Not everyone will be in the position where they know well in advance (ie: years) that they will be getting out of the military. A twilight tour before retirement is a great example, or if you have your contract set up where you have 1 more duty station. This way, as you wind down your time at your current command, you are also winding down your time in the military. It also helps clarify some timelines and goals for you, and clarity will be helpful during this process, rather than the reliable “I’ll just figure it out.”
An ideal timeline at this point is 36 months prior to military separation. Your separation date can vary depending on circumstances – for example, you want to start working at the start of your 2 month terminal leave, so keep adjust your timeline accordingly. A runway of 36 months is a lot, but it’s to prep for things that may take a while.
We’ll talk about these in more detail later, but as a start:
The first is your VA claim. It’s too early to submit anything at this point, but starting to get seen for anything you’ve put off. Talk to people that are closer to their separation date and see what documentation they are putting together, and maybe get a jump start on it.
Start building your leave balance. You’ll get paid out for it if you don’t use it, but it may come in handy.
Start saving some money. You don’t know what the transition process will bring post military, so start building, or improving, or your safety net.
Do some introspection on yourself. The more honest you are with yourself here, the better direction you can set yourself on.
Start to take a look at the environment you will be entering. From where you live to general economic trends. Being in alignment with larger trends will benefit you.
Close the education gap. Whether you like it or not, but college degrees are still viewed favorably. Keep that in mind. Depending on your field, certifications can be used to highlight competency as well.
This is just an introduction to what will be the focus of this phase. We’ll talk more about each of these points later.