Marine Corps Base Quantico

Marine Corps Base Quantico -- “Today, we’ve brought someone here to talk to you about something neither Sgt. Maj. [Gerald] Saunders nor I can talk to you about, because we’ve never gone through it,” said Gunnery Sgt. Jessika Gonzalez, Headquarters and Service Battalion, at a Troop Appreciation session for enlisted Marines at The Clubs at Quantico May 4. “And that’s transitioning out of the military.”

She said that 75 percent of the Marines in the room would not re-enlist or be accepted for re-enlistment and that it’s critical for service members to be working towards a plan for their lives post-military, even in the first year of their service.

“In the Marines, we are certified to do what Marines do, but that doesn’t mean you’re qualified to do anything when you get out,” she said.

Gonzalez introduced special guest Serena Bermudez, an eight-year veteran of the Navy who now works as a local veteran representative for the Virginia Employment Commission. Bermudez is passionate about reaching out to current service members and working with them to ensure that they have opportunities for successful careers in the civilian world.

“Veterans are used to Uncle Sam telling them what to do,” Bermudez said. “Your pay check, your health insurance, and everything else is there for you. But nobody is taking care of you out there in the civilian world.”

Bermudez’s biggest piece of advice for service members is to pursue a college education while still in the military.

“In the civilian sector, they want to see that degree, that piece of paper. If you don’t have that certificate when you get out, all employers are going to tell you is ‘thank you for your service,’” she said.

She pointed out the resources available on base for Marines interested in higher education, such as the Voluntary Education Center (VEC). The VEC partners with seven national institutions to offer on-site classes, and with many others to facilitate online education. It also can help active duty Marines use their Tuition Assistance benefits, which will pay up to $4,500 per fiscal year in college tuition.

Bermudez said that it is also important for Marines leaving the service to have a civilian resume that isn’t loaded with military jargon. She passed out her business card and invited service members to contact her for assistance in preparing that resume and with any other career questions they might have.

“Networking is also very important,” she said. “It’s important to be able to reach out.”

Bermudez pointed out that even Marines who plan to make a career out of serving should have a plan for what they want to do in the civilian world and should be taking steps to ensure that the plan can come to fruition.

“Life changes,” Bermudez said. “Maybe you get injured, your situation changes. You need to prepare for anything!”

Gonzalez summed up the session by using the metaphor of a used puzzle with missing pieces to describe what happens to a Marine’s “grand plans” of what he or she wants to do post-military.

“Go to a thrift store and buy a used puzzle that a child has chewed on, that has pieces missing, and put it together anyway,” she said. “Things don’t always work out the way you expect. But you find a way to make it work with what you have.”

Writer: auphausconner@quanticosentryonline.com