otherwise known as a Journeyman. I still had to study, work hard and acquire more experience to earn that position. The reward for which truly paid-over several times from my initial 4-year investment of enlistment in less than 4 years after my separation. I doubled down on my investment with an engineering degree paid for by the Montgomery G.I. Bill, which paired extremely well with the NDT experience which acted as a springboard for my career path. I am now a Responsible NDT Level 3, equivalent to Master Craftsman, for a very large company that will remain anonymous because I would never use a company I work for to lend credit towards may name. I am by no means a rockstar, but those who know me would consider me a success story, especially those who knew me before the military. I would not be where I am today without that life changing experience; it truly was and is the absolute best fraternity ever.
To my military brethren who feel anxious or lost in your transition. I know there are some of you who did not have a great experience and are fed up. You are not alone or abandoned without a path. There is a very good chance that there are jobs in gray collar areas that could correlate directly or can relate to your experience with a little bit of retraining. For instance, even you crazy AO guys don’t have to worry about how ordinance handling or disposal could cross over into civilian roles when there are IPC J-STD soldering certifications you could obtain with little to no effort. For Supply and Logistics personnel, by spending less than $1k, you can become a Certified Calibration Technician where you can join any company’s metrology team and start climbing the corporate ladder through a quality department who will absolutely appreciate your attention to detail. For less than $3k, any one of you can take an online class that will prepare you for certification testing towards a Certified Quality Inspection position, or even an ASQ certification as a Certified Quality Engineer (No Degree Required!).
If you are not happy where you are careerwise, use your TAP or VA benefits to learn what is available to you. Don’t let them convince you that you’ll only find success in college. For me, college was fun and useful but not necessary. A degree is comparable to a box of tools; it is only useful if there is a need for them, and worthless if you don’t know how to use them. It is up to you to determine your success, and you can start by using or expanding the toolbox you’ve already earned. Success is not a tangible thing; it is a path or a goal you reach. Only you can define your own path from Blue (or Green, if you will, for the less fortunate branches) to Gray successfully.